Wisdom of Crowds, Rodent Edition

Hey, three's a crowd, right?

Female mice apparantly prefer male mice that have the scent of another female mouse when undertaking mate selection. The scientists conjecture that the scent of another female mouse on a male mouse works as a form of information delivery on the fitness of the mate. That is, if another female found the male suitable, the new female increases her belief that the male will be a fit mate for her. Peer approval is important in assessing fitness.

That one female's choice of mate could influence the choices of other females is well documented in birds and fish, but had not been documented for any mammalian species. Pfaff says that the female mice's mate preference was so strong that they even preferred the combined male/female scent when it was tainted with the scent of infectious parasites, opting for that over the scent of a healthy lone male.

"Male odors can provide female mice with information on their quality, condition, health and suitability as a potential mate," says Pfaff. "This type of 'public information' uses cues inadvertently provided by an individual, such as odor, which others observe use to make decisions such as mate choice, food location, or presence of danger. Specifically in birds and fish, 'public information' has been shown play a role in when and what to eat and with whom to mate with, but its use in mate choice has not been seen in mammals."

Ever notice that some people have significant others fairly routinely, while others go for long spells without? Could it be that the social habits of those with dry spells provide for less chances to have third parties see them in the presence of a potential next-signifcant other? Does the smell wear off over time?

Via ScienceBlog