Do female Siamese fighting fish copy the mate choice of others?

TY - CONF

T1 - Do female Siamese fighting fish copy the mate choice of others?

AU - Durey, Maëlle

AU - Dabelsteen, Torben

AU - Matessi, Giuliano

N1 - Sider: 78

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - Choosing the right partner may be a difficult task. Therefore, observing the choice of another individual in order to copy its decision is an option which may have lower costs and present additional benefits. Mate choice copying has been documented in several species, including fish such as sailfin mollies and guppies. Female Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) have been reported to eavesdrop and exploit social information in aggressive interactions and may therefore also use information contained in other’s mate choice. In this experiment, we aimed at establishing if female fighting fish copy the mate choice of others. We examined if the initial choice of a female between two males can be changed by observing another female with the previously rejected male. The two males and the model female(s) were exposed in different settings to the female subject to test the relative effects of mere association and active courtship behaviour. We also recorded and analyzed the effects of male body size, colour and behaviour on the subjects’ responses. Our experiments provide a detailed analysis of the interplay of male properties and female independent and dependent mate choice strategies.

AB - Choosing the right partner may be a difficult task. Therefore, observing the choice of another individual in order to copy its decision is an option which may have lower costs and present additional benefits. Mate choice copying has been documented in several species, including fish such as sailfin mollies and guppies. Female Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) have been reported to eavesdrop and exploit social information in aggressive interactions and may therefore also use information contained in other’s mate choice. In this experiment, we aimed at establishing if female fighting fish copy the mate choice of others. We examined if the initial choice of a female between two males can be changed by observing another female with the previously rejected male. The two males and the model female(s) were exposed in different settings to the female subject to test the relative effects of mere association and active courtship behaviour. We also recorded and analyzed the effects of male body size, colour and behaviour on the subjects’ responses. Our experiments provide a detailed analysis of the interplay of male properties and female independent and dependent mate choice strategies.

M3 - Paper

T2 - European Conference on Behavioural Biology

Y2 - 18 July 2008 through 20 July 2008

ER -