Data from: Mate copying in Drosophila simulans

To facilitate the search for a suitable mating partner, many animals
across all taxa use social information. One form of social learning is
mate copying, in which individuals use information about potential mates
by copying the mate choices of other individuals. While many studies have
documented mate copying in Drosophila melanogaster and its potential for
cultural evolution in the laboratory, little is known about mate copying
in other Drosophila species. Here we report the first evidence that
Drosophila simulans females can also acquire a sexual preference for a
particular trait of a male after observing a single mating event. We used
the same protocol developed for D. melanogaster: A naïve, unmated female
first observes a conspecific's mate choice between one artificially
colored green and one artificially colored pink male, and is subsequently
allowed to choose between two males of the same phenotype herself. Just as
with D. melanogaster, D. simulans females were more likely to choose the
same type of male as in the demonstration. Thus, D. simulans females are
capable of rapid social observational learning, and this highlights the
potential importance of mate copying, a trait that may contribute to
reproductive isolation.