QInfoMating: Sexual selection and assortative mating estimation

Abstract

BackgroundSexual selection theory is a multifaceted area of evolutionary research that has profound implications across various disciplines, including population genetics, evolutionary ecology, animal behavior, sociology, and psychology. It explores the mechanisms by which certain traits and behaviors evolve due to mate choice and competition within a species. In the context of this theory, the Jeffreys divergence measure, also known as population stability index, plays a key role in quantifying the information obtained when a deviation from random mating occurs for both discrete and continuous data. Despite the critical importance of understanding mating patterns in the context of sexual selection, there is currently no software available that can perform model selection and multimodel inference with quantitative mating data to test hypotheses about the dynamics underlying observed mating patterns. Recognizing this gap, I have developed QInfoMating which provides a comprehensive solution for analyzing and interpreting mating data within the framework of sexual selection theory. ResultsThe program QInfoMating incorporates a user-friendly interface for performing statistical tests, best-fit model selection, and parameter estimation using multimodel inference for both discrete and continuous mating data. A use case is presented with real data of the species Echinolittorina malaccana. ConclusionsThe application of information theory, model selection, and parameter estimation using multimodel inference are presented as powerful tools for the analysis of mating data, whether quantitative or categorical. The QInfoMating program is a tool designed to perform this type of analysis.