Meeting Abstract
Sensory integration (the coordination of multiple sensory systems to carry out a behavior) has rarely been evaluated in the context of female mate choice in fishes. Understanding the sensory modalities of mate choice can provide critical insights into mechanisms of sexual selection within a group. Darters are a common model system in studies of behavior, including two species endemic to North America, Etheostoma caeruleum (Rainbow Darters) and Etheostoma flabellare (Fantail Darters). The goal of this study was to use three experiments to test female responses to olfactory and visual mate choice-related stimuli in both Darter species: In each experiment, female choice was assessed by how much time she spent in either of two preference zones. First, females were presented with an olfactory stimulus from live males of the same species. Second, females were introduced to a visual stimulus that consists of painted male models. The third phase combined both the olfactory and visual stimuli. Our results showed that the female darters of both species needed both the visual and olfactory stimulus to interpret the information effectively. Rainbow Darters were repelled by the olfactory stimulus alone in phase one, while Fantail Darters showed no response. In phase two, both species were somewhat more responsive to the visual stimulus. Finally, in phase three, females demonstrated a stronger response to the olfactory and visual cues combined, although the female Fantail Darters were still less responsive to the stimuli overall. These results suggest that female Darters may be using olfactory cues to make their decisions, but the olfactory cues need to be paired with a visual stimulus in order for them to interpret the olfactory information effectively.
