Preference for older over younger models during mate-choice copying in young guppies

Abstract

Female mate-choice copying occurs when a female's preferences for mates is changed as a function of the preference of others. Prior work in the guppy has shown that young females copy the mate choice of older females, but older females do not copy the mate choice of younger females. Here, we presented an observer young female with information on the mate preferences of a younger and older model female simultaneously, and examined which model had astronger effect on the subsequent mate choice of the observer. We hypothesized that younger females would be more influenced by the mate choice of the older model they observed. Our results demonstrate that younger females were indeed more likely to copy the mate choice of older females. This suggests that young females do not randomly copy the mate choice of individuals around them, but rather display more fine-scaled decisions with respect to mate-choice copying.