Females are traditionally presented as the choosier sex, selecting males based on the quality of their traits. Yet, there is increasing evidence that male mate choice is also important, even in species without male parental care. Social environment and learning are key factors in determining mate preference, and animals are able to use the information they gather from previous experience to potentially increase their odds of obtaining a high-quality mate. We examined how the social environment affects male mate choice in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata). We evaluated whether male guppies with previous social experience of female receptivity cues learn to prefer and adapt their behavioural repertoire towards females with higher receptiveness levels, as this represents an optimal use of time and energy and is more likely to result in insemination. For this, we measured sexual preference and behaviour for receptive females in no-choice and dichotomous choice tests using guppy males experienced or naïve to female receptivity cues. Experience with receptivity cues did not change the strength of preference towards receptive females. However, male guppies that had previous experience with female receptivity cues adapted their mating tactic compared to naïve males. The change in mating tactics but lack of preference towards receptive females shows that the influence of social learning is present but might be weaker than predicted in this species. Furthermore, these results provide further support to studies of female mate choice suggesting mating status is not a key factor driving the strength of sexual preferences in natural populations.

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Experience with mating receptivity cues affects sexual behaviour of male guppies, but not their strength of preference towards receptive females

Effect of experience on mating behaviour in male Heliconius melpomene butterflies

Many animals have the ability to learn, and some taxa have shown learned mate preference. This learning may be important for speciation in some species. The butterfly Heliconius melpomene is a model system for several areas of research, including hybridization, mate selection, and speciation, partially due to its widespread diversity of wing patterns. It remains unclear whether these butterflies can learn to prefer certain mates and if social experience shapes realized mating preferences. Here we test whether previous experience with a female influences male mate preference for two different H. melpomene subspecies, H. m. malleti and H. m. rosina. We conducted no-choice behavioral assays to determine if latency to court and whether males courted (vs no courtship) differed between naive males and males with previous exposure to a young, sexually mature, virgin female. To test whether assortative courtship preference is learned in H. melpomene, males were either paired with a female who shared their phenotype or one who did not. Naive H. m. malletti males courted assortatively, while naive H. m. rosina males did not. Experienced H. m. malleti males reduced their courting relative to naive males, suggesting that social experience with a sexually mature female that does not result in copulation may be perceived as a negative experience. In contrast, experienced H. m. rosina males exhibited similar courting rates to naive H. m. rosina males. Our results suggest that social experience can influence male mating behavior in H. melpomene and that behavioral plasticity may differ across populations in this species.

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Abigail E. Herzog

Papers

Effect of experience on mating behaviour in male Heliconius melpomene butterflies

Wing-pattern-specific effects of experience on mating behavior in Heliconius melpomene butterflies