Data from: Genetic variation in male mate choice for large females in Drosophila melanogaster

Males in many species show courtship and mating preferences for certain
females over others when given the choice. One of the most common targets
of male mate choice in insects is female body size, with males preferring
to court and mate with larger, higher-fecundity females and investing more
resources in matings with those females. Although this preference is
well-documented at the species level, less is known about how this
preference varies within species and whether there is standing genetic
variation for male mate choice within populations. We used hemiclonal
analysis in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to test for heritable
genetic variation in pre- and post-copulatory components of male mate
choice for large females. We found additive genetic variation for both
forms of male choice: males from different hemiclone lines varied in the
strength of their courtship preferences for large females and the degree
to which they extended matings with large females. Although males from
hemiclone lines with stronger courtship preferences for large females were
more likely to mate with those females, there was no genetic correlation
between pre- and post-copulatory components of male mate choice,
suggesting that they are under independent genetic control. Genetic
variation in male mate choice may be widespread, potentially impacting the
fitness of both sexes and the adaptive evolution of populations.