Mating preference for novel phenotypes can be explained by general neophilia in female guppies

Understanding how genetic variation is maintained in ecologically-important traits is a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. Male Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) exhibit extreme genetic diversity in color patterns within populations, which is believed to be promoted by a female mating preference for rare or novel patterns. However, the origins of this preference remain unclear. Here, we test the hypothesis that mating preference for novel phenotypes is a by-product of general neophilia that evolved in response to selection in non-mating contexts. We measured among-female variation in preference for eight different, novel stimuli that spanned four ecological contexts: mate choice, exploration, foraging, and social (but non-sexual) interactions. Females exhibited preference for novelty in 6 out of 8 tests. Individual variation in preference for novelty was positively correlated among all 8 types of stimuli. Furthermore, factor analysis revealed a single axis of general ...