Data from: Mate choice strategies in a spatially-explicit model environment

Decisions about the choice of a mate can greatly impact both individual fitness and selection processes. We developed a novel agent-based model to investigate two common mate choice rules that may be used by female gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor). In this model environment, female agents using the minimum-threshold strategy found higher quality mates and traveled shorter distances on average, compared with female agents using the best-of-n strategy. Females using the minimum-threshold strategy, however, incur significant lost opportunity costs, depending on the male population quality average. The best-of-n strategy leads to significant female:female competition that limits their ability to find high quality mates. Thus, when the sex ratio is 0.8, best-of-5 and best-of-2 strategies yield mates of nearly identical quality. Although the distance traveled by females in the mating task varied depending on male spatial distribution in the environment, this did not interact with female choice for the best-of-n or minimum-threshold strategies. By incorporating empirical data from the frogs in this temporally- and spatially-explicit model, we thus show the emergence of novel interactions of common decision-making rules with realistic environmental variables.

配偶选择决策会对个体适合度与选择过程产生显著影响。我们开发了一种新颖的基于智能体的模型（agent-based model），用以探究雌性灰树蛙（Hyla versicolor）可能采用的两类常见配偶选择策略。在该模型环境中，相较于采用最优n策略（best-of-n strategy）的雌性智能体，采用最小阈值策略（minimum-threshold strategy）的雌性智能体平均可觅得质量更高的配偶，且平均移动距离更短。但采用最小阈值策略的雌性会承受显著的机会成本损失，该损失程度取决于雄性种群的平均质量。最优n策略会引发显著的雌性个体间竞争，从而限制其觅得高质量配偶的能力。因此当性比为0.8时，最优5策略（best-of-5）与最优2策略（best-of-2）所获得的配偶质量近乎一致。尽管雌性在交配任务中的移动距离会随环境内雄性的空间分布发生变化，但这一因素并未与最优n或最小阈值配偶选择策略产生交互效应。通过将灰树蛙的实证数据纳入该兼具时空显式性的模型中，我们揭示了常见决策规则与现实环境变量间新型交互作用的涌现现象。