Date of Graduation

5-2025

Document Type

UAF Access Only - Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Biology

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Biological Sciences

Advisor/Mentor

Westerman, Erica

Abstract

Mate preferences often appear differently across species and sexes, and this preference variation may be associated with genetic variation. For preferences that are genetically determined, the region of the genome that determines mate preference in one sex may also impact the preference of behavior of the other sex. To assess the genetic relationship between female mate choice and male mate preferences, we used the butterfly Bicyclus anynana. Having developed a selection line bred for female preference for four dorsal forewing spotted males, instead of the wild-type (WT) female preference for two dorsal forewing spotted males, we set out to determine if male preferences are also shifted in this selection line. We assess WT and selection line male preference for WT versus selection line females, to determine if selecting for female preference for 4-spotted males has a pleiotropic effect on male preference for WT females. Preliminary data suggest that both WT and selection line males may prefer WT females over selection line females. This finding suggests that either pleiotropic effects of the preference for 4-spot locus, or inbreeding, may be influencing female attractiveness in this species.

Keywords

Mate preference; Sexual selection; Pleiotropy

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