Rapid assessment of female preference for male size predicts subsequent choice of spawning partner in a socially monogamous cichlid fish

2011 ◽  
Vol 334 (12) ◽  
pp. 906-910 ◽  
Author(s):  
François-Xavier Dechaume-Moncharmont ◽  
Jérémie H. Cornuau ◽  
Ismaël Keddar ◽  
Malika Ihle ◽  
Sébastien Motreuil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Female Preference ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Socially Monogamous ◽  
Subsequent Choice

Female Choice in the Midwife Toads (Alytes Obstetricans and a. Cisternasii)

Behaviour ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 132 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 151-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Márquez
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Hatching Success ◽  
Female Preference ◽  
Dominant Frequency ◽  
Female Fitness ◽  
Significant Preference ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Behavioural Mechanism ◽  
Alytes Obstetricans

AbstractA previous study reported that large males had greater mating success than small males in two species of midwife toads. A behavioural mechanism that would explain such a pattern is sought. Dominant frequency is inversely correlated with male size in Alytes obstetricans and A. cisternasii. In both cases, two-speaker playback tests with synthetic calls show that females have a significant preference for calls with low frequencies. The results shows that female preference may impose directional sexual selection upon a static acoustic character that is correlated with male size. Male Alytes tend their eggs on land, but male size is not correlated with hatching success. Therefore female preference for larger males does not appear to directly increase female fitness.

Extraordinarily long sperm in the socially monogamous cichlid fish Pelvicachromis taeniatus

2007 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 489-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Thünken ◽  
Theo C. M. Bakker ◽  
Harald Kullmann
Keyword(s):  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Pelvicachromis Taeniatus ◽  
Socially Monogamous

Extra-pair paternity and mate-guarding behaviour in the brown thornbill

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 565 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Green ◽  
Anne Peters ◽  
Andrew Cockburn
Keyword(s):  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Fertile Period ◽  
Young Males ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Multilocus Dna Fingerprinting ◽  
Socially Monogamous ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Older Males

We used multilocus DNA fingerprinting to assess parentage in the brown thornbill, Acanthiza pusilla, a socially monogamous Australian passerine. Extra-pair paternity was uncommon (6.2% of 178 offspring; 11.9% of 67 broods) and there was no evidence of intra-specific brood parasitism. Extra-pair paternity was limited because pairs spent more time together when females were fertile and males were able to evict intruding males before they could approach the female. Males were responsible for the close proximity of partners during the fertile period. Mate guarding therefore appears to be a male tactic aimed at preventing female infidelity rather than a cooperative behaviour of the pair aimed at preventing extra-pair copulations and/or female harassment. Females did not attempt to escape male guarding and were rarely observed to solicit copulations from intruding males. Nevertheless, females paired to smaller and younger males were more likely to cuckold their mates than females paired to larger and older males. This suggests that females may be more likely to seek or accept extra-pair matings when paired to small, young males or that old, large males are better at preventing their mates from engaging in extra-pair copulations. We found that male age but not male size influences mate-guarding behaviour. Older males tended to respond more aggressively to intruders. We therefore speculate that the relationship between male size/age and extra-pair paternity in brown thornbills may arise because female thornbills prefer large males as mates but are unable to express this preference as easily when paired to older males.

scholarly journals Male size predicts extrapair paternity in a socially monogamous bird with extreme sexual size dimorphism

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 200-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah J. Wells ◽  
Weihong Ji ◽  
James Dale ◽  
Beatrix Jones ◽  
Dianne Gleeson
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Extrapair Paternity ◽  
Size Dimorphism ◽  
Socially Monogamous

Hidden leks in a migratory songbird: mating advantages for earlier and more attractive males

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 1180-1191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilian T Manica ◽  
Jeff A Graves ◽  
Jeffrey Podos ◽  
Regina H Macedo
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Success ◽  
Cluster Size ◽  
Female Preference ◽  
Preference Model ◽  
Socially Monogamous ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Migratory Songbird ◽  
Large Clusters ◽  
Courtship Displays

Abstract In some socially monogamous birds, territories sometimes occur in aggregations. The “hidden lek” hypothesis suggests that territorial aggregations might be explained by males establishing territories near successful males (“hotshot” model) or by females preferring to mate in large clusters (“female preference” model). In both scenarios, clusters would provide more opportunities for finding mates and achieving extrapair copulations. Our study tests predictions of these two models in the blue-black grassquit (Volatinia jacarina). Males of this species migrate to their breeding grounds, establish territories within clusters, and initiate courtship displays. These displays consist of vertical leaps synchronized with vocalizations, or only the latter without leaps. The “hotshot” model predicts that: 1) earlier-arriving males would establish territories more centrally within clusters; 2) earlier or centrally positioned males would produce more elaborate displays; and 3) these same males would achieve higher success via within and extrapair fertilizations. The “female preference” model predicts that: 4) pairing success and 5) per-capita extrapair fertilizations would increase with cluster size. We found that earlier-arriving males executed higher leaps and longer songs, but there was no relationship between these traits and male position within clusters. We also found that earlier-arriving males were more likely to obtain extrapair fertilizations. However, we found little evidence that cluster size related to overall or per-capita breeding success. Considered together, our data provide partial validation of the hotshot model of hidden leks and expand on prior findings in this species by showing that females benefit by choosing males leaping higher and settling earlier in clusters.

Female preference for males depends on reproductive physiology in the African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni

2013 ◽  
Vol 180 ◽  
pp. 56-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R. Kidd ◽  
Lauren A. O’Connell ◽  
Celeste E. Kidd ◽  
Christine W. Chen ◽  
Miles R. Fontenot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Female Preference ◽  
Reproductive Physiology ◽  
African Cichlid ◽  
Astatotilapia Burtoni

scholarly journals Nest defense in the face of cuckoldry: evolutionary rather than facultative adaptation to chronic paternity loss

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Holger Zimmermann ◽  
Karoline Fritzsche ◽  
Jonathan M. Henshaw ◽  
Cyprian Katongo ◽  
Taylor Banda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Nest Defense ◽  
Stabilizing Selection ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Evolutionary Response ◽  
Socially Monogamous ◽  
The Face ◽  
Primary Form

Abstract Background Raising unrelated offspring is typically wasteful of parental resources and so individuals are expected to reduce or maintain low levels of parental effort when their parentage is low. This can involve facultative, flexible adjustments of parental care to cues of lost parentage in the current brood, stabilizing selection for a low level of paternal investment, or an evolutionary reduction in parental investment in response to chronically low parentage. Results We studied parental care in Variabilichromis moorii, a socially monogamous, biparental cichlid fish, whose mating system is characterized by frequent cuckoldry and whose primary form of parental care is offspring defense. We combine field observations with genetic parentage analyses to show that while both parents defend their nest against intruding con- and hetero-specifics, males and females may do so for different reasons. Males in the study group (30 breeding pairs) sired 0–100% (median 83%) of the fry in their nests. Males defended less against immediate threats to the offspring, and more against threats to their territories, which are essential for the males’ future reproductive success. Males also showed no clear relationship between their share of defense and their paternity of the brood. Females, on the other hand, were related to nearly all the offspring under their care, and defended almost equally against all types of threats. Conclusion Overall, males contributed less to defense than females and we suggest that this asymmetry is the result of an evolutionary response by males to chronically high paternity loss in this species. Although most males in the current study group achieved high parentage in their nests, the average paternity in V. moorii, sampled across multiple seasons, is only about 55%. We highlight the importance and complexity of studying nest defense as a form of parental care in systems where defense may serve not only to protect current offspring, but also to ensure future reproductive success by maintaining a territory.

Genetic evidence for mixed broods and extra-pair matings in a socially monogamous biparental cichlid fish

Behaviour ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 152 (11) ◽  
pp. 1507-1526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacey S.Y. Lee-Jenkins ◽  
Myron L. Smith ◽  
Brian D. Wisenden ◽  
Alex Wong ◽  
Jean-Guy J. Godin
Keyword(s):  
Body Length ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Convict Cichlid ◽  
Social Monogamy ◽  
Model Species ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Socially Monogamous ◽  
First Time ◽  
Very High ◽  
Amatitlania Siquia

Mobile young under parental care have a high potential for intermixing with other broods, which potentially increases the costs to the foster parents. Here, we examined for the first time the genetic composition of wild-caught broods of the convict cichlid (Amatitlania siquia), a socially monogamous biparental fish, for evidence of brood mixing and adoption. Our microsatellite genotyping data revealed that 79% of broods contained adopted young. Moreover, 25% of broods contained adopted sibsets likely arising from extra-pair matings, a phenomenon hitherto not documented for this species. Overall, adopted foreign fry and host fry in mixed broods were generally different in body length, as would be expected if they have different parents. However, fry from possible extra-pair matings were similar in body length to host fry, suggesting that they are of similar age. Our results are important because they reveal a very high prevalence and degree of brood mixing, and indicate that social monogamy does not necessarily lead to genetic monogamy in the convict cichlid in nature. These findings raise questions about potential brood-mixing mechanisms and the reproductive ecology (especially opportunities for polygamy in nature) of this important model species in the study of animal behaviour.

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