Population density and mate selection in the copepod Acartia tonsa

Abstract

Population density changes the intensity of mate choice in numerous animal taxa. We used video recordings to test whether such changes can also be observed in the copepod Acartia tonsa during short-term exposures to densities (16-640 ind L-1) for which their egg production is known to be affected. The ratio of observed mating attempts to theoretical encounters was constant among treatments. This shows that these densities do not affect mate choice in A. tonsa. © 2014 The Author 2014.