Meeting Abstract
16-3 Friday, Jan. 4 11:00 – 11:15 The effect of experience on mating behavior in Heliconius butterflies WESTERMAN , E.L.*; RATHER , P.A.; HERZOG, A.E.; ERNST, D.A.; University of Arkansas ; University of Arkansas; University of Arkansas; University of Arkansas ewesterm@uark.edu http://www.ericawesterman.org
Many animals have the ability to learn mate preferences. There is current debate over how this preference learning impacts speciation, as it is hypothesized to either enhance reinforcement, or facilitate the development of hybrid swarms. Heliconius butterflies, and Heliconius melpomene specifically, are a good model system for this area of research, because they have been used extensively for the study of hybridization, mate selection, and speciation and have a widespread diversity of color morphs. It remains unclear whether these butterflies can learn to prefer certain mates, and if previous social experience shapes adult mating behavior. Here we test whether previous social experience influences male mate preference for different H. melpomene races. We conducted no-choice behavioral assays to determine if latency to court and how often males courted (vs no courtship) differed between naïve males and males with previous exposure to a young, sexually mature, virgin female. To further test whether assortative courtship preference is learned in H. melpomene, males were either paired with a female who shared their phenotype, or one who did not. Preliminary results suggest that unsuccessful courtship has a negative effect on future male courting propensity, as experienced males court less often than naïve males. This negative effect of failed courtship on future courting efforts may be influenced by male innate preference, as there was a stronger effect of experience on males paired with females of their own phenotype than for males paired with conspecific females with different wing patterns. These results suggest that previous social experience may influence male mating behavior in Heliconius butterflies.
