Sneakers, Satellites, and Helpers: Parasitic and Cooperative Behavior in Fish Reproduction

Social modulation of androgen levels in male teleost fish

“…The same compensatory principle has also been proposed both, for alternative mating tactics (e.g. Taborsky, 1994;Goncalves et al, 1996) and for socially controlleḑ mechanisms of sex-change (e.g. Warner, 1975;Warner et al, 1975).…”

“…In fact, it is known that the social status of a fish may affect a number of its life-history traits such as sexual maturation (e.g. Xiphophorus variatus, Borowsky, 1973Borowsky, , 1978Astatotilapia burtoni, Fraley and Fernald, 1982), the adoption of alternative male tactics (see Taborsky, 1994 for a review), or even sex-change (see Shapiro, 1979 andGrober, 1998 for general reviews on the subject). All these possibilities may allow compensatory responses to evolve so that subordinate fishes minimise the disadvantages of their status by adopting the life history pattern that makes the best of their situation.…”

Biometrics of RuffsPhilomachus pugnaxmigrating in spring through southern Belarus with special emphasis on the occurrence of ‘faeders’

“…Two birds were held for two years in captivity in the Netherlands and showed no change. As suggested by van Rhijn (1985), faeders may represent the ancestral male type, but their relatively large testes suggest that currently they behave as 'sneakers' (Taborsky 1994). The frequency of the other two male types in populations (satellite and resident males) is consistent with a single-locus, two-allele autosomal genetic polymorphism (Lank et al 1995).…”

Ejaculate Allocation and Sperm Competition in Alternative Reproductive Tactics of Salmon and Trout: Implications for Aquaculture

“…Alternative reproductive tactics are phenotypes that are an expression of the life history strategy, selected to maximize individual reproductive success, even if this involves reduced survival. In many fish species, alternative reproductive tactics are characterized by a conspicuous difference in age and size at maturity and differ in relative investment to gonad and somatic tissue (Taborsky 1994). Difference in age and size at sexual maturity has created alternative spawning behavioural tactics that are tools for securing reproductive success, such as "guarder" behaviour by dominant males and "sneaker" behaviour by subordinates.…”