Meeting Abstract
A prevalent paradigm in sexual selection theory is Bateman’s principle of a “choosy female” and “promiscuous male,” leading to male mate choice being deemed inconsequential. However, male choice may play a larger role in sexual selection than previously thought. We examined male choice in Drosophila melanogaster by observing relative preference for certain phenotypes by males after differing initial exposure treatments. Virgin male wild type D. melanogaster individuals were exposed to a female that was wild type, yellow, or ebony. Later, the same males were allowed to choose between three females differing in phenotype: two thereby having novel phenotypes and one having the phenotype already encountered. Males showed a significant preference for novel phenotypes, with the familiar phenotype being the least preferred (p=0.0175). This evidence supports a process by which males aim to increase genetic diversity among offspring by mating with phenotypically diverse females when given the opportunity.
