| Popis: |
Variation in acquisition of resources across the lifetime of a female, as well as species differences in allocation of resources to life history traits, can interact to produce variation in female mate preferences. By examining the influence of resources, it is possible to understand how variation in mate preference is adaptive. I first investigated how diet manipulation during juvenile development and maternal effects influenced mate preference for two male traits, male size and male symmetry, in Xiphophorus multilineatus. While diet influenced preference for male size, maternal effects influenced preference for male symmetry. I then compared how diet influenced preference in X. multilineatus to preference in X. variatus, a species with a potentially different life history strategy. I found that X. variatus appears to have a higher reproductive effort than X. multilineatus, and that their preference for male size was not influenced by diet, which could be predicted if female preference is a component of reproductive effort. These studies suggest that to understand adaptive variation in female mate preference, both life history strategy and the specific male trait being assessed needs to be considered. |
