Department of Biological Sciences, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK.
Anim Cogn. 2013 Jan;16(1):85-9. doi: 10.1007/s10071-012-0553-3. Epub 2012 Sep 1.
Assessing cues from conspecifics is paramount during mate choice decisions. Neanthes acuminata is a marine polychaete with a unique life cycle: pair formation, female death following reproduction, male parental care and male ability to mate again after egg care. Males completing such egg care are 'experienced'. Females have been shown to prefer experienced males over all others, including aggressively dominant males. As the female dies following reproduction, the reproductive success of her offspring depends upon successful parental care by the male. It is therefore vital that the female makes a good mate choice decision. This paper shows that the use of conditioned water from males caring for eggs and newly experienced males caused the female to alter her choice to a previously undesired male. However, conditioned water from males, which had reproduced but were isolated for 2 weeks, did not have the same effect on pairing behaviour. This indicates that the smell of experience is short lived.
评估同种个体的线索在配偶选择决策中至关重要。尖毛Neanthes acuminata 是一种海洋多毛类环节动物，具有独特的生命周期：形成对、繁殖后雌性死亡、雄性亲代照顾和雄性在照顾卵子后再次交配的能力。完成这种卵子照顾的雄性是“有经验的”。研究表明，雌性更喜欢有经验的雄性，而不是其他雄性，包括攻击性强的雄性。由于雌性在繁殖后死亡，她的后代的繁殖成功取决于雄性的成功亲代照顾。因此，雌性做出良好的配偶选择决策至关重要。本文表明，使用正在照顾卵子和新有经验的雄性的条件水会导致雌性改变对以前不喜欢的雄性的选择。然而，来自已经繁殖但被隔离两周的雄性的条件水对配对行为没有相同的影响。这表明经验的气味是短暂的。
