Mate Choice and Spawning Success in the Fighting FishBetta splendens: the Importance of Body Size, Display Behavior and Nest Size

Abstract

Courtship displays should be exaggerated enough to attract mates and yet tempered so as not to deter them. We tested this hypothesis in the fighting fish Betta splendens by studying courtship displays and body size and their relationships with male parental quality and female fecundity, as well as the effects of display behavior and body size on mate choice decisions and spawning success. Because of their high degree of parental investment, males are expected to be discriminating in their choice of mates. Males who displayed more frequently built larger nests, a measure of parental quality, but larger males did not. When females were paired with males with high display rates, however, the pair had fewer eggs in their nest, even when accounting for female body mass. In a mate choice test using computer‐generated male stimuli that differed only in display behavior, females showed no preferences for displaying males vs. non‐displaying males, or for males with higher display rates vs. lower display rates. In similar tests in which the computer‐generated males differed only in size, females preferred larger males, but also preferred males that differed with respect to body size (negative assortative mating). Males preferred computer‐generated females that performed courtship displays over non‐displaying females, but showed no preferences for female body size. Neither a female's body size nor her display behavior was a significant predictor of her fecundity as estimated by the number of eggs released during spawning. Thus, our results suggest that female B. splendens must balance male parental quality (nest size) with the risk of potentially disruptive or dangerous behavior during spawning, and that females may minimize these risks through negative size‐assortative mating. Female display behavior, while unrelated to fecundity in our study, may attract males because it indicates reproductive readiness or serves a species‐recognition function.

Negative Assortative Mating Based on Body Coloration in the Freshwater Platyfish (Poecillidae: Xiphophorus maculatus)

“…However, our results provide evidence for the use of a negative assortative mating strategy based on intraspecific advertised body coloration in female platyfish. This result is consistent with the findings of previous studies examining the effects of various dissimilar phenotypes on mate choice in a range of taxa, including coloration in the Siamese fighting fish Betta splendens (Clotfelter et al, 2006), mouth-opening direction in the cichlid Perissodus microlepis (Takahashi and Hori, 2008), plumage coloration in the pigeon Columba livia (Johnston and Johnson, 1989), striping coloration in the white-throated sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis (Houtman and Falls 1994), and body size in the sand lizard Lacerta agilis (Olsson, 1993).…”

Four-Week Fluoxetine (SSRI) Exposure Diminishes Aggressive Behaviour of Male Siamese Fighting Fish (<i>Betta splendens</i>)

“…Results from mirror tests are significant predictors of reactions to other stimuli, such as videotaped or live males, as well as of dominance in dyadic interactions [19,20]. The duration(s) of opercula displays was recorded, because they are known to be associated with fight outcome [1].…”

Nest building and description of parental care behavior in a temperate reef fish, Chromis crusma (Pisces: Pomacentridae)

“…In C. crusma, the identification of nest features that influence female choice can be complicated as is the case with many other fishes which perform parental care; females in many populations preferably spawn in nests that already contain eggs (Hoelzer 1990). Sex dissimilarities in shape, color, and behavior result from differences in the reproductive achievement of individuals (Clotfelter et al 2006). Future research should be directed towards understanding the role of nest features as sexual signals (see Kawase et al 2013).…”

“…Nests can be pivotal for courtship because they may attract the opposite sex and provide shelter for the developing eggs (DeMartini and Sikkel 2006). Nest quality is expected to differ among individuals who construct them (Clotfelter et al 2006). In marine environments, individuals may face several limitations in building nests such as a) bottom topography (e.g., vertical walls versus horizontal surfaces), b) abundance of preferred nest material, c) presence of heterosexual or conspecific breeding pairs (i.e., operational sex ratio), and d) ability to chase predators and competitors away from the nest (Coleman and Wilson 1998;Taborsky 1994).…”

“…The numerous costs associated to finding a mate, competing with conspecifics, courtship, and parental care are often assessed by individuals, allowing behavioral adjustments to minimize these costs (Itzkowitz 1990;Clotfelter et al 2006). Parental care activities occur after fertilization.…”