FILIAL CANNIBALISM IN THE CORTEZ DAMSELFISH<i>STEGASTES RECTIFRAENUM</i>

Petersen, Christopher W.; Marchetti, Karen

doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.1989.tb04214.x

Cited by 55 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…As such, large C . spilurus males might benefit from the energy acquired by the complete consumption of the egg clutch laid by a small female and progress to pursuit a larger (more fecund and carrying larger eggs) female [83,84]. The amount of eggs laid by a small female partner might not be enough to compensate the energy expenditures required for the long period of parental care males C .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Someone like me: Size-assortative pairing and mating in an Amazonian fish, sailfin tetra Crenuchus spilurus

et al. 2019

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In the absence of constraints, preference for larger mates is expected to evolve, as larger individuals are typical of higher potential fitness. Large females are often more fecund and carry larger eggs (which result in higher number and better quality of offspring), whereas large males usually have more conspicuous ornaments and are better at defending resources. However, intrasexual competition can constrain the access to larger partners, especially when opportunities for mate takeover abound. Here we investigate the relationship between individual’s size and mate choice in relation to one’s own size and their respective mate’s size using the sailfin tetra, a sexually dimorphic Amazonian fish species. We show that ornaments of larger males are exponentially more conspicuous, and larger females are more fecund and carry larger eggs. Contrary to expectation, neither males nor females associated for longer with the larger of two offered potential mates. Instead, individuals of both genders chose opposite-sex individuals of similar sizes to themselves. Additionally, similar-sized pairs were more likely to spawn than couples with higher size asymmetries. Grounded on field observations, we propose that prudent choice should be particularly important in this system, since courtship is long (often taking several days), which offers opportunities for mate takeover. Intrasexual competition, however, cannot readily explain female choice for similar-sized males. We thus suggest that such preference might be best explained by avoidance of filial cannibalism.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Someone like me: Size-assortative pairing and mating in an Amazonian fish, sailfin tetra Crenuchus spilurus

et al. 2019

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“…Such behavior can be explained by the presence of eggs directly indicating good parenting skills ( Sargent 1988 ; Kraak and van den Berghe 1992 ), dilution effects ( Ridley and Rechten 1981 ; Unger and Sargent 1988 ), mate choice-copying ( Dugatkin 1992 ; Gibson and Höglund 1992 ; Pruett-Jones 1992 ), increased hatching success with increasing brood size due to lowered filial cannibalism ( Rohwer 1978 ), and expected higher paternal investment in larger and more valuable clutches ( Coleman et al. 1985 ; Sargent 1988 ; Petersen and Marchetti 1989 ; Vallon and Heubel 2017 ). Alternatively, females may prefer males with empty nests or nests that only contain fewer eggs to avoid being the last ( Andrén and Kvarnemo 2014 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alternatively, females may prefer males with empty nests or nests that only contain fewer eggs to avoid being the last ( Andrén and Kvarnemo 2014 ). The last added clutch bears the highest risk of filial cannibalism ( Salfert and Moodie 1985 ; Petersen and Marchetti 1989 ; Klug and Lindström 2008 ; Vallon and Heubel 2016 ). This alternative view is especially relevant for common gobies as a species with naturally limited space for eggs in their nest ( Pampoulie et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female mating competition alters female mating preferences in common gobies

Heubel

2018

Current Zoology

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Mating decisions can be affected by intrasexual competition and sensitive to operational sex-ratio (OSR) changes in the population. Conceptually, it is assumed that both male and female mate-competition may interfere with female reproductive decisions. Experimentally, however, the focus has been on the effect of male competition on mate choice. In many species with paternal care as in the common goby Pomatoschistus microps, the OSR is often female-biased and female mate-competition for access to available nesting males occurs. Using the same protocol for 3 experiments testing the effect of a perceived risk of female mate-competition, I studied female preferences for nest-holding males differing in its nest size (large/small), body size (large/small), and nest status (with/without eggs already in nest) and measured mating decisions, spawning latencies, and clutch size. Regardless of the social context, females preferred males with larger nests. A preference for large males was only expressed in presence of additional females. For nest status, there was a tendency for females to prefer mating with males with an empty nest. Here, female–female competition increased the propensity to mate. The results of this study show that females are sensitive to a female competitive social environment and suggest that in choice situations, females respond to the social context mainly by mating decisions per se rather than by adjusting the clutch size or spawning latency. Females base their mating decisions not only on a male’s nest size but also on male size as an additional cue of mate quality in the presence of additional females.

