Feeding rates in the sailfin molly <i>Poecilia latipinna</i> and its coexisting sexual parasite, the gynogenetic Amazon molly <i>Poecilia formosa</i>

Fischer, C. E. C.; Schlupp, Ingo

doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2010.02672.x

Cited by 11 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Tests of the Red Queen hypothesis found no evidence for differential parasitization of asexual and sexual reproductive forms (Tobler et al, 2005;Tobler & Schlupp, 2008). Asexual and sexual fishes, however, seem to differ in susceptibility to environmental stress, as P. formosa suffer from higher offspring mortality under food stress (Tobler & Schlupp, 2010) and higher adult mortality at cold temperatures (Fischer & Schlupp, 2009). Heubel (2004) studied the population ecology of this system and explained spatial and temporal variation of the abundance of P. formosa but did not explicitly test for niche segregation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Dietary niche overlap in sympatric asexual and sexual livebearing fishes Poecilia spp.

Scharnweber

Plath

Winemiller

et al. 2011

Journal of Fish Biology

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The present study investigated the spatiotemporal patterns in trophic resource use in a system of a gynogenetic poeciliid fish, the Amazon molly Poecilia formosa, and its sexual congeners the sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna and the Atlantic molly Poecilia mexicana using gut contents analysis. No statistically significant differences in trophic resource use were found between sexual and gynogenetic species, but gut contents varied significantly across sites and over time. In addition, variation in trophic morphology (i.e. gut length) was significant across sites but not species, and laboratory experiments indicated that gut length is phenotypically plastic. Overall, trophic differentiation between coexisting asexual and sexual Poecilia appears to be minimal, and it is unlikely that niche differentiation contributes to a stable coexistence of the two reproductive forms.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Dietary niche overlap in sympatric asexual and sexual livebearing fishes Poecilia spp.

Scharnweber

Plath

Winemiller

et al. 2011

Journal of Fish Biology

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show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Importantly, competition between females of the two species is not just for mates, but these species are also very similar in several other ecological traits. For instance, both P. latipinna and P. formosa consume the same diet, at the same rate, and are not affected by either heterospecific or conspecific competition (Heubel 2004;Fischer & Schlupp 2010;Scharnweber et al 2011a,b;). Life histories are also very similar between the two species: both reproduce about every 30 d, have equivalent fecundity , and similar sizes at birth ), although P. formosa neonates have a lower life expectancy in low-food environments .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Female‐Female Aggression in a Sexual/Unisexual Species Complex

Makowicz

Schlupp

2015

Ethology

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The maintenance of sexual reproduction is still a largely unresolved question in evolutionary biology, and one of the most puzzling aspects of this is the coexistence of sexual and asexual females. This often leads to widespread niche overlap, posing an interesting challenge to competitive exclusion theory. In this study, we investigate how the aggressive behaviors between females in a sexual/unisexual mating complex of mollies (Poecilia latipinna and P. formosa) differ, and the effects these behaviors have on both the performer and receiver of aggressive acts. We exposed females to five treatments: (1) alone (control); (2) a large and small sexual female; (3) a large sexual female and a small unisexual female; (4) a small sexual female and a large unisexual female; and (5) a large and small unisexual female. We found that P. formosa females were on average more aggressive over time when compared to their sexual hosts, P. latipinna. The females of P. formosa, however, incurred a higher cost of being aggressive. Large, aggressor females of this species had a lower body fat content than their conspecific recipients. By contrast, P. latipinna females showed no differentiation between aggressors and recipients. Here, we combine life history methodology and behavioral observations to show that female competition can in fact be quantitatively measured and that these aggressive behaviors are costly to perform. The adaptive value of this interspecies aggression is not yet completely understood, but sexual competition, access to resources, and position within the shoal are all possible functions.

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“…In studies of food consumption, P. formosa were found to have a higher feeding rate when exposed to winter conditions than P. latipinna (Fischer and Schlupp 2010). Furthermore, neonates of P. formosa were shown to be more sensitive towards food stress (Tobler and Schlupp 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Feeding efficiency and food competition in coexisting sexual and asexual livebearing fishes of the genus Poecilia

2010

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Considering its immediate costs of producing dispensable males, the maintenance of sexual reproduction is a major paradox in evolutionary biology. Asexual lineages that do not face such costs theoretically should replace sexuals over time. Nonetheless, several systems are known in which closely related sexual and asexual lineages stably coexist. In the present study, we studied a sexual/asexual mating complex of a sperm-dependent parthenogenetic fish (amazon molly, Poecilia formosa) and its sexual congeners, the sailfin molly P. latipinna and the Atlantic molly P. mexicana. We asked whether differences in feeding behavior could contribute to their stable coexistence. We conducted a laboratory experiment to compare feeding efficiencies and also measured the competitive abilities between the two reproductive forms. Additionally, we measured gut fullness of fishes caught in natural habitats. Contrary to our predictions, we could not find P. formosa to be less efficient in feeding. We argue that food competition in mollies plays a minor role in mediating coexistence between closely related asexual and sexual mollies.

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Feeding rates in the sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna and its coexisting sexual parasite, the gynogenetic Amazon molly Poecilia formosa

Cited by 11 publications

References 21 publications

Dietary niche overlap in sympatric asexual and sexual livebearing fishes Poecilia spp.

Dietary niche overlap in sympatric asexual and sexual livebearing fishes Poecilia spp.

Effects of Female‐Female Aggression in a Sexual/Unisexual Species Complex

Feeding efficiency and food competition in coexisting sexual and asexual livebearing fishes of the genus Poecilia

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