Impact of female mate copying on male morph dynamics

Mate copying (MC), a type of non-independent mate choice, is a behaviour observed in many vertebrate and few invertebrate species. It occurs when an individuals sexual preference gets socially inclined toward those of its conspecifics. Theoretical models and experimental studies of MC have been limited to choice between two options (or morphs). In this study we model the evolution of morphology in a population under varying extents of mate copying. Multiple morphs and multiple observations are considered and a generalisable model is presented. We quantify the level of copying needed to achieve pseudo-stable equilibria in the presence of multiple morphs. Moving closer to realistic scenarios we support our theoretical development with simulations and discuss relevance for empirical model systems.