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“…A reduction in the foraging behavior of female C. sculpturatus exhibiting maternal care may also be caused by a behavioral shift in which females refrain from feeding to decrease the chances of offspring injury or mortality resulting from retaliatory behavior of prey. Further, lessened foraging behavior may improve the chances of offspring survival by reducing the probability of filial cannibalism, when females consume their young to replenish energy invested in reproduction [ 33 , 34 ]. Nevertheless, an earlier study showed that filial cannibalism by brooding female scorpions is a rare occurrence [ 24 ], and indeed we did not observe this behavior in our study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive tradeoff limits the predatory efficiency of female Arizona Bark Scorpions (Centruroides sculpturatus)

Webber

Rodríguez‐Robles

2013

BMC Evol Biol

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BackgroundLife history tradeoffs may result from temporal and physiological constraints intrinsic to an organism. When faced with limited time and energy, compromises occur and these resources are allocated among essential activities, such as body growth, maintenance, foraging, mating, and offspring care. We investigated potential tradeoffs that may occur between reproductive activities and feeding performance in female Arizona Bark Scorpions (Centruroides sculpturatus) by comparing the time taken to capture prey between non-reproductive and reproductive females (gravid females and females exhibiting maternal care, i.e. carrying offspring on their backs).ResultsGravid females were as efficient at catching prey as non-gravid females. To control for variation in the duration of the maternal care period, we removed all offspring from all post-parturient females after 5 days. Brooding females and females 24 hours following offspring removal (FOR) did not successfully capture prey within the 900-second trial period. Twenty-eight days FOR, females caught prey faster than females displaying maternal care and females 24 hours FOR, but were not as efficient at catching prey as non-gravid and gravid females. When pursuing prey, C. sculpturatus exhibiting maternal care used an active foraging strategy more frequently than non-gravid, gravid, and females 28 days FOR. In contrast, non-gravid, gravid, and females 28 days FOR used active and ambush foraging with similar frequency.ConclusionsOur data suggest that reproduction does not significantly reduce the predatory efficiency of gravid C. sculpturatus, and that these females can cope with increasing body mass and the physiological costs of gestation. However, the observation that brooding females and females 24 hours FOR did not catch prey within the trial period indicates that maternal care significantly reduces predatory efficiency in these scorpions. Females 28 days FOR were still not as efficient at catching prey as non-gravid and gravid females, suggesting that reproductive costs extend for at least 4 weeks after the end of the maternal care period. Preferential use of an active foraging strategy by brooding females may increase prey encounter rates, allowing the scorpions to more rapidly replenish energy reserves depleted during reproduction. However, active foraging may be energetically costly and increase predation risk for brooding females. Our findings regarding antagonistic interactions between reproduction and feeding in female C. sculpturatus demonstrate the pervasive nature of reproductive costs for viviparous females, and may provide insight on factors that influence the diversity of reproductive strategies observed in nature.

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FILIAL CANNIBALISM IN THE CORTEZ DAMSELFISHSTEGASTES RECTIFRAENUM

Cited by 55 publications

References 37 publications

Someone like me: Size-assortative pairing and mating in an Amazonian fish, sailfin tetra Crenuchus spilurus

Someone like me: Size-assortative pairing and mating in an Amazonian fish, sailfin tetra Crenuchus spilurus

Female mating competition alters female mating preferences in common gobies

Reproductive tradeoff limits the predatory efficiency of female Arizona Bark Scorpions (Centruroides sculpturatus)

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