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Genetic mating patterns studied in pools with manipulated nest site availability in two populations of Pomatoschistus minutus
Author(s) -
SINGER A.,
KVARNEMO C.,
LINDSTRÖM K.,
SVENSSON O.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2006.01114.x
Subject(s) - biology , nest (protein structural motif) , pomatoschistus , mating , ecology , mating system , paternal care , sexual selection , economic shortage , zoology , sperm competition , fishery , goby , offspring , pregnancy , biochemistry , genetics , linguistics , philosophy , government (linguistics) , fish <actinopterygii>
Abstract Pomatoschistus minutus show paternal care in a resource defence mating system. We investigated the effect of nest‐site availability on parasitic spawning. Each experimental pool contained four potentially nest‐building males, four females and nests‐sites in shortage (2) or excess (6). Both treatments were conducted in two populations; one with natural nest‐sites in excess, one with a nest‐site shortage. Microsatellite‐DNA revealed that all nest‐holders had fertilized most of the eggs they tended. Yet, 35% of the nests contained eggs fertilized by another male and 14.4% of the males had performed parasitic spawning. There was no site or treatment effect. Several females spawned in two nests, which coincided with parasitic spawnings, suggesting a cost to the nest‐holder in terms of lost mating success. Nest‐holders with and without eggs and non‐nesting males all spawned parasitically, generating a significantly lower opportunity for sexual selection compared to if there had been no parasitic spawning.