title: Male fish use prior knowledge about rivals to adjust their mate choice.
abstract: Mate choice as one element of sexual selection can be sensitive to public information from neighbouring individuals. Here, we demonstrate that males of the livebearing fish Poecilia mexicana gather complex social information when given a chance to familiarize themselves with rivals prior to mate choice. Focal males ceased to show mating preferences when being observed by a rival (which prevents rivals from copying mating decisions), but this effect was only seen when focal males have perceived rivals as sexually active. In addition, focal males that were observed by a familiar, sexually active rival showed a stronger behavioural response when rivals were larger and thus, more attractive to females. Our study illustrates an unparalleled adjustment in the expression of mating preferences based on social cues, and suggests that male fish are able to remember and strategically exploit information about rivals when performing mate choice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Frankfurt, Siesmayerstrasse 70a, 60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. david.bierbach@gmx.de
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bierbach
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Girndt
authors.forename: Sybille
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamfler
authors.forename: Moritz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Frauke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mücksch
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Penshorn
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schwinn
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zimmer
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schlupp
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Streit
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plath
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D052586:Mating Preference, Animal; D011036:Poecilia; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012641:Selection, Genetic