Effect of Fluorescent Powder Marking of Females on Mate Choice by Male White-Footed Mice (Peromyscus leucopus)

Abstract

Although fluorescent powder marking is a well established and common marking technique used by small-mammal ecologists, few studies have commented on how it might affect behavior. Potential effects on behavior are particularly relevant in studies that use fluorescent powder marking as a method of quantifying mating behavior. We performed a laboratory experiment using white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) to test the null hypothesis that the presence of fluorescent powder has no significant effect on mate choice. We tested this hypothesis by establishing choice between a pair of females by a male and determining if the choice changed when one of the females was powdered. The presence of fluorescent powder on females did not alter mate choice by males after a choice had been established. Our results demonstrate that using fluorescent powder on females should not alter male mating activity.