Mate-choice copying accelerates species range expansion

Mate-choice copying is a type of social learning in which females can
change their mate preference after observing the choice of others. This
behaviour can potentially affect population evolution and ecology, namely
through increased dispersal and reduced local adaptation. Here, we
simulated the effects of mate-choice copying in populations expanding
across an environmental gradient to understand whether it can accelerate
or retard the expansion process. Two mate-choice copying strategies were
used: when females target a single individual, and when females target
similar individuals. We also simulated cases where the male trait singled
out by females with mate-choice maps perfectly onto their genotype or is
influenced by genotype-by-environment interactions. These rules have
different effects on the results. When a trait is determined by genotype
alone, populations where copier females target all similar males expand
faster, and the number of potential copiers increases. However, when
preference is determined by genotype-by-environment interactions,
populations where copier females target a single male have higher
dispersal and also expand faster, but the potential number of copiers
decreases. The results show that mate-choice copying can accelerate the
expansion process, although its adaptiveness depends on the information
animals use in different contexts.