Reproductive costs, condition and carotenoid‐based colour in natural populations of threespine stickleback (<i>Gasterosteus aculeatus</i>)

Sparkes, Timothy C.; Rush, Victor N.; Foster, Susan A.

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0633.2007.00279.x

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Previous studies have demonstrated that larger males can fan the nest more efficiently (Kraak et al 1999a; Künzler and Bakker 2000), and nest depth has been correlated with greater reproductive success (Kraak et al 1999a). We did not include coloration as a measure of male parental ability here because male coloration changes over the parenting cycle and may not be a reliable indicator of male quality in every population (Candolin 2007; Boughman 2007; Sparkes et al 2008). The male was then returned to the nest and observed until he resumed parenting.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consistent individual differences in paternal behavior: a field study of three-spined stickleback

Stein

Bell

2014

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Consistent individual differences in parenting are widespread; however, we know little about why there is variation in parenting behavior among individuals within species. One possible explanation for consistent individual differences in parenting is that individuals invest in different aspects of parental care, such as provisioning or defense. In this field study we measured consistent individual differences in parenting behavior and evaluated correlations between parenting and other behaviors in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We repeatedly measured male parenting behavior and male behavior in the presence of three different types of live intruders: a female, a conspecific male, and a predator, meant to provoke courtship, aggressive and antipredator behavior, respectively. While males plastically adjusted their reactions to different types of intruders, we found consistent individual differences in behavior (behavioral types) both within and across contexts, even after accounting for variation in body size and nest characteristics. Males that performed more parenting behavior responded faster to all types of intruders. These results suggest that in nature, individual male stickleback exhibit robust parental behavioral types, and highly parental males are more attentive to their surroundings. Future studies are needed to examine the potential causes of individual variation in parental behavior in the field.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consistent individual differences in paternal behavior: a field study of three-spined stickleback

Stein

Bell

2014

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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“…However, only the fish from the high-carotenoid treatment were able to sustain a relatively high level of signaling over successive breeding rounds. This suggests that the reliability of the signal improves with time; males in good nutritional condition should restrict their signaling in the beginning of their breeding career since they have a high chance of outliving males in poorer condition, but high early investment in signaling would reduce their chance for future breeding opportunities (e.g., Candolin 2000a; Proulx et al 2002;Sparkes et al 2008;see, however, Hunt et al 2004). A similar relationship is predicted by the model: the correlation between the signal rank of males and their real underlying condition (i.e., the honesty of the signal) is expected to increase over successive breeding rounds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimization of Resource Allocation Can Explain the Temporal Dynamics and Honesty of Sexual Signals

Lindström¹,

Pike²,

Blount³

et al. 2009

The American Naturalist

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In species in which males are free to dynamically alter their allocation to sexual signaling over the breeding season, the optimal investment in signaling should depend on both a male's state and the level of competition he faces at any given time. We developed a dynamic optimization model within a game-theoretical framework to explore the resulting signaling dynamics at both individual and population levels and tested two key model predictions with empirical data on three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) males subjected to dietary manipulation (carotenoid availability): (1) fish in better nutritional condition should be able to maintain their signal for longer over the breeding season, resulting in an increasingly positive correlation between nutritional status and signal (i.e., increasing signal honesty), and (2) female preference for more ornamented males should thus increase over the breeding season. Both predictions were supported by the experimental data. Our model shows how such patterns can emerge from the optimization of resource allocation to signaling in a competitive situation. The key determinants of the honesty and dynamics of sexual signaling are the condition dependency of male survival, the initial frequency distribution of nutritional condition in the male population, and the cost of signaling.

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“…Males spend time and energy in building the nest, defending the territory, mainly against rival males (e.g. Bakker 1986;Sparkes et al 2007), and caring for the brood Bakker et al 2006). Consequently, males lose body mass during the breeding cycle (Sargent 1985;Smith and Wootton 1999), and often die afterwards (Allen and Wootton 1982).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mate-choice copying when both sexes face high costs of reproduction

et al. 2008

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Mate choice is linked to costs such as time and energy effort or a higher risk of predation. Furthermore, reproduction with a partner of lower than average quality will reduce an individual's fitness. Copying the mate choice of others is assumed to reduce such costs. Most studies dealing with mate-choice copying focused on females, as they are usually expected to invest more into reproduction. However, in species where males provide brood care both sexes face high costs. Little is known about mate-choice copying in such mating systems. Male three-spined sticklebacks build nests and care for the offspring alone, facing a high-reproductive investment. Thus, one would expect that both males and females copy the mate choice of others. We gave male and female sticklebacks the opportunity to court either a partner that was visibly courted by another individual or a partner that was not visibly courted. Both spent significantly more time courting next to con-specifics after another individual has visibly courted them. Habituation effects, territorial defence or shoaling behaviour as alternative explanations were excluded by control experiments. The adaptive significance of mate-choice copying is not well understood. The results of this study indicate that in sticklebacks both sexes may reduce the costs of mate choice by copying the preferences of others.

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Reproductive costs, condition and carotenoid‐based colour in natural populations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

Cited by 11 publications

References 70 publications

Consistent individual differences in paternal behavior: a field study of three-spined stickleback

Consistent individual differences in paternal behavior: a field study of three-spined stickleback

Optimization of Resource Allocation Can Explain the Temporal Dynamics and Honesty of Sexual Signals

Mate-choice copying when both sexes face high costs of reproduction

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