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Abstract(s)
This study reveals the correlation between operational sex ratio (OSR), body characteristics
and pairing in one-year-old reproductively active St. Peter’s fish, Sarotherodon galilaeus,
a mouth brooding tilapia that shows a wide variety in mating strategies including uni- vs
biparental brood care, and monogamy vs polygamy. In this study individually marked fish
were exposed to different OSR regimes: male-biased, balanced, and female-biased. Larger
individuals formed a pair more rapidly than smaller ones. A bias in the OSR caused a longer
delay in pairing for individuals of the more abundant sex. The same patterns were found in
males and females, supporting the theory that assortative mating patterns emerge due to both
male and female choice. Furthermore,we found that pairs that spawned during the experiment
were more closely matched in body size than pairs that were not successful in spawning,
suggesting that size assortative mating has benefits for reproductive success in S. galilaeus.
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Citation
Behaviour, 140, 1173-1188