Copying and sexual selection

doi:10.1016/0169-5347(92)90050-L

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Volume 7, Issue 7, July 1992, Pages 229-232

https://doi.org/10.1016/0169-5347(92)90050-L Get rights and content

Abstract

Recent studies of a variety of polygynously mating animals indicate that females do not always choose mates independently, but instead may copy the choices of others. Copying could serve either to increase the accuracy of mate assessment or to reduce its costs. It is also likely to affect the intensity of sexual selection.

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Cited by (178)

Robust mate preferences despite means and opportunity for mate choice copying in an insect
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In mate choice, social learning may take the form of mate choice copying or anticopying, whereby observed mating decisions are either mimicked or avoided. Alternatively, independent mating decisions may be based on innate preferences or early life social learning. While mate choice copying is widespread among some animal taxa, research in arthropods is limited and results are mixed. We tested these hypotheses using Enchenopa treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae). Enchenopa males produce plant-borne vibrational advertisement signals and females express their mate preferences by selectively duetting with males. Individuals on the plant can monitor these public signals during pair formation. We randomly assigned females to treatment duets consisting of either unattractive or attractive male signals, followed by a long female treatment response (enthusiastic), a short female treatment response (reserved) or no female treatment response. We described the test females' mating preferences before and after the treatment duet. We found that female mate preferences were not affected by the treatment duets. Instead, females had consistent individual differences, which supports the independent mate choice hypothesis and rejects both social learning hypotheses. Our findings suggest that independent mate choice does not necessarily represent a lack of opportunity for social influences from the immediate social context of mate choice.
Consumption of pop culture and tourism demand: Through the lens of herding behaviour
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Herding is a social phenomenon where individuals act collectively as part of a group and make decisions based on the behaviour and choices of others. In this study, we conceptualise herding behaviour on social media via a two-step flow communication model and measured through Google and YouTube search volume. The estimated herding behaviour is used to develop a novel index to measure the online consumption of Korean cultural products. Monthly data between 2013 and 2019 were used to analyse tourist arrivals from 10 countries. Findings confirm that Korean wave, captured by the index, is statistically significant in predicting tourist arrivals. The study provides a generalised proxy of cultural consumption, applicable to other destinations.
No evidence for mate copying in Danio rerio
2023, Behavioural Processes
The zebrafish Danio rerio is an important model organism, but little is known about its mating preferences and how these are influenced by personality traits like boldness. In this study, we tested two strains of zebrafish and addressed whether females used social information to build a mating preference, a behavior called mate copying, and whether this social learning was affected by boldness. Thus, we provided positive social information for small males to test whether female zebrafish changed their mate preference after observing a pair of a small and a large male with a demonstrator female next to the small one. After that, we tested the observer female in a test maze to evaluate boldness. We found no significant evidence for mate copying as females did not change their preference for the small male after witnessing the large male alone and the small male interacting with another female and chose consistently larger males in a control without opportunity to copy. Whether the female was defined as shy or bold had no effect on mate copying. We conclude that mate copying is probably inexistent or only relatively weak in this species.
Sentiment change and negative herding: Evidence from microblogging and news
2022, Journal of Business Research
Companies deal with good and bad publicity daily. We study the impact of news on consumer sentiment toward a company in the presence of pre-news sentiment. We use Sina Weibo’s (the Chinese version of Twitter) microblogging data and the full list of news items published in Sina Finance between 2013 and 2014 to measure sentiment. In our study, we address the following research questions: Does negative news have a greater impact than positive news on consumer sentiment change? Does news affect sentiment change to a greater degree when pre-news sentiment matches the news valence? Does the type of company (either B2C or B2B) matter? Our empirical findings show that consumers overreact to negative news and negative pre-news sentiment intensifies such overreaction, leading to negative herding. Further, negative pre-news sentiment is even more damaging for B2B companies than for B2C companies.
The influence of model quality on self-other mate choice copying
2021, Personality and Individual Differences
Citation Excerpt :
Such behavior can reduce the cost of mate selection, and avoid potential loss caused by mate selection failure. By observing and imitating the behavior of other individuals who have succeeded in mate selection, the ability to distinguish between good and bad mates is enhanced (e.g., Gibson & Höglund, 1992; Nordell & Valone, 1998). Research on mate choice copying is valuable for understanding individuals' mate choice behaviors and strategies (Gouda-Vossos et al., 2018).
We explored, through two experiments, the influence of model quality and gender on mate choice copying (MCC) behavior for oneself and for others. In the first experiment, we used a 3 (decision-making role: self, stranger, close friend) × 2 (gender: male, female) between-subjects design. The phenomenon of MCC was only found in females. There was no significant difference between making decisions for oneself and for close friends, but there was a significant difference between making decisions for oneself and for strangers. In the second experiment, we used a 2 (model quality: higher, lower) × 3 (decision-making role: self, stranger, close friend) × 2 (gender: male, female) mixed experimental design. Results showed an MCC effect under the condition of high-quality models for both males and females, but no MCC effect for low quality models, either for males or females. Again, there was no significant difference between making decisions for oneself and for close friends, but there was a significant difference between making decisions for oneself and for strangers. These results reveal that context is important for the manifestation of MCC behavior: both women and men are influenced by the choices of high quality models, but ignore the behavior of low quality models.
The presence of wild Senegalese sole breeders improves courtship and reproductive success in cultured conspecifics
2020, Aquaculture
The life cycle of Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) is not closed in captivity due to a reproductive dysfunction related to the lack of participation of cultured male breeders in the courtship. To discern a possible solution to this social reproductive dysfunction, the main objective of this study was to determine the effect of the presence of spawning wild Senegalese sole breeders on the courtship and reproduction of cultured breeders. Three experimental groups were formed: Control group (n = 10) formed with only cultured sole; groups M1 and M2 constituted of mixed-origin sole (10 cultured and 8 or 9 wild breeders). All cultured breeders were from the same stock, which had never successfully reproduced, whilst the wild broodstock had spawned viable eggs in captivity. All groups were held in the same captive conditions and spawning, and behaviour were recorded for each group over four spawning seasons. All spawns were collected, and the parameters registered were floating and non-floating eggs, fertilization and hatching rates. In addition, parental analysis was made of larvae from viable spawns. Behaviour was studied with video recordings to compare locomotor activity and courtship behaviours including the “Follow” behaviours where sole swim after each other in a procession. Fertilized spawns were obtained from the mixed-origin groups (M1 and M2) including spawns involving a cultured male. The cultured males also participated actively in the “Follow” behaviours with the courting wild sole and this participation of cultured males increased significantly over the four years of the experiment. Male percentage participation in the “Follow” behaviours was positively correlated (R = 0.81) to participation in spawning to indicate the importance of increasing cultured male participation in the “Follow” behaviours. A total of seven spawns were obtained from a cultured male that fertilized eggs from one cultured female and two wild females. The same cultured female also spawned with a wild male. No viable spawns were obtained from the Control group and locomotor activity and courtship behaviour counts were significantly lower than in the experimental mixed-origin groups. This is the first report of cultured male breeders participating in reproductive behaviour and spawning, which could be associated with social learning processes, mate selection and dominance where cultured males copied the behaviour and spawning of wild Senegalese sole breeders.

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Trends in Ecology & Evolution

ReviewCopying and sexual selection

Abstract

Trends Ecol. Evol.

Anim. Behav.

Anim. Behav.

Anim. Behav.

Anim. Behav.

Culture and the Evolutionary Process

Am. Nat.

Am. Nat.

Nature

Trends Ecol. Evol.

Behav. Ecol.

Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol.

Nature

Review
Copying and sexual selection