Developmental effects of visual environment on species-assortative mating preferences in Lake Victoria cichlid fish

Wright, D. S.; Demandt, N.; Alkema, J. T.; Seehausen, Ole; Groothuis, T. G. G.; Maan, Martine (2016). Developmental effects of visual environment on species-assortative mating preferences in Lake Victoria cichlid fish. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 30(2), pp. 289-299. Wiley 10.1111/jeb.13001

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Local adaptation can be a potent force in speciation, with environmental
heterogeneity leading to niche specialization and population divergence.
However, local adaption often requires nonrandom mating to generate
reproductive isolation. Population divergence in sensory properties can be
particularly consequential in speciation, affecting both ecological adaptation
and sexual communication. Pundamilia pundamila and Pundamilia nyererei
are two closely related African cichlid species that differ in male coloration,
blue vs. red. They co-occur at rocky islands in southern Lake Victoria, but
inhabit different depth ranges with different light environments. The species
differ in colour vision properties, and females exert species-specific preferences
for blue vs. red males. Here, we investigated the mechanistic link
between colour vision and preference, which could provide a rapid route to
reproductive isolation. We tested the behavioural components of this link
by experimentally manipulating colour perception – we raised both species
and their hybrids under light conditions mimicking shallow and deep habitats
– and tested female preference for blue and red males under both conditions.
We found that rearing light significantly affected female preference:
shallow-reared females responded more strongly to P. pundamilia males and
deep-reared females favoured P. nyererei males – implying that visual development
causally affects mate choice. These results are consistent with sensory
drive predictions, suggesting that the visual environment is key to
behavioural isolation of these species. However, the observed plasticity could
also make the species barrier vulnerable to environmental change: speciesassortative
preferences were weaker in females that were reared in the other
species’ light condition.

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