Finally, the very first paper of my work at @DiBio_UniPD is available online ! With @AlessandroDevig and @CleliaGasparini we show that the female reproductive stage affects the strength and direction of female mate choice. Take a look here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00265-022-03255-w
We looked whether receptivity (days after last spawning) affects female mate choice in zebrafish. Our study highlights the importance of considering female receptivity also in species where receptivity is not so easy to tell (like zebrafish) when looking at mate choices.
We show that, when tested 7 and 10 days after spawning rather than 4 days, female zebrafish spent more time choosing, demonstrating an increased receptivity to males from one week following the last spawning.
Furthermore, only when tested 7 and 10 days after spawning, females showed a clear preference toward the biggest of the two males. Thus, our study highlights the importance of considering female receptivity in future studies assessing mate choices.
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