Meeting Abstract
In many monogamous species, both sexes compete for mates and demonstrate a preferential mate choice. However, the degree to which intrasexual competition limits the choice of the other sex is not well understood. Here, we explored how male-male competition influences female mate preference using a monogamous fish, the convict cichlid, Amatitlania siquia. Females observed a contest between two size-matched males until a winner and loser could be determined. Females were then given a choice between one of the individuals (winner or loser) and a novel individual that she had not previously interacted with. We hypothesized that females would prefer males that won contests and reject males that lost contests. In addition to exploring female preference after intrasexual competition, we investigated what role, if any, androgens might play in this process. Specifically, we measured 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) before and after the male-male contest, as well as the female preference test using water-borne collection methods. Our results were unexpected; we found females showed no preference between winners or losers and novel males. We did find, however, that males preferred by females showed a drop in 11-KT levels. Taken together, these results suggest that females might not reject males that lose contests, and that androgen levels are more affected by female choice than male-male competition.
