Editing Behavioral ecology (section)

===Sensory bias===
The sensory bias hypothesis states that the preference for a trait evolves in a non-mating context, and is then exploited by one sex to obtain more mating opportunities. The competitive sex evolves traits that exploit a pre-existing bias that the choosy sex already possesses. This mechanism is thought to explain remarkable trait differences in closely related species because it produces a divergence in signaling systems, which leads to reproductive isolation.<ref>{{cite journal|year=2002|title=How sensory drive can promote speciation |journal=Trends in Ecology and Evolution|volume=17|issue=12|pages=571–577|doi=10.1016/S0169-5347(02)02595-8 |last1=Boughman|first1=J. W.}}</ref>

Sensory bias has been demonstrated in [[Guppy|guppies]], [[Fresh water|freshwater]] fish from [[Trinidad and Tobago]]. In this mating system, female guppies prefer to mate with males with more orange body coloration. However, outside of a mating context, both sexes prefer animate orange objects, which suggests that preference originally evolved in another context, like foraging.<ref>{{cite journal|last2=Hughes|first2=K. A. |last3=Grether|first3=G. F.|last4=Baril|first4=C. T.|year=2002|title=A possible non-sexual origin of mate preference: are male guppies mimicking fruit?|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B |volume= 269|issue=1490|pages=475–481|doi=10.1098/rspb.2001.1891|last1=Rodd|first1=F. H.|pmid=11886639|pmc=1690917}}</ref> Orange fruits are a rare treat that fall into streams where the guppies live. The ability to find these fruits quickly is an adaptive quality that has evolved outside of a mating context. Sometime after the affinity for orange objects arose, male guppies exploited this preference by incorporating large orange spots to attract females.

Another example of sensory exploitation is in the water mite ''[[Neumania papillator]]'', an [[ambush predator]] that hunts [[copepods]] (small crustaceans) passing by in the water column.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal |last=Proctor |first=Heather C.|date=1991-10-01|title=Courtship in the water mite ''Neumania papillator'': males capitalize on female adaptations for predation |journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=42 |issue=4 |pages=589–598 |doi=10.1016/S0003-3472(05)80242-8|s2cid=53166756}}</ref> When hunting, ''N. papillator'' adopts a characteristic stance termed the 'net stance' - their first four legs are held out into the water column, with their four hind legs resting on aquatic vegetation; this allows them to detect vibrational stimuli produced by swimming prey and use this  to orient towards and clutch at prey.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last=Proctor |first=Heather C.|date=1992-10-01|title=Sensory exploitation and the evolution of male mating behaviour: a cladistic test using water mites (Acari: Parasitengona) |journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=44 |issue=4|pages=745–752|doi=10.1016/S0003-3472(05)80300-8|s2cid=54426553}}</ref> During courtship, males actively search for females<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Proctor|first=H. C.|date=1992-01-01|title=Effect of Food Deprivation on Mate Searching and Spermatophore Production in Male Water Mites (Acari: Unionicolidae) |journal=Functional Ecology|volume=6|issue=6|pages=661–665 |doi=10.2307/2389961|jstor=2389961}}</ref> - if a male finds a female, he slowly circles around the female whilst trembling his first and second leg near her.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":02" /> Male leg trembling causes females (who were in the 'net stance') to orient towards often clutch the male.<ref name=":12" /> This did not damage the male or deter further courtship; the male then deposited [[spermatophore]]s and began to vigorously fan and jerk his fourth pair of legs over the spermatophore, generating a current of water that passed over the spermatophores and towards the female.<ref name=":12" /> Sperm packet uptake by the female would sometimes follow.<ref name=":12" /> Heather Proctor hypothesised that the vibrations trembling male legs made were done to mimic the vibrations that females detect from swimming prey - this would trigger the female prey-detection responses causing females to orient and then clutch at males, mediating courtship.<ref name=":12" /><ref name="animalbehaviour">{{cite book |title=Animal Behaviour: A Evolutionary Approach|last=Alcock|first=John|publisher=[[Sinauer]] |isbn=978-0-87893-966-4|edition=10th|pages=70–72|author-link=John Alcock (behavioral ecologist)|date=2013-07-01}}</ref> If this was true and males were exploiting female predation responses, then hungry females should be more receptive to male trembling – Proctor found that unfed captive females did orient and clutch at males significantly more than fed captive females did, consistent with the sensory exploitation hypothesis.<ref name=":12" />

Other examples for the sensory bias mechanism include traits in [[auk]]lets,<ref>{{cite journal |last2=Hunter |first2=F. M.|year=1998|title=Heterospecific mating preferences for a feather ornament in least auklets |journal=Behavioral Ecology|volume=9 |issue=2|pages=187–192 |doi=10.1093/beheco/9.2.187|last1=Jones|first1=I. L.}}</ref> [[wolf spider]]s,<ref>{{cite journal|last2=Uetz|first2=G. W.|year=1996|title=Female choice and pre-existing bias: Visual cues during courtship in two Schizocosawolff spiders|journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=52|pages=167–181 |doi=10.1006/anbe.1996.0162|last1=McClinktock|first1=W. J.|s2cid=24629559}}</ref> and [[manakin]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |year=1996|title=Phylogenetic tests of alternative intersexual selection mechanisms: Trait macroevolution in a polygynous clade|journal=The American Naturalist |volume=149 |issue=4 |pages=688–692 |doi=10.1086/286014|jstor=2463543|last1=Prum|first1=R. O.|s2cid=85039370}}</ref> Further experimental work is required to reach a fuller understanding of the prevalence and mechanisms of sensory bias.<ref>{{cite journal |last2=Houle|first2=D.|last3=Travis|first3=J.|year=2005|title=Sensory bias as an explanation for the evolution of mate preferences|journal=American Naturalist|volume=166|issue=4|pages=437–446 |doi=10.1086/444443 |pmid=16224700 |last1=Fuller|first1=R. C.|s2cid=4849390}}</ref>