'Sociability' affects the intensity of mate-choice copying in female guppies, Poecilia reticulata

Selecting a quality mate can involve acquiring and accessing large amounts of information; information that can be obtained either independently or socially. One means of learning about mates socially is to attend to other members of one's sex and copy their mate choices. It is possible however that not all individuals of a species benefit equally from, or are equally effective at, copying. We examined whether female guppies copied the mate choices of other females. Then, in a separate context we measured each female's 'sociability': their proclivity to affiliate with other guppies. In the mate-choice copying procedure, 'focal' females chose to spend time near two putative mates. Next, focals observed another (model) female interact with the focal's non-preferred male. Finally, the focal again chose between the same two males. For sociability, we examined the time focal females spent near a trio of other guppies. Females did indeed mate copy: they spent more time with their non-preferred male when a model female had been seen interacting with that male. The effect however was highly variable. Sociability significantly predicted the intensity of mate-choice copying. Results suggest that individuals vary consistently in the types of information they use when making mating decisions.