Coercive mating has no impact on spatial learning, cognitive flexibility, and fecundity in female porthole livebearers (Poeciliopsis gracilis).

ABSTRACT: Coercive mating is a sexual selection strategy that is likely to influence female cognition. Female harassment levels have been linked to altered brain gene expression patterns and brain size evolution, suggesting females may respond to coercive mating by investing energy into "outsmarting" males. However, females exposed to coercive males have decreased foraging efficiency and likely increased stress levels, suggesting their brain function might instead be impaired. While it is therefore likely that coercive mating impacts female cognitive abilities, a direct test of this idea is currently lacking. In this study, we investigate the impact of coercive mating on female spatial memory and cognitive flexibility in a species with prevalent coercive mating. We compared the performance of female

SUBMITTER: Ernst TR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12536062 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature