Reproductive investment was initially thought to be the key selective force behind male mate preference for female characters, like size or ornamentation (i.e., the preference by males for certain females). Yet, evidence of polygynous species, where male reproductive investments are often inexpensive compared to those of females, have also been described to possess male preference. Our study aims to understand how reproductive investment influences the selection of choosy males in polygynous systems using two species of livebearing fishes varying in reproductive investment: Limia perugiae, in which males invest heavily into reproduction, and L. zonata in which males invest minimally into reproduction. We hypothesized that male reproductive investment when combined with fecundity selection will favour the evolution of male mate preference and thereby lead to males that invest heavily into reproduction being choosier than males that invest minimally. When male Limia were exposed to two females simultaneously, one from the small size class and one from the large size class, L. zonata chose large females over small ones, whereas L. perugiae allocated the same amount of time regardless of female size class. Although we fail to find support for our original hypotheses, our study highlights the need for a more thorough examination of non-model species like Limia. We suggest future studies analyse of reproductive investment as it interacts with cryptic choice, multiple sensory cues as well as expand comparisons to multiple Limia species, especially those endemic to Cuba, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica.

中文翻译：

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雄性不能挑剔：雄性生殖投资不会影响利米亚（Poeciliidae）对雌性体型的偏好

生殖投资最初被认为是男性配偶偏爱女性角色，如大小或装饰（即男性对某些女性的偏爱）背后的关键选择力量。然而，一夫多妻物种的证据也被描述为具有男性偏好，其中雄性生殖投资通常比雌性便宜。我们的研究旨在了解生殖投资如何影响一夫多妻系统中挑剔雄性的选择，使用两种繁殖投资不同的活鱼：Limia perugiae，其中雄性大量投资于繁殖，而 L. zonata，其中雄性投资最少. 我们假设雄性生殖投资与繁殖力选择相结合将有利于雄性配偶偏好的进化，从而导致对生殖投入大量资金的雄性比投资最少的雄性更挑剔。当雄性 Limia 同时与两只雌性接触时，一只来自小规格，一只来自大规格，L. zonata 选择大型雌性而不是小型，而 L. perugiae 分配相同的时间而不管雌性大小等级。尽管我们未能找到对原始假设的支持，但我们的研究强调了对 Limia 等非模型物种进行更彻底检查的必要性。我们建议未来的研究分析生殖投资，因为它与神秘选择、多种感官线索以及扩大与多种 Limia 物种的比较相互作用，