Data from: 2-D sex images elicit mate copying in fruit flies

Although the environment is three-dimensional (3-D), humans are able to extract subtle information from two-dimensional (2-D) images, particularly in the domain of sex. However, whether animals with simpler nervous systems are capable of such information extraction remains to be demonstrated, as this ability would suggest a functional generalisation capacity. Here, we performed mate-copying experiments in Drosophila melanogaster using 2-D artificial stimuli. Mate copying occurs when naïve females observe the mating success of potential mates and use that social information to build their own mating preference. By replacing live demonstrations with (i) photos or (ii) simplified images of copulating pairs, we found that even crudely simplified images of sexual intercourse still elicit mate copying, suggesting that Drosophila is able to extract sex-related information even from a degraded image. This new method constitutes a powerful tool to further investigate mate copying in that species and sexual preferences in general.尽管客观环境为三维空间，人类仍可从二维（2-D）图像中提取精细信息，在性相关研究领域中这一能力尤为突出。然而，神经系统更为简单的动物是否具备此类信息提取能力，仍有待验证——因为该能力本身即暗示动物具备功能泛化的能力。本研究以二维（2-D）人工刺激物为实验材料，开展了黑腹果蝇（Drosophila melanogaster）的配偶选择复制实验。配偶选择复制指的是，无交配经验的雌性个体观察潜在配偶的交配成功表现，并依托该社交信息建立自身的交配偏好。我们以（i）交配果蝇对的照片、（ii）简化的交配场景图像替代活体示范样本，结果发现，即便仅使用粗糙简化的性交场景图像，仍可诱发配偶选择复制行为。这表明黑腹果蝇即便从降质图像中，也能提取与性相关的信息。该全新方法为进一步研究该物种的配偶选择复制行为，以及一般性的交配偏好提供了强有力的研究工具。

搜集汇总

背景与挑战

背景概述

该数据集基于一项关于果蝇（黑腹果蝇）的研究，通过使用二维人工刺激图像（包括照片和简化图像）来探究配偶复制行为。研究发现，即使图像被简化，果蝇仍能从这些二维性图像中提取性相关信息，并表现出配偶复制行为，这表明果蝇具有从降级视觉信息中提取关键内容的能力。数据集支持进一步研究该物种的配偶复制机制和性偏好行为，为动物社会学习领域提供了新方法。