Filial cannibalism in sticklebacks: a reproductive management strategy?

Belles-Isles, Jean-Claude; FitzGerald, Gérard J.

doi:10.1080/08927014.1991.9525388

Cited by 54 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…All parental males examined in this study had food in their stomachs, and while they benefited from a diet supplement, they also appeared to have access to food within their territory and appeared able to maintain themselves in good enough condition to complete a breeding cycle. The lack of a clear relationship between filial cannibalism and nutritional status has been found in other fishes (Lavery & Keenleyside 1990;Belles-Isles & Fitzgerald 1991;Kvarnemo 1997;Lindström & Sargent 1997;Vinyoles et al 1999). Males in our study that were monitored for a further 14 days after supplemental feeding stopped also showed no difference in rates of filial cannibalism, further indicating that cannibalism was not strongly related to diet.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 47%

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Filial cannibalism improves survival and development of beaugregory damselfish embryos

Payne

Smith

Campbell

2002

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

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Cannibalism of small numbers of offspring by a parent has been proposed as an adaptive parental strategy, by providing energy to support parental care. However, there are few empirical studies to support this hypothesis. We conducted field and laboratory experiments to investigate partial filial cannibalism in Stegastes leucostictus, a coral reef fish with paternal care. Partial cannibalism was shown to be common, and males were found to remove developing embryos from throughout a clutch in a random pattern, rather than in the more aggregated pattern seen during embryo predation. Males that received a diet supplement grew faster than control males, but did not engage in less cannibalism. Also, males did not concentrate cannibalism on early embryonic stages with the highest energetic value. Experimental reduction of embryo densities was found to significantly increase embryo development rate and survival from egg deposition to hatching, and experimental reduction of oxygen levels significantly increased rates of partial filial cannibalism by males. Artificial spawning sites with low oxygen levels were avoided by spawning females, and cannibalism rates by males were higher. We propose that partial filial cannibalism serves as an adaptive parental strategy to low oxygen levels in S. leucostictus by increasing the hatching success of embryos.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 47%

“…Hoelzer 1988;Belles-Isles & Fitzgerald 1991;DeWoody et al 2001). Predation did not appear to be the primary cause of embryo losses within a clutch.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Filial cannibalism improves survival and development of beaugregory damselfish embryos

Payne

Smith

Campbell

2002

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

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“…Consistent with the energy-based hypothesis, supplementary feeding parental males reduced filial cannibalism in the common goby (Pomatoschitus microps; Kvarnemo et al 1998), the scissortail sergeant (Abudefduf sexfasciatus; Manica 2004), and the Cortez damselfish (Stegastes rectifraenum; Hoelzer 1992), and in some cases (e.g., Manica 2004) males did appear to simply be cleaning the nest of dead eggs (i.e., mortality resulting from filial cannibalism is similar to background mortality) when food is abundant. Contrary to predictions of the energy-based hypothesis, there was no relationship found between cannibalism and food availability and/ or male condition in fantail darters (Etheostoma flabellare; Lindströ m and Sargent 1997) and the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus; Belles-Isles and Fitzgerald 1991). Furthermore, male flagfish (Jordanella floridae) with reduced food availability actually consumed fewer eggs than males with high food availability (Klug and St. Mary 2005).…”

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confidence: 41%

Parents Benefit From Eating Offspring: Density-Dependent Egg Survivorship Compensates for Filial Cannibalism

2006

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Abstract. Why should animals knowingly consume their own young? It is difficult to imagine many circumstances in which eating one's own young (i.e., filial cannibalism) actually increases an individual's fitness; however, filial cannibalism commonly co-occurs with parental care in fishes. The evolutionary significance of filial cannibalism remains unclear. The most commonly accepted explanation is that filial cannibalism is a mechanism by which caring males gain energy or nutrients that they reinvest into future reproduction, thereby increasing net reproductive success. There is mixed support for this hypothesis and, at best, it can only explain filial cannibalism in some species. A recent alternative hypothesis suggests that filial cannibalism improves the survivorship of remaining eggs by increasing oxygen availability, and thus increases current reproductive success. This theory has received little attention as of yet. We evaluated the hypothesis of oxygen-mediated filial cannibalism in the sand goby by examining the effect of oxygen and egg density on the occurrence of filial cannibalism, evaluating the effects of partial clutch cannibalism on the survivorship of remaining eggs, and comparing potential costs and benefits of filial cannibalism related to the net number of eggs surviving. Indeed, we found that oxygen level and egg density affected the occurrence of cannibalism and that simulated partial clutch cannibalism improved survivorship of the remaining eggs. Additionally, because increased egg survivorship, stemming from partial egg removal, compensated for the cost of cannibalism (i.e., number of eggs removed) at a range of cannibalism levels, filial cannibalism potentially results in no net losses in reproductive success. However, oxygen did not affect egg survivorship. Thus, we suggest a more general hypothesis of filial cannibalism mediated by density-dependent egg survivorship.

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“…They may parasitize the production of females by consuming their zygotes to offset the cost of parental care, thereby remaining in good physical condition for re-mating (Rohwer 1978). Some studies have suggested that deterioration of physical condition in brooding males is the primary factor in the incidence of filial cannibalism (Rohwer 1978, DeMartini 1987, Marconato & Bisazza 1988, Petersen & Marchetti 1989, Petersen 1990, Belles-Isles & FitzGerald 1991. However, few studies have examined parental physical condition quantitatively in connection with filial cannibalism.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Filial cannibalism by mouthbrooding males of the cardinal fish,Apogon doederleini, in relation to their physical condition

Okuda

Yanagisawa

1996

Environ Biol Fish

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SynopsisPaternal brood cannibalism was observed in a population of Apogon doederleini in Shikoku Island, Japan. Of 361 egg masses mouthbrooded by males, 47 disappeared within a day of spawning. A stomach check with a syringe ascertained that they had been consumed by the males. The frequency of this cannibalism increased as the breeding season advanced. As males completed 4-7 breeding cycles in a breeding season and spent 80% of the time mouthbrooding without taking ordinary food, their physical condition deteriorated greatly late in the breeding season. We concluded that parental physical condition is an important factor in the occurrence of brood cannibalism.

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Filial cannibalism in sticklebacks: a reproductive management strategy?

Cited by 54 publications

References 24 publications

Filial cannibalism improves survival and development of beaugregory damselfish embryos

Filial cannibalism improves survival and development of beaugregory damselfish embryos

Parents Benefit From Eating Offspring: Density-Dependent Egg Survivorship Compensates for Filial Cannibalism

Filial cannibalism by mouthbrooding males of the cardinal fish,Apogon doederleini, in relation to their physical condition

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