THE STABILITY OF FEMALE SOCIAL AND MATING PREFERENCES IN THE MONOGAMOUS CALIFORNIA MOUSE, PEROMYSCUS-CALIFORNICUS

The stability of female social preferences for a male and its effect on subsequent mate preference was examined in the monogamous Peromyscus californicus by giving virgin females a choice of two tethered or yoke-restrained virgin males. Females were tested twice for 24 h with the same two males, first when not in oestrus and again during oestrus. In three experiments, females demonstrated significant social (association) preferences for a male within 24 h after first introduction. The vast majority of females maintained their initial social preference for the same male from the non-oestrous to the oestrous test, regardless of whether they were separated from males (experiment 1) or had constant access to males (experiments 2 and 3) between tests. Almost one third of all females, however, either reversed their initial preference or spent equal amounts of time in proximity to both males during the oestrous test- More than half of all females did not mate. Of the females that mated, only about 60% copulated with their preferred social partner. Thus, a female's social preference was not a reliable indicator of her mating preference. These results suggest that the link between female social and mating preferences may be established in the wild, in part, by a lack of opportunity to associate and mate with more than one male and that females may be reluctant to reproduce until the pair bond is well established. © 1993 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.