Evidence that male sea lamprey increase pheromone release after perceiving a competitor: raw data, R-code, R analyses

Sexual signals evolve via selective pressures arising from male-male competition and female choice, including those originating from unintended receivers that detect the signal. For example, males can acquire information from other males signaling to females and alter their own signal. Relative to visual and acoustic signals, less is known about how such communication networks influence chemical signaling among animals. In sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), chemical communication system is essential for reproduction, offering a useful system to study a pheromone communication network that includes signalers and both intended and unintended receivers. Male sea lamprey aggregate on spawning grounds where individuals build nests and signal to females using sex pheromones. We examined how exposure to a major component of the male pheromone, 3keto-petromyzonol sulfate (3kPZS), influenced male pheromone signaling, and whether females had a preference for males that altered their signal. Exposu...