TY - JOUR
T1 - A further examination of a pre-existing bias favouring a sword in the genusXiphophorus
AU - Basolo, Alexandra L.
N1 - Funding Information:
I thank K. D. Kallman and D. Morizot for providing fish and for sharing their knowledge of the experimental systems; W. E. Wagner, Jr for assistance collecting fish; T. Byrd, J. Gardner, C. Mojica, D. Orange, F. Pfertner and L. Tran for their assistance with female choice tests and fish maintenance; J. J. Bull, M. Kirkpatrick and C. Pease for providing research space; B. Crother for discussions concerning phylogenetic methodology; J. J. Bull, J. Endler, D. Hillis, K. D. Kallman, M. Ryan, M. White and W. E. Wagner, Jr for helpful discussions during the course of the experiments and/or constructive criticism of the manuscript; and F. Dyer and two anonymous referees for their comments. In addition, I thank the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries Unit Laboratory, Belize, C.A. for its assistance in obtaining approval to collect research organisms. This research was supported by NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant BSR 8700944, an Exploration Fund Grant from the Explorer’s Club and a Raney Award, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.
PY - 1995/8
Y1 - 1995/8
N2 - Models of sexual selection have recently been broadened to include the pre-existing bias model. This model suggests that female preferences that result in the evolution of male traits can be established prior to the appearance of a male trait. Previous work suggests that in the genus Xiphophorus, which consists of swordless platyfish and sworded swordtails, female southern platyfish, X. maculatus, prefer conspecific males with surgically attached swords, despite phylogenetic evidence that the common ancestor of platyfish and swordtails was swordless. In the present study, female X. Maculatuswere found to prefer conspecific males with a naturally occurring component of the sword, an abbreviated lower caudal stripe. To investigate the possibility that the previously suggested pre-existing bias favouring a sword was merely an extension of a preference for this stripe specific to X. maculatus, whether female variable platyfish, X. variatus, also demonstrate a preference for males with swords was tested; this species has neither a sword nor any component of the sword. Female X. Variatuswere found to prefer conspecific males with swords to those without. This work suggests that X. variatusand X. maculatusshare a preference favouring a sword, despite the lack of a sword in these species.
AB - Models of sexual selection have recently been broadened to include the pre-existing bias model. This model suggests that female preferences that result in the evolution of male traits can be established prior to the appearance of a male trait. Previous work suggests that in the genus Xiphophorus, which consists of swordless platyfish and sworded swordtails, female southern platyfish, X. maculatus, prefer conspecific males with surgically attached swords, despite phylogenetic evidence that the common ancestor of platyfish and swordtails was swordless. In the present study, female X. Maculatuswere found to prefer conspecific males with a naturally occurring component of the sword, an abbreviated lower caudal stripe. To investigate the possibility that the previously suggested pre-existing bias favouring a sword was merely an extension of a preference for this stripe specific to X. maculatus, whether female variable platyfish, X. variatus, also demonstrate a preference for males with swords was tested; this species has neither a sword nor any component of the sword. Female X. Variatuswere found to prefer conspecific males with swords to those without. This work suggests that X. variatusand X. maculatusshare a preference favouring a sword, despite the lack of a sword in these species.
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U2 - 10.1006/anbe.1995.0252
DO - 10.1006/anbe.1995.0252
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0029531608
SN - 0003-3472
VL - 50
SP - 365
EP - 375
JO - Animal Behaviour
JF - Animal Behaviour
IS - 2
ER -