Quality of public information matters in mate-choice copying in female zebra finches
| Autor: | Klaudia Witte, Jennifer Schmitz, Nina Kniel |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2015 |
| Předmět: |
Copying
Research Artificial ornamentation Zoology Mate choice copying Biology Social learning biology.organism_classification Zebra (medicine) Preference Mate choice Public information behavior and behavior mechanisms Zebra finch Animal Science and Zoology Taeniopygia Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Mate-choice copying |
| Zdroj: | Frontiers in Zoology |
| ISSN: | 1742-9994 |
| Popis: | Background Mate-choice copying is a form of social learning in which an individual gains information about potential mates by observing conspecifics. However, it is still unknown what kind of information drives the decision of an individual to copy the mate choice of others. Among zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata castanotis), only females (not males) copy the mate choice of others. We tested female zebra finches in a binary choice test where they, first, could choose between two males of different phenotypes: one unadorned male and one male artificially adorned with a red feather on the forehead. After this mate-choice test, females could observe a single unadorned male and a pair of zebra finches, i.e. a wild-type female and her adorned mate. Pair interactions were either restricted to acoustic and visual communication (clear glass screen between pair mates) or acoustic communication alone (opaque screen between pair mates). After the observation period, females could again choose between new males of the two phenotypes in a second mate-choice test. Results In experiments with a clear glass screen, time spent with the respective males changed between the two mate-choice tests, and females preferred adorned over unadorned males during the second mate-choice test. In experiments with an opaque screen, time spent with the respective males did not change between the two mate-choice tests, although females lost an initial preference for unadorned males. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the quality of the received public information (visual and acoustic interaction of the observed pair) influences mate-choice copying in female zebra finches. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12983-015-0119-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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