Abstract
Female mate preferences for male traits and resource characteristics affect trait evolution and diversification. Here, we test the effects of male body traits and territory characteristics on within-population female preferences and on population–assortative mating in the cichlid Tropheus moorii. Within-population preferences of females were independent of male body size, coloration and territory size but were strongly dependent on territory quality and co-varied with male courtship activity. Courtship activity of individual males was contingent on the quality of their assigned territory, and therefore, courtship may not only indicate intrinsic male quality. On the basis of these results we suggest that female preferences for high-quality territories reinforce the outcome of malemale competition and ensure male mating success. Mating preferences of females for males of their own color variant (ascertained in a previous experiment) were not overturned when males of another color variant were presented in a superior territory, indicating that within- and between-population mate preferences of females depend on different cues.
Highlights
In many animal species, females are expected to choose mates according to criteria that are relevant to their own fitness (Bluhm & Gowaty, 2004; Neff & Pitcher, 2005)
Relative differences in dorsal fin redscores and body size between alternative males had no effect on female preferences; the only significant factor in the model was the relative difference in male quiver activity (Table 1)
Female mate preferences were unaffected by differences in body size, dorsal fin redness, and territory size between the alternative males
Summary
Females are expected to choose mates according to criteria that are relevant to their own fitness (Bluhm & Gowaty, 2004; Neff & Pitcher, 2005). Trade-offs between direct and indirect benefits have been identified in several species (Wong & Candolin, 2005), but positive correlations are possible, for example, if the genetic quality of a male benefits a female mate directly. Presumed benefits for females mated to large males include protection from harassment and predation, increased fertilization and heritable dominance status (Basolo, 2004; Hudman & Gotelli, 2007). Male coloration is another potential mate choice cue. Males of fish species can produce sounds during courtship displays (reviewed in Amorim, 2006), and mate choice experiments have confirmed the influence of fish courtship sounds on female preferences (McKibben & Bass, 1998; Verzijden et al, 2010; Maruska et al, 2012)
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