Algal Turbidity Hampers Ornament Perception, but Not Expression, in a Sex‐Role‐Reversed Pipefish

Sundin, Josefin; Rosenqvist, Gunilla; Myhren, Siri; Berglund, Anders

doi:10.1111/eth.12461

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 47 publications

(155 reference statements)

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“…Whether individuals invest more in courtship or agonistic behaviors may depend on the relative fitness benefits associated with performing either of these socio-sexual behaviors (Fitze et al, 2008;Weir et al, 2011). Environmental characteristics can mediate these gains, for example by influencing how information is transmitted (Sundin et al, 2016;Ehlman et al, 2018) and potentially modifying the type of interactions with conspecifics (e.g., Magellan and Magurran, 2006). Certain environmental characteristics may also result in differences in locomotor behaviors, particularly when enabling or interfering with individuals' movement through the environment (e.g., Marras et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral Variation in the Pygmy Halfbeak Dermogenys collettei: Comparing Shoals With Contrasting Ecologies

et al. 2021

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Variation in biotic and abiotic factors among populations affects individual behaviors by transforming the social landscape and shaping mating systems. Consequently, describing behaviors in natural populations requires consideration of the biological and physical factors that different individuals face. Here, we examined variation in socio-sexual and locomotor behaviors in a small, livebearing, freshwater fish, the pygmy halfbeak Dermogenys collettei, across natural populations in Singapore. The pygmy halfbeak is a surface feeding fish that spends most of the time near the water surface, making it ideal for non-invasive behavioral observations. We compared behaviors between sexes among 26 shoals while simultaneously accounting for environmental variation. We demonstrated that sexual interactions and locomotor behaviors differed among shoals with varying levels of canopy cover and water flow. Specifically, in areas with greater canopy cover, sexual interactions decreased, whereas time spent in a stationary position increased. Sexual interactions were more numerous in still water, where fish spent less time swimming. Variation in the expression of socio-sexual and locomotor behaviors were not associated with differences in the amount of aquatic vegetation, water depth or halfbeak shoal size. Agonistic interactions were robust to environmental effects, showing little variation among environments. However, there were strong sex effects, with males performing more agonistic behaviors and spending less time in a stationary position compared to females, regardless of the environment. Moreover, sexual interactions, measured as actively performed by males and passively received by females, were on average more frequent in males than in females. Our findings help us explore the proximal causes of intraspecific behavioral variation and suggest that fundamental information on socio-sexual behaviors from wild populations can lead to a better understanding of how sexual selection operates when the strength of natural selection varies across environments.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral Variation in the Pygmy Halfbeak Dermogenys collettei: Comparing Shoals With Contrasting Ecologies

et al. 2021

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“…The possibility that small individuals are less frequently encountered or not correctly identified as potential mates under turbid conditions may, however, be more likely: random encounters should be more frequent with larger individuals, or larger individuals are more easily identified as potential partners than are small individuals under low visibility regimes. Turbidity in itself does not seem to have an effect on overall swimming activity, as shown in S. typhle (Sundin et al 2010 ) as well as in the closely related straight-nosed pipefish, Nerophis ophidion (Sundin et al 2016 ). Unfortunately, we could not assess sexual selection in females due to the mold outbreak.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The difference in the relationship between male length and number of partners in the turbid and clear treatments found here was due to small males having more partners in the clear than in the turbid treatment, again showing that mate size is not important in mate choice in clear water. Previous research has shown that turbidity relaxes sexual selection on mate size (Järvenpää and Lindström 2004 ; Sundin et al 2010 ; Sundin et al 2016 ). Since mating with a larger mate may come with fitness benefits to the offspring in this species (Berglund et al 1986a ; Ahnesjö 1992 ; Mazzi 2004 ), turbidity may lead to an enhanced reproductive success.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used fish from the Baltic Sea population which has experienced high levels of turbidity (Bonsdorff et al 2002 ; Salonen et al 2009 ; Veneranta et al 2011 ) and may thus be adapted to these conditions. This is suggested by its overall robustness to hypoxic conditions (which may be caused by algal blooms) during a mating event (Sundin et al 2015 ) and the lack of a turbidity effect on the development of sexual ornaments in the closely related straight-nosed pipefish, Nerophis ophidion (Sundin et al 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sex in murky waters: algal-induced turbidity increases sexual selection in pipefish

Sundin

Aronsen

Rosenqvist

et al. 2017

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Algal-induced turbidity has been shown to alter several important aspects of reproduction and sexual selection. However, while turbidity has been shown to negatively affect reproduction and sexually selected traits in some species, it may instead enhance reproductive success in others, implying that the impact of eutrophication is far more complex than originally believed. In this study, we aimed to provide more insight into these inconsistent findings. We used molecular tools to investigate the impact of algal turbidity on reproductive success and sexual selection on males in controlled laboratory experiments, allowing mate choice, mating competition, and mate encounter rates to affect reproduction. As study species, we used the broad-nosed pipefish, Syngnathus typhle, a species practicing male pregnancy and where we have previously shown that male mate choice is impaired by turbidity. Here, turbidity instead enhanced sexual selection on male size and mating success as well as reproductive success. Effects from mating competition and mate encounter rates may thus override effects from mate choice based on visual cues, producing an overall stronger sexual selection in turbid waters. Hence, seemingly inconsistent effects of turbidity on sexual selection may depend on which mechanisms of sexual selection that have been under study.Significance statementAlgal blooms are becoming increasingly more common due to eutrophication of freshwater and marine environments. The high density of algae lowers water transparency and reduces the possibility for fish and other aquatic animals to perform behaviors dependent on vision. We have previously shown that pipefish are unable to select the best partner in mate choice trials when water transparency was reduced. However, fish might use other senses than vision to compensate for the reduction in water transparency. In this study, we found that when fish were allowed to freely interact, thereby allowing competition between partners and direct contact between the fish, the best partner was indeed chosen. Hence, the negative effects of reduced water visibility due to algal blooms may be counteracted by the use of other senses in fish.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00265-017-2310-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…1997 ; Järvenpää and Lindström 2004 ; Wong et al. 2007 ; Candolin and Wong 2012 ; Sundin et al. 2016 ).…”

Section: Environmental Variation Mating Behavior and Sexual Selectiunclassified

Sex roles and sexual selection: lessons from a dynamic model system

Amundsen

2018

Current Zoology

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Our understanding of sexual selection has greatly improved during the last decades. The focus is no longer solely on males, but also on how female competition and male mate choice shape ornamentation and other sexually selected traits in females. At the same time, the focus has shifted from documenting sexual selection to exploring variation and spatiotemporal dynamics of sexual selection, and their evolutionary consequences. Here, I review insights from a model system with exceptionally dynamic sexual selection, the two-spotted goby fish Gobiusculus flavescens. The species displays a complete reversal of sex roles over a 3-month breeding season. The reversal is driven by a dramatic change in the operational sex ratio, which is heavily male-biased at the start of the season and heavily female-biased late in the season. Early in the season, breeding-ready males outnumber mature females, causing males to be highly competitive, and leading to sexual selection on males. Late in the season, mating-ready females are in excess, engage more in courtship and aggression than males, and rarely reject mating opportunities. With typically many females simultaneously courting available males late in the season, males become selective and prefer more colorful females. This variable sexual selection regime likely explains why both male and female G. flavescens have ornamental colors. The G. flavescens model system reveals that sexual behavior and sexual selection can be astonishingly dynamic in response to short-term fluctuations in mating competition. Future work should explore whether sexual selection is equally dynamic on a spatial scale, and related spatiotemporal dynamics.

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Algal Turbidity Hampers Ornament Perception, but Not Expression, in a Sex‐Role‐Reversed Pipefish

Cited by 9 publications

References 47 publications

Behavioral Variation in the Pygmy Halfbeak Dermogenys collettei: Comparing Shoals With Contrasting Ecologies

Behavioral Variation in the Pygmy Halfbeak Dermogenys collettei: Comparing Shoals With Contrasting Ecologies

Sex in murky waters: algal-induced turbidity increases sexual selection in pipefish

Sex roles and sexual selection: lessons from a dynamic model system

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