Age and experience affect female choice in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

Female choices of males, and how these choices are influenced by ecological and social factors, have been studied extensively. However, little is known about the effects of age and breeding experience on female mating decisions. We used video techniques to examine female mate choice in guppies based on the area of carotenoid (orange) pigmentation on the body. Females were presented with paired images of males, one ornamented and the other plain. Visual preference for each male was measured. Age- related changes in the criteria of choice were examined by comparing the responses of the same mature but sexually inexperienced 6- mo- old and 12-mo- old females. Effects of breeding experience on female choice were examined by comparing mate preferences of 12- mo- old female virgins with their preferences after they had mated and produced a brood. Female preferences for ornamented males with large areas of carotenoid pigment changed with age but not with mating experience. Six- month- old virgin females preferred ornamented males, whereas 12- mo- old virgin and postpartum females did not differentiate between males based on orange coloration. The results are discussed in light of life- history theory and have important implications for studies of sexual selection as well as for the design of mate- choice studies.