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Differences in male coloration are predicted by divergent sexual selection between populations of a cichlid fish (2016)
Journal Article
Selz, O. M., Thommen, R., Pierotti, M. E., Anaya-Rojas, J. M., & Seehausen, O. (2016). Differences in male coloration are predicted by divergent sexual selection between populations of a cichlid fish. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 283(1830), https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.0172

Female mating preferences can influence both intraspecific sexual selection and interspecific reproductive isolation, and have therefore been proposed to play a central role in speciation. Here, we investigate experimentally in the African cichlid fi... Read More about Differences in male coloration are predicted by divergent sexual selection between populations of a cichlid fish.

Metabolism, oxidative stress and territorial behaviour in a female colour polymorphic cichlid fish (2015)
Journal Article
Dijkstra, P. D., Pierotti, M. E., Seehausen, O., & Metcalfe, N. B. (2016). Metabolism, oxidative stress and territorial behaviour in a female colour polymorphic cichlid fish. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 70, 99–109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-015-2028-4

Intrasexual selection on body coloration is thought to play an important role in the evolution of colour polymorphism, but its physiological underpinnings have received limited attention. In the colour polymorphic cichlid Neochromis omnicaeruleus, th... Read More about Metabolism, oxidative stress and territorial behaviour in a female colour polymorphic cichlid fish.

Intrasexual competition and throat color evolution in female three-spined sticklebacks (2015)
Journal Article
Yong, L., Woodall, B. E., Pierotti, M. E., & McKinnon, J. S. (2015). Intrasexual competition and throat color evolution in female three-spined sticklebacks. Behavioral Ecology, 26(4), 1030–1038. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv037

Interest in the evolution of female ornaments has been growing but explaining their presence remains a challenge for many animal taxa. Although female ornaments may be sexually selected via male choice, they can also function in female–female competi... Read More about Intrasexual competition and throat color evolution in female three-spined sticklebacks.

Conspicuous female ornamentation and tests of male mate preference in threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) (2015)
Journal Article
Wright, D. S., Pierotti, M. E., Rundle, H. D., & McKinnon, J. S. (2015). Conspicuous female ornamentation and tests of male mate preference in threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). PloS one, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0120723

Sexual selection drives the evolution of exaggerated male ornaments in many animal species. Female ornamentation is now acknowledged also to be common but is generally less well understood. One example is the recently documented red female throat col... Read More about Conspicuous female ornamentation and tests of male mate preference in threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

Female preference for male color is necessary and sufficient for assortative mating in 2 cichlid sister species (2014)
Journal Article
Selz, O. M., Pierotti, M. E., Maan, M. E., Schmid, C., & Seehausen, O. (2014). Female preference for male color is necessary and sufficient for assortative mating in 2 cichlid sister species. Behavioral Ecology, 25(3), 612–626. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/aru024

A critical step for speciation in the face of gene flow is the origination of reproductive isolation. The evolution of assortative mating greatly facilitates this process. Assortative mating can be mediated by one or multiple cues across an array of... Read More about Female preference for male color is necessary and sufficient for assortative mating in 2 cichlid sister species.

Correlates of red throat coloration in female stickleback and their potential evolutionary significance (2013)
Journal Article
Yong, L., Guo, R., Wright, D. S., Mears, S. A., Pierotti, M. E., & McKinnon, J. S. (2013). Correlates of red throat coloration in female stickleback and their potential evolutionary significance. Evolutionary Ecology Research, 15, 453-472

Background: In two stream-resident populations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), females often exhibit male-typical red throat coloration. These fish inhabit the Little Campbell River (British Columbia) and Matadero Creek (Californi... Read More about Correlates of red throat coloration in female stickleback and their potential evolutionary significance.

Colour polymorphism and correlated characters: Genetic mechanisms and evolution (2010)
Journal Article
McKinnon, J., & Pierotti, M. E. (2010). Colour polymorphism and correlated characters: Genetic mechanisms and evolution. Molecular Ecology, 19(23), 5101-5125. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2010.04846.x

Colour polymorphisms (CP’s) continue to be of interest to evolutionary biologists because of their general tractability, importance in studies of selection and potential role in speciation. Since some of the earliest studies of CP, it has been eviden... Read More about Colour polymorphism and correlated characters: Genetic mechanisms and evolution.

Mapping individual variation in male mating preference space: Multiple choice in a color polymorphic cichlid fish (2009)
Journal Article
Pierotti, M. E., Martín-Fernández, J. A., & Seehausen, O. (2009). Mapping individual variation in male mating preference space: Multiple choice in a color polymorphic cichlid fish. Evolution, 63(9), 2372–2388. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00716.x

Sexual selection theory largely rests on the assumption that populations contain individual variation in mating preferences and that individuals are consistent in their preferences. However, there are few empirical studies of within-population variat... Read More about Mapping individual variation in male mating preference space: Multiple choice in a color polymorphic cichlid fish.

Behavioral dominance between female color morphs of a Lake Victoria cichlid fish (2009)
Journal Article
Dijkstra, P. D., van Dijk, S., Groothuis, T. G., Pierotti, M. E., & Seehausen, O. (2009). Behavioral dominance between female color morphs of a Lake Victoria cichlid fish. Behavioral Ecology, 20(3), 593–600. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arp036

Species that exhibit genetic color polymorphism are suitable for studying the evolutionary forces that maintain heritable phenotypic variation in nature. Male color morphs often differ in behavioral dominance, affecting the evolution of color polymor... Read More about Behavioral dominance between female color morphs of a Lake Victoria cichlid fish.