Courtship behaviour influences social partner choice in male guppies

Heather L Auld,Jean-Guy J Godin

doi:10.1163/1568539x-bja10032

Abstract

Abstract Although male courtship displays have evolved primarily to sexually attract females, they also generate inadvertent public information that potentially reveals the courter’s relative sexual attractiveness and the perceived quality and sexual receptivity of the female being courted to nearby eavesdropping male competitors, who in turn may use this information to bias their social partner choices. We tested this hypothesis by first presenting individual eavesdropping male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) the opportunity to simultaneously observe two demonstrator males whose courtship behaviour was manipulated experimentally to differ, following which we tested them for their preference to associate socially with either demonstrator males. Test males preferentially associated with the demonstrator male who they had previously observed courting a female over the other (non-courting) demonstrator. This social association preference was not expressed in the absence of a female to court. Our findings highlight the potential for sexual behaviour influencing male-male social associations in nature.

Highlights

In social species, both males and females should socially associate nonrandomly in a manner that increases their overall likelihood of survival and reproductive success (Krause & Ruxton, 2002; McGlothlin et al, 2010)
In addition to being sexually attractive to females, courtship displays directed by a male towards a female generate inadvertent public information that can reveal his relative sexual attractiveness (Andersson, 1994; Houde, 1997; Kodric-Brown & Nicoletto, 2001), competitiveness (Guevara-Fiore et al, 2010), condition or health status (Kolluru et al, 2009) and functional fertility (Matthews et al, 1997; Pitcher & Evans, 2001; Weir & Grant, 2010), as well as the quality and sexual receptivity of the female being courted (Guevara-Fiore et al, 2010; Godin & Auld, 2013), to nearby bystanding or eavesdropping males
We demonstrated that eavesdropping focal male guppies preferentially associated socially with a demonstrator male who they had previously observed courting a sexually-receptive female over another demonstrator male they had concurrently seen in close proximity to that same female, but could not view nor court her

Summary

Introduction

Both males and females should socially associate nonrandomly in a manner that increases their overall likelihood of survival and reproductive success (Krause & Ruxton, 2002; McGlothlin et al, 2010). In addition to being sexually attractive to females, courtship displays directed by a male towards a female generate inadvertent public information (sensu Danchin et al, 2004) that can reveal his relative sexual attractiveness (Andersson, 1994; Houde, 1997; Kodric-Brown & Nicoletto, 2001), competitiveness (Guevara-Fiore et al, 2010), condition or health status (Kolluru et al, 2009) and functional fertility (Matthews et al, 1997; Pitcher & Evans, 2001; Weir & Grant, 2010), as well as the quality and sexual receptivity of the female being courted (Guevara-Fiore et al, 2010; Godin & Auld, 2013), to nearby bystanding or eavesdropping males (sensu McGregor & Peake, 2000) Eavesdroppers may exploit such public information to later bias their social partner choices (Danchin et al, 2004).

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Results

Conclusion