The sexes may have different optima in cognitive traits due to differences in life history strategies and the expense of investing in metabolically costly brain tissue. However, given genetic correlations, each sex could be constrained from reaching its cognitive optimum due to intralocus sexual conflict. We compared learning performance of two male alternative reproductive tactics and females from known genotypes (both sire and dam) in the livebearing fish Xiphophorus multilineatus. We predicted that females' learning performance would align with the learning performance of their sire's genotype due to genetic correlation of cognitive traits. Using a classical conditioning assessment (associating a flashing light with a food reward), we detected mating tactic dimorphism in learning performance, with the behaviourally plastic sneaker males outperforming the behaviourally fixed courter males. Unexpectedly, females sired by the faster-learning sneaker males performed significantly worse than sneaker males. We also detected an influence of brain size on female learning performance. Previous studies have found that females invest more in offspring sired by courter males, and we therefore hypothesize that maternal effects could potentially mitigate the influence of sexual conflict on a cognitive trait.

中文翻译：

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认知中的战术和性别二态性研究以及对性冲突的洞察

由于生活史策略的差异和对​​代谢成本高的脑组织的投资，两性在认知特征方面可能有不同的最优解。然而，鉴于遗传相关性，由于位点内的性冲突，每种性别都可能无法达到其认知最佳状态。我们比较了活鱼 Xiphophorus multilineatus 中已知基因型（父系和母系）的两种雄性替代生殖策略和雌性的学习表现。我们预测，由于认知特征的遗传相关性，雌性的学习表现将与其父系基因型的学习表现保持一致。使用经典的条件反射评估（将闪光灯与食物奖励相关联），我们检测到学习表现中的交配策略二态性，行为学塑料运动鞋男性的表现优于行为固定的宫廷男性。出乎意料的是，学习速度更快的运动鞋男性所生的女性表现明显比运动鞋男性差。我们还检测到大脑大小对女性学习表现的影响。先前的研究发现，女性对追求男性的后代的投资更多，因此我们假设母性效应可能会减轻性冲突对认知特征的影响。