Alternative mechanisms of nonindependent mate choice

Aspects of the environment, including the social environment, can contribut e to intrapopulation variation in mating preferences. One example of the ef fect of social environment on mate preferences is mate choice copying; howe ver, other types of socially influenced (nonindependent) choice might exist . We develop a list of such alternatives based on possible physiological or psychological mechanisms, evaluate the evidence distinguishing one from an other and clarify some controversial aspects of mate choice copying. This f ramework reveals many ways in which one female's mate choice can influence that of another, and suggests a broader array of hypotheses about the selec tive forces acting on such mechanisms. Because nonindependent choice can oc cur in a variety of ways, it could be more important for understanding patt erns of mate choice than current theory suggests. (C) 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.