Effect of mate size on maternal reproductive effort in the convict cichlid Amatitlania siquia

Abstract

The differential allocation hypothesis predicts individuals will increase their reproductive investment when mated to a high quality partner. In many species of fish with biparental care females prefer large males due to the males’ greater ability to raise more offspring to independence. I examined the relationship between mate quality, parental care and number of offspring in a natural population of convict cichlids Amatitlania siquia. The frequency of frontal displays by females was positively correlated with male standard length. Additionally, as males increased in length relative to their mate, females increased the frequency of chases towards predators, while males decreased the number of displays towards brood predators. This trade-off in parental effort within a pair due to mate quality is a key prediction of differential allocation. The number of offspring was correlated with male, but not female, standard length. These results support the differential allocation hypothesis in that females offered more parental care to offspring of a larger male, while their mates decreased the amount of care they provided. Additionally, females benefited in terms of number of offspring by pairing with higher quality mates. Increased female investment may provide an incentive to ensure male care and maintain pair bonding, which could lead to greater reproductive success through increased offspring survival.

Maternal effects of carotenoid supplementation in an ornamented cichlid fish

“…Mate choice decisions are based on body size for both males and females (Wisenden ; Robart ) – ventral patches do not appear to be the product of intersexual selection (Beeching et al . ).…”

“…Mate choice decisions are based on body size for both males and females (Wisenden 1993;Robart 2012)ventral patches do not appear to be the product of intersexual selection (Beeching et al 1998). Convict cichlid parents are generally socially monogamous (Wisenden 1995;Beeching & Hopp 1999), although males occasionally desert the female and offspring (Wisenden 1994).…”

Seleção sexual e comportamento reprodutivo de Mecynogea erythromela (Holmberg 1876) (ARANEAE: ARANEIDAE)

“…Por outro lado, é mais provável que as fêmeas também prefiram parceiros maiores e rejeitem a cópula com parceiros menores uma vez que machos maiores devem oferecer melhores cuidados à prole (Robart 2012, Poisbleau et al 2013. Como o tamanho determina o sucesso na disputa entre machos de M. erythromela, os maiores devem ter mais chances de expulsar predadores da teia e, portanto, proteger a prole com maior eficiência.…”