Impact of female mate copying on male morph dynamics
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Mate copying is a type of non-independent mate choice. It is a behaviour observed in many vertebrate and a few invertebrate species. It occurs when an individual’s sexual preference gets socially inclined toward those of its conspecifics. In other words, the choice of mates is not independent of the choice made by other individuals. Theoretical models and experimental studies of mate copying have been limited to a choice between two mate options (or morphs). In this project under the guidance of Prof. Chaitanya Gokhale, I modelled the evolution of morphology in a population under varying extents of mate copying. Multiple morphs and multiple observations were considered and a generalisable model was presented. The theoretical development was supported with a computational model as well. Currently, we are preparing this work for submission to a journal.