Editing Disassortative mating (section)

== Types of disassortative mating ==
Imprinting is one example of disassortative mating. A model shows that individuals imprint on a genetically transmitted trait during early [[ontogeny]] and choosy females later use those parental images as a basis of mate choice. A viability-reducing trait may be maintained even without the fertility cost of same-type matings.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ihara |first1=Yasuo |last2=Feldman |first2=Marcus |title=Evolution of disassortative and assortative mating preferences based on imprinting |journal=Theoretical Population Biology |year=2003 |volume=64 |issue=2 |pages=193–200 |doi=10.1016/s0040-5809(03)00099-6 |pmid=12948680 |bibcode=2003TPBio..64..193I }}</ref> With imprinting, preference can be established even if it is initially rare, when there is a fertility cost of same-type matings.

One uncommon type of disassortative mating is the female preference on rare (or novel) male phenotypes. A study on guppies, ''Poecilia reticulata'', revealed that the female preference was sufficient to tightly maintain polymorphism in male traits.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kokko |first1=Hanna |last2=Jennions |first2=Michael |last3=Houde |first3=Anne |title=Evolution of frequency-dependent mate choice: keeping up with fashion trends |journal=Proceedings. Biological Sciences |year=2007 |volume=274 |issue=1615 |pages=1317–1324 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2007.0043 |pmid=17360285 |pmc=2176183 }}</ref> This type of mate choice shows that costly preferences can persist at higher frequencies if mate choice is hindered, which would allow the alleles to approach fixation.