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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) evolve when
there is strong intra-sexual competition between conspecifics
for access to mates. Typically, larger Bbourgeois^ males reproduce
by securing the access to reproductive resources while
smaller Bparasitic^ males reproduce by stealing fertilizations
from larger males. A number of factors can influence the reproductive
success of each tactic, including intrinsic (e.g. size) and
extrinsic (e.g. tactic relative frequency) variables. An example
where plastic ARTs occur is the peacock blenny Salaria pavo,
with large males reproducing by defending nests and attracting
females (bourgeois tactic) and small males reproducing by
achieving sneaked fertilizations (parasitic tactic). In this study,
we conducted field observations on individually tagged animals
to determine their social network and collected eggs from 11
nests to determine the fertilization success of each male tactic.
Paternity estimates for 550 offspring indicated an average fertilization
success for nest-holder males of 95%. Nest-holder
male morphological traits and social network parameters were
tested as predictors of fertilization success, but only the number
of sneakers present in the nest-holder’s social networks was
found to be a predictor of paternity loss. Although male morphological
traits had been previously found to be strongly correlated
with reproductive success of nest-holder males, as measured
by the number of eggs collected in the male’s nest, no
correlation was found between any of the measured morphological
traits and fertilization success for these males. The results
suggest a stronger influence of the social environment than
of morphological variables in the proportion of lost fertilizations
by nest-holder males of this species.
Description
Material suplementar está disponível online em doi: 10.1007/s10211-016-0249-9, disponibilizado a todos os utilizadores autorizados.
Keywords
Salaria pavo Social network analysis Paternity estimates Blenniidae Fertilization success
Citation
Acta ethologica, 20, 59-68. Doi: 10.1007/s10211-016-0249-9
Publisher
Springer Verlag