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Zang C, Chung MHJ, Neeman T, Harrison L, Vinogradov IM, Jennions MD. Does losing reduce the tendency to engage with rivals to reach mates? An experimental test. Behav Ecol 2024; 35:arae037. [PMID: 38779595 PMCID: PMC11107846 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arae037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Male-male contests for access to females or breeding resources are critical in determining male reproductive success. Larger males and those with more effective weaponry are more likely to win fights. However, even after controlling for such predictors of fighting ability, studies have reported a winner-loser effect: previous winners are more likely to win subsequent contests, while losers often suffer repeated defeats. While the effect of winning-losing is well-documented for the outcome of future fights, its effect on other behaviors (e.g. mating) remains poorly investigated. Here, we test whether a winning versus losing experience influenced subsequent behaviors of male mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) toward rivals and potential mates. We housed focal males with either a smaller or larger opponent for 24 h to manipulate their fighting experience to become winners or losers, respectively. The focal males then underwent tests that required them to enter and swim through a narrow corridor to reach females, bypassing a cylinder that contained either a larger rival male (competitive scenario), a juvenile or was empty (non-competitive scenarios). The tests were repeated after 1 wk. Winners were more likely to leave the start area and to reach the females, but only when a larger rival was presented, indicating higher levels of risk-taking behavior in aggressive interactions. This winner-loser effect persisted for at least 1 wk. We suggest that male mosquitofish adjust their assessment of their own and/or their rival's fighting ability following contests in ways whose detection by researchers depends on the social context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenke Zang
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Meng-Han Joseph Chung
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Teresa Neeman
- Biological Data Science Institute, Australian National University, Canberra Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Lauren Harrison
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Ivan M Vinogradov
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
- Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Wallenberg Centre at Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
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Bshary R, Noë R. A marine cleaning mutualism provides new insights in biological market dynamics. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210501. [PMID: 36934753 PMCID: PMC10024986 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Most mutually beneficial social interactions (cooperation within species, mutualism between species) involve some degree of partner choice. In an analogy to economic theory as applied to human trading practices, biological market theory (BMT) focuses on how partner choice affects payoff distributions among non-human traders. BMT has inspired a great diversity of research, including research on the mutualism between cleaner fish Labroides dimidiatus and other marine fish, their 'clients'. In this mutualism, clients have ectoparasites removed and cleaners obtain food in return. We use the available data on L. dimidiatus cleaner-client interactions to identify avenues for future expansion of BMT. We focus on three main topics, namely how partner quality interacts with supply-to-demand ratios to affect service quality, the role of threats and forms of forceful intervention, and the potential role of cognition. We consider it essential to identify the specifics of each biological market as a basis for the development of more sophisticated BMT models. This article is part of the theme issue 'Half a century of evolutionary games: a synthesis of theory, application and future directions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Redouan Bshary
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Ronald Noë
- Department of Psychology, Tuk, The Netherlands and Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1104, USA
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Tolliver JD, Kupán K, Lank DB, Schindler S, Küpper C. Fitness benefits from co-display favour subdominant male–male partnerships between phenotypes. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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Kim S, Hooten MB, Darden TL, Kanno Y. Linking male reproductive success to effort within and among nests in a co‐breeding stream fish. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Seoghyun Kim
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation Clemson University Clemson South Carolina USA
| | - Mevin B. Hooten
- Department of Statistics and Data Sciences The University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas USA
| | - Tanya L. Darden
- Hollings Marine Laboratory South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Charleston South Carolina USA
| | - Yoichiro Kanno
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation Clemson University Clemson South Carolina USA
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA
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Triki Z, Richter XYL, Demairé C, Kurokawa S, Bshary R. Marine cleaning mutualism defies standard logic of supply and demand. Am Nat 2021; 199:455-467. [DOI: 10.1086/718315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Alonzo SH, Stiver KA, Kindsvater HK, Marsh-Rollo SE, Nugent B, Kazancıoğlu E. Ejaculate Allocation and Sperm Characteristics Differ among Alternative Male Types in a Species of Fish with Cooperation and Competition among Unrelated Males. Cells 2021; 10:cells10102612. [PMID: 34685591 PMCID: PMC8533787 DOI: 10.3390/cells10102612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual selection arising from sperm competition has driven the evolution of immense variation in ejaculate allocation and sperm characteristics not only among species, but also among males within a species. One question that has received little attention is how cooperation among males affects these patterns. Here we ask how male alternative reproductive types differ in testes size, ejaculate production, and sperm morphology in the ocellated wrasse, a marine fish in which unrelated males cooperate and compete during reproduction. Nesting males build nests, court females and provide care. Sneaker males only “sneak” spawn, while satellite males sneak, but also help by chasing away sneakers. We found that satellite males have larger absolute testes than either sneakers or nesting males, despite their cooperative role. Nesting males invested relatively less in testes than either sneakers or satellites. Though sneakers produced smaller ejaculates than either satellite or nesting males, we found no difference among male types in either sperm cell concentration or sperm number, implying sneakers may produce less seminal fluid. Sperm tail length did not differ significantly among male types, but sneaker sperm cells had significantly larger heads than either satellite or nesting male sperm, consistent with past research showing sneakers produce slower sperm. Our results highlight that social interactions among males can influence sperm and ejaculate production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne H. Alonzo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, 130 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-831-502-7706
| | - Kelly A. Stiver
- Department of Psychology, Southern Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT 06515, USA;
| | - Holly K. Kindsvater
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA;
| | - Susan E. Marsh-Rollo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, 130 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada;
| | - Bridget Nugent
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06515, USA;
| | - Erem Kazancıoğlu
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06515, USA;
- Protenus, Inc., 1629 Thames St., Baltimore, MD 21231, USA;
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