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Video Playback Versus Live Stimuli for Assessing Mate Choice in a Pipefish

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In this study, I investigated the application of the video playback technique to studies on mate choice in the pipefish, Syngnathus typhle. In this sex-role reversed species, the males are predominately the choosing sex, and given a choice, prefer to mate with larger females. As such, I tested if this known mate preference remained when using this novel experimental technique. Specifically, I compared the response of males to video images of females to that of live females. Results revealed that male pipefish showed a stronger preference for the larger female in the video playback treatment than in the clear glass (two-way interaction) live female treatment. This experiment has, therefore, demonstrated that the pipefish respond in the predicted direction in response to video playback, and as such proves to be a reliable method to study mate preferences in this species.

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  1. Department of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Norbyv. 18d, SE-75236, Uppsala, Sweden

    Sarah I. Robinson-Wolrath

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  1. Sarah I. Robinson-Wolrath
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Correspondence to Sarah I. Robinson-Wolrath.

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Robinson-Wolrath, S.I. Video Playback Versus Live Stimuli for Assessing Mate Choice in a Pipefish. Environ Biol Fish 75, 409–414 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-006-0024-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-006-0024-2

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