1
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Rosenheim JA, Schreiber SJ. Pathways to the density-dependent expression of cannibalism, and consequences for regulated population dynamics. Ecology 2022; 103:e3785. [PMID: 35818739 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cannibalism, once viewed as a rare or aberrant behavior, is now recognized to be widespread and to contribute broadly to the self-regulation of many populations. Cannibalism can produce endogenous negative feedback on population growth because it is expressed as a conditional behavior, responding to the deteriorating ecological conditions that flow, directly or indirectly, from increasing densities of conspecifics. Thus, cannibalism emerges as a strongly density-dependent source of mortality. In this synthesis, we review recent research that has revealed a rich diversity of pathways through which rising density elicits increased cannibalism, including both factors that (a) elevate the rate of dangerous encounters between conspecifics and (b) enhance the likelihood that such encounters will lead to successful cannibalistic attacks. These pathways include both features of the autecology of cannibal populations and features of interactions with other species, including food resources and pathogens. Using mathematical models, we explore the consequences of including density-dependent cannibal attack rates on population dynamics. The conditional expression of cannibalism generally enhances stability and population regulation in single-species models but also may increase opportunities for alternative states and prey population escape from control by cannibalistic predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay A Rosenheim
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Sebastian J Schreiber
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
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2
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Bose APH. Parent-offspring cannibalism throughout the animal kingdom: a review of adaptive hypotheses. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:1868-1885. [PMID: 35748275 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Parents that kill and consume their offspring often appear to be acting against their own reproductive interests. Yet parent-offspring cannibalism is common and taxonomically widespread across the animal kingdom. In this review, I provide an overview of our current understanding of parent-offspring cannibalism, which has seen a proliferation in adaptive hypotheses over the past 20 years for why parents consume their own young. I review over four decades of research into this perplexing behaviour, drawing from work conducted on fishes, reptiles, insects, birds, and mammals among other taxa. Many factors have been hypothesised to explain parent-offspring cannibalism in nature, including poor parental energy reserves, small or large brood sizes, low or uncertain parentage, and high brood densities, and additional factors are still being uncovered. Parent-offspring cannibalism does not appear to have a single predominant explanation; rather, the factor, or set of factors, that govern its expression is largely taxon specific. Parents may either consume all offspring under their care (full-brood cannibalism) or consume a fraction of their offspring (partial brood cannibalism). These forms of cannibalism are thought to provide adaptive benefits to cannibals under a range of circumstances, primarily by allowing parents to allocate parental efforts more optimally - energy from eating (some of) one's current offspring can be redirected to other offspring, or to parental growth, survival, and ultimately to other future reproductive endeavours. Thus, parent-offspring cannibalism is a phenotypically plastic trait that responds to changing environmental, social, and physiological conditions. The expression of parent-offspring cannibalism in any given system is intimately linked to the reproductive value of current young relative to parents' expectations for future reproduction, and also to whether parental care is predominantly depreciable or non-depreciable. Furthermore, parent-offspring cannibalism has the potential to generate conflict between the sexes, and I briefly discuss some consequences of this conflict on patterns of mate choice. Finally, there still remain many aspects of this behaviour where our understanding is poor, and I highlight these topics to help guide future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneesh P H Bose
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Skogmarksgränd, 90183, Umeå.,Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, University of Konstanz, Universitaetsstraße 10, 78464, Konstanz, Germany.,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitaetsstraße 10, 78464, Konstanz, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitaetsstraße 10, 78464, Konstanz, Germany
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3
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Goehlich H, Sartoris L, Wagner KS, Wendling CC, Roth O. Pipefish Locally Adapted to Low Salinity in the Baltic Sea Retain Phenotypic Plasticity to Cope With Ancestral Salinity Levels. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.626442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic adaptation and phenotypic plasticity facilitate the migration into new habitats and enable organisms to cope with a rapidly changing environment. In contrast to genetic adaptation that spans multiple generations as an evolutionary process, phenotypic plasticity allows acclimation within the life-time of an organism. Genetic adaptation and phenotypic plasticity are usually studied in isolation, however, only by including their interactive impact, we can understand acclimation and adaptation in nature. We aimed to explore the contribution of adaptation and plasticity in coping with an abiotic (salinity) and a biotic (Vibriobacteria) stressor using six different populations of the broad-nosed pipefishSyngnathus typhlethat originated from either high [14–17 Practical Salinity Unit (PSU)] or low (7–11 PSU) saline environments along the German coastline of the Baltic Sea. We exposed wild caught animals, to either high (15 PSU) or low (7 PSU) salinity, representing native and novel salinity conditions and allowed animals to mate. After male pregnancy, offspring was split and each half was exposed to one of the two salinities and infected withVibrio alginolyticusbacteria that were evolved at either of the two salinities in a fully reciprocal design. We investigated life-history traits of fathers and expression of 47 target genes in mothers and offspring. Pregnant males originating from high salinity exposed to low salinity were highly susceptible to opportunistic fungi infections resulting in decreased offspring size and number. In contrast, no signs of fungal infection were identified in fathers originating from low saline conditions suggesting that genetic adaptation has the potential to overcome the challenges encountered at low salinity. Offspring from parents with low saline origin survived better at low salinity suggesting genetic adaptation to low salinity. In addition, gene expression analyses of juveniles indicated patterns of local adaptation,trans-generational plasticity and developmental plasticity. In conclusion, our study suggests that pipefish are locally adapted to the low salinity in their environment, however, they are retaining phenotypic plasticity, which allows them to also cope with ancestral salinity levels and prevailing pathogens.
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4
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Goldberg RL, Downing PA, Griffin AS, Green JP. The costs and benefits of paternal care in fish: a meta-analysis. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201759. [PMID: 32933439 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Male-only parental care, while rare in most animals, is a widespread strategy within teleost fish. The costs and benefits to males of acting as sole carer are highly variable among fish species making it challenging to determine the selective pressures driving the evolution of male-only care to such a high prevalence. We conducted a phylogenetic meta-analysis to examine the costs and benefits of paternal care across fish species. We found no evidence that providing care negatively affects male condition. In contrast with other taxa, we also found limited evidence that male care has evolved as a strategy to improve offspring survival. Instead, we found that males already caring for a brood are preferred by females and that this preference is strongest in those species in which males work harder to care for larger broods. Thus, in fish, investment in offspring care does not constrain a male's mating success but rather augments it, suggesting that the relatively high prevalence of male-only care in fish may be in part explained by sexual selection through female preference for caring males.
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5
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Leder EH, André C, Le Moan A, Töpel M, Blomberg A, Havenhand JN, Lindström K, Volckaert FAM, Kvarnemo C, Johannesson K, Svensson O. Post-glacial establishment of locally adapted fish populations over a steep salinity gradient. J Evol Biol 2020; 34:138-156. [PMID: 32573797 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Studies of colonization of new habitats that appear from rapidly changing environments are interesting and highly relevant to our understanding of divergence and speciation. Here, we analyse phenotypic and genetic variation involved in the successful establishment of a marine fish (sand goby, Pomatoschistus minutus) over a steep salinity drop from 35 PSU in the North Sea (NE Atlantic) to two PSU in the inner parts of the post-glacial Baltic Sea. We first show that populations are adapted to local salinity in a key reproductive trait, the proportion of motile sperm. Thereafter, we show that genome variation at 22,190 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) shows strong differentiation among populations along the gradient. Sequences containing outlier SNPs and transcriptome sequences, mapped to a draft genome, reveal associations with genes with relevant functions for adaptation in this environment but without overall evidence of functional enrichment. The many contigs involved suggest polygenic differentiation. We trace the origin of this differentiation using demographic modelling and find the most likely scenario is that at least part of the genetic differentiation is older than the Baltic Sea and is a result of isolation of two lineages prior to the current contact over the North Sea-Baltic Sea transition zone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica H Leder
- Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Carl André
- Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Strömstad, Sweden
| | - Alan Le Moan
- Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Strömstad, Sweden
| | - Mats Töpel
- Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Anders Blomberg
- Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jonathan N Havenhand
- Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Strömstad, Sweden
| | - Kai Lindström
- Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Filip A M Volckaert
- Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Laboratory of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Genomics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Charlotta Kvarnemo
- Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Kerstin Johannesson
- Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Strömstad, Sweden
| | - Ola Svensson
- Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department for Pre-School and School Teacher Education, University of Borås, Borås, Sweden
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6
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Resource trait specialisation in an introduced fish population with reduced genetic diversity. Biol Invasions 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-020-02264-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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7
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Vallon M, Heubel KU. Egg density and salinity influence filial cannibalism in common gobies. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2390-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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8
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Deal ND, Lehtonen TK, Lindström K, Wong BB. Paternal investment with an uncertain future: effects of predator exposure on filial cannibalism and nesting behaviour. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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9
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Svensson O, Gräns J, Celander MC, Havenhand J, Leder EH, Lindström K, Schöld S, van Oosterhout C, Kvarnemo C. Immigrant reproductive dysfunction facilitates ecological speciation. Evolution 2017; 71:2510-2521. [PMID: 28791680 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Revised: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The distributions of species are not only determined by where they can survive - they must also be able to reproduce. Although immigrant inviability is a well-established concept, the fact that immigrants also need to be able to effectively reproduce in foreign environments has not been fully appreciated in the study of adaptive divergence and speciation. Fertilization and reproduction are sensitive life-history stages that could be detrimentally affected for immigrants in non-native habitats. We propose that "immigrant reproductive dysfunction" is a hitherto overlooked aspect of reproductive isolation caused by natural selection on immigrants. This idea is supported by results from experiments on an externally fertilizing fish (sand goby, Pomatoschistus minutus). Growth and condition of adults were not affected by non-native salinity whereas males spawning as immigrants had lower sperm motility and hatching success than residents. We interpret these results as evidence for local adaptation or acclimation of sperm, and possibly also components of paternal care. The resulting loss in fitness, which we call "immigrant reproductive dysfunction," has the potential to reduce gene flow between populations with locally adapted reproduction, and it may play a role in species distributions and speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ola Svensson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.,Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.,Current Address: School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies, Södertörn University, SE-141 89 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Johanna Gräns
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Malin C Celander
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.,Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jonathan Havenhand
- Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Tjärnö, SE-452 96 Strömstad, Sweden
| | - Erica H Leder
- Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turun yliopisto, Finland.,Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172 Blindern, NO-0318, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kai Lindström
- Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, Tykistökatu 6, FI-20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Sofie Schöld
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.,Current Address: Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Folkborgsvägen 17, SE-603 80 Norrköping, Sweden
| | - Cock van Oosterhout
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Charlotta Kvarnemo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.,Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
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10
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Van Allen BG, Dillemuth FP, Flick AJ, Faldyn MJ, Clark DR, Rudolf VHW, Elderd BD. Cannibalism and Infectious Disease: Friends or Foes? Am Nat 2017; 190:299-312. [PMID: 28829639 DOI: 10.1086/692734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Cannibalism occurs in a majority of both carnivorous and noncarnivorous animal taxa from invertebrates to mammals. Similarly, infectious parasites are ubiquitous in nature. Thus, interactions between cannibalism and disease occur regularly. While some adaptive benefits of cannibalism are clear, the prevailing view is that the risk of parasite transmission due to cannibalism would increase disease spread and, thus, limit the evolutionary extent of cannibalism throughout the animal kingdom. In contrast, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the other half of the interaction between cannibalism and disease, that is, how cannibalism affects parasites. Here we examine the interaction between cannibalism and parasites and show how advances across independent lines of research suggest that cannibalism can also reduce the prevalence of parasites and, thus, infection risk for cannibals. Cannibalism does this by both directly killing parasites in infected victims and by reducing the number of susceptible hosts, often enhanced by the stage-structured nature of cannibalism and infection. While the well-established view that disease should limit cannibalism has held sway, we present theory and examples from a synthesis of the literature showing how cannibalism may also limit disease and highlight key areas where conceptual and empirical work is needed to resolve this debate.
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11
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Vallon M, Anthes N, Heubel KU. Water mold infection but not paternity induces selective filial cannibalism in a goby. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:7221-7229. [PMID: 28725393 PMCID: PMC5513269 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2016] [Revised: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals heavily invest in parental care but still reject at least some of their offspring. Although seemingly paradoxical, selection can favor parents to neglect offspring of particularly low reproductive value, for example, because of small survival chances. We here assess whether filial cannibalism (FC), where parents routinely eat some of their own young, is selective in response to individual offspring reproductive value. We performed two independent laboratory experiments in the common goby (Pomatoschistus microps) to test whether caring fathers preferentially cannibalize eggs of a given infection history and paternity. While males did not discriminate kin from nonkin eggs, they consumed significantly more eggs previously exposed to water mold compared to uninfected eggs. Our findings clearly show that parents differentiate between eggs based on differences in egg condition, and thus complement the prevailing view that FC arises for energetic reasons. By preventing the spread of microbial infections, the removal of molded eggs can constitute an important component of parental care and may represent a key driver of selective FC in a wide array of parental fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Vallon
- Animal Evolutionary Ecology University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Nils Anthes
- Animal Evolutionary Ecology University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Katja U Heubel
- Animal Evolutionary Ecology University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany.,Present address: Institute for Zoology Grietherbusch Ecological Research Station University of Cologne Cologne Germany
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12
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Lehtonen TK, Wong BBM, Kvarnemo C. Effects of salinity on nest-building behaviour in a marine fish. BMC Ecol 2016; 16:7. [PMID: 26928449 PMCID: PMC4772348 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-016-0067-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 02/17/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parental allocation and reproductive success are often strongly influenced by environmental factors. In this respect, salinity is a key factor influencing species distributions and community structure in aquatic animals. Nevertheless, the effects of salinity on reproductive behaviours are not well known. Here, we used the sand goby (Pomatoschistus minutus), a small fish inhabiting a range of different salinities, to experimentally assess the effects of changes in salinity on nesting behaviour, a key component of reproduction in sand gobies and many other taxa. RESULTS We found that salinity levels influenced some aspects of male nesting behaviour (i.e. nest entrance size) but not others (i.e. latency to build a nest, choice of nest site, sand on top of nest) and that small and large individuals were differently affected. In particular, the importance of body size in adjustment of nest entrance depended on the salinity level. CONCLUSION The results support the prediction that geographically widespread aquatic species, such as sand gobies, are able to perform well under a range of salinity levels. The phenotype by environment interaction found between male size and behavioural responses to salinity can, in turn, help to explain the notable variation observed in nest-building (and other) behaviours closely linked to reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Topi K Lehtonen
- Department of Biosciences, Åbo Akademi University, Tykistökatu 6, 20520, Turku, Finland.
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Gothenburg, Box 463, 40530, Gothenburg, Sweden.
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia.
| | - Bob B M Wong
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia.
| | - Charlotta Kvarnemo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Gothenburg, Box 463, 40530, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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13
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Filial cannibalism in spottail darters (Etheostoma squamiceps) includes the targeted removal of infected eggs. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2081-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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14
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Lehtonen TK, Kvarnemo C. Odour cues from suitors' nests determine mating success in a fish. Biol Lett 2016; 11:20150021. [PMID: 25948566 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2015.0021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals use a range of sensory cues for finding food, avoiding predators and choosing mates. In this regard, the aquatic environment is particularly suitable for the use of olfactory and other chemical cues. Nevertheless, mate choice research, even on aquatic organisms, has focused on visual signals, while chemical cues relevant in sexual selection have been assumed to be 'intrinsic' excretions of mate candidates. Here, using the sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus, a small fish with paternal egg care, we investigated the possibility that 'extrinsic' chemical cues in the males' nests could also have a significant contribution to mating success. We found that females strongly avoided laying eggs into nests subject to the odour of Saprolegnia water moulds (an egg infection) and that this effect was independent of the females' initial, visually based preference for males. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show that chemical cues related to parental failure can play a large role in sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Topi K Lehtonen
- Department of Biosciences, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland Department of Biology, Section of Ecology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Charlotta Kvarnemo
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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