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Environmental change disrupts communication and sexual selection in a stickleback population
Author(s) -
Candolin Ulrika,
Tukiainen Iina,
Bertell Elina
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.1890/15-1090.1
Subject(s) - gasterosteus , stickleback , biology , population , ecology , sexual selection , mate choice , offspring , natural selection , juvenile , selection (genetic algorithm) , three spined stickleback , reproductive success , zoology , mating , demography , fishery , pregnancy , genetics , artificial intelligence , sociology , fish <actinopterygii> , computer science
Environmental change that disrupts communication during mate choice and alters sexual selection could influence population dynamics. Yet little is known about such long‐term effects. We investigated experimentally the consequences that disrupted visual communication during mate choice has for the quantity and viability of offspring produced in a threespine stickleback population ( Gasterosteus aculeatus ). We further related the results to long term monitoring of population dynamics in the field to determine if changes are apparent under natural conditions. The results show that impaired visual communication because of algal blooms reduces reliability of male visual signals as indicators of offspring survival during their first weeks of life. This relaxes sexual selection but has no effect on the number of offspring hatching, as most males have a high hatching success in turbid water. Despite eutrophication and high turbidity levels that interfere with communication during mate choice, the population has grown during recent decades. Large numbers of offspring hatching, combined with high variation in juvenile fitness, has probably shifted selection to later life history stages and maintained a viable population. Together with reduced cost of sexual selection and ongoing ecosystem changes caused by human activities, this could have promoted population growth. These results point to the complexity of ