Mating choice in caviomorph rodents: is it a multimodal decision?

• Grant number: 16/14730-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: June 01, 2017
• End date: January 10, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Experimental Psychology
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Patrícia Ferreira Monticelli
• Grantee: Paula Verzola Olivio
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/02277-6 - Methods in multimodal communication, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Females and males have different reproductive strategies. While males increase their fitness increasing the number of matings in a reproductive season, this practice do not aggregate anything to the females fitness. Female fitness increasing whether they choose a great male. A good choice could bring direct benefits (material) or indirect benefits (genetic) to females and/or their offspring. Female guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) make this choice during the male courtship display when he uses visual and acoustic signals, at least. What females consider to make their choices? Do visual, acoustic and chemical signals complement each other or they are redudant, as suggested by new theories of multimodal animal communication? We will investigate (1) which characters of different males are preferred by females, (2) if female uses uni or multimodal communication system to choose males and (3) the character heritability of mating choice (female choice and male characters) in the offspring. Our hypothesis is that females prefer males with high levels of testosterone and genetic patterns different from them. Males signal these characters using a multimodal communication system displayed during courtship. Offspring inherits the same mating choice features of their parents, as proposed by Fisher (1930) in runaway process theory. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

VERZOLA-OLIVIO, PAULA; FERREIRA, BRUNA LIMA; FREI, FERNANDO; MONTICELLI, PATRICIA FERREIRA. Guinea pig's courtship call: cues for identity and male dominance status?. ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, v. 174, p. 237-247, APR 2021. (16/14730-9)