How do males choose a mate in the Mangrove Rivulus?
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Authors
Newton, Merrit
Guerra, Jeffrey
Nicotera, Cassie
McGhee, Dr. Katie
Issue Date
2022-04-07
Type
Presentation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Scholarship Sewanee 2022 , Experiment Rundown , Mangrove Rivulus
Alternative Title
Abstract
Females often use male coloration, courtship displays, body size and armaments in their mate choice decisions in order to choose the highest quality mate. Although less often studied, males also show mate choice and often prefer larger and more fecund females. In this study, we examined male mate choice in the mangrove rivulus fish. In this species the majority of individuals within a population are hermaphrodites and capable of self-fertilization, but males are also produced at a low rate and are capable of outcrossing with hermaphrodites. Hermaphrodites produce more unfertilized eggs as they age so older females might be more attractive to males in terms of mating potential. In this study, we examined whether males preferred older hermaphrodites over younger hermaphrodites. We used a standard dichotomous choice test where a young and an old hermaphrodite were at either end of the tank in containers that allowed both visual and chemical cues. Males could choose to freely associate with either partner and we recorded how much time the male spent with either hermaphrodite over a 10 minute trial. We further examined how this varied among distinct genetic lineages. Our study will help us understand the role that male mate choice plays in this unique mating system.
Description
Citation
Publisher
University of the South