Final answer:
Mate-choice copying influences mate preferences and partner selection, but it does not directly change the probability of fertilization, which is a biochemical process driven by gamete compatibility.
Step-by-step explanation:
Does mate-choice copying (preference change) also change the probability of fertilization? The answer is no. While mate-choice copying may influence mating preferences and partner selection within a population, it does not directly increase or decrease the probability of the internal fertilization process itself.
For instance, internal fertilization increases the survival rates of offspring, and in cases where fewer females are available, it ensures efficient use of resources such as sperm. Behavioral changes in organisms, such as those exhibited by sperm-depleted male fruit flies who choose larger, more fecund females, result in more efficient reproduction.
Mate-choice copying may certainly have evolutionary implications by affecting the choice of partners and thus steering the direction of natural selection, but the actual occurrence of fertilization is a biochemical process influenced by compatibility of gametes rather than social factors such as preference copying.