Mate-choice copying in guppies..
Dugatkin ran a series of experiments to measure the strength of mate-choice copying in guppies.
He ran four treatments in which mates differed in body color
by varying amounts of orange. In treatment I, mates were matched for orange (mean difference - 4%),
while in treatment IV, males were dramatically different in terms of orange (mean difference - 40%).
The control trials demonstrate that when a female chooses between males that differ in orange body
color she shows a strong preference for more orange mates (and this preference is heritable;).
In the treatment trials, a model female was always placed near the less orange male. When
males differed by small (12%) or moderate (24%) amounts of orange, copying overrode the female's
preference for more orange males.
When males differed by large (40%) amounts of orange, copying
opportunities didn't change the female's preference for orange males.