Abstract
ABSTRACTAnimals choose reproductive partners based on their sexual preferences which are established at a certain time point before, during, or after sexual maturation. The preferences are often divergent within a species, which suppresses gene flow between populations and may promote speciation. There are two strains of medaka (Oryzias latipes) that differ by a single transgene and mate assortatively depending on skin color. Here, we demonstrate that symmetrically biased (mutually exclusive) sexual preferences are (1) gradually established during growth depending on skin color and the color of surrounding fish, (2) strong enough to minimize gene flow between the strains at a population level, and (3) inflexibly retained after sexual maturation, even after weeks of daily mating with partners of the other strain. Thus, these laboratory strains of medaka are under premating isolation with the simplest genomic structure. They provide an empirical platform for assessing the complex and hypothetical mechanisms of speciation by mate choice.
Highlights
Mate choice or selecting reproductive partners is one of the most active fields of research in animal biology, and many studies have been conducted using various species for decades (Jones and Ratterman, 2009; Scordato et al, 2014)
We tested sexual preferences of each male once a week. This means that we measured sexual preferences of four males from each strain and condition every week
Genetic factors that influence sexual preference The ci and Actb-SLα:GFP males, which had consistently been bred in mixed conditions, still preferred females of the same strain (Fig. 4D)
Summary
Mate choice or selecting reproductive partners is one of the most active fields of research in animal biology, and many studies have been conducted using various species for decades (Jones and Ratterman, 2009; Scordato et al, 2014). Secondary sexual characteristics, such as color, ornaments, dances, songs, and pheromones, often appear in either sex to attract the other and are divergent among species, demonstrating that different animals choose mates based on different criteria. The contribution of heritable factors to sexual preferences was shown to be low in at least some species (Schielzeth et al, 2010)
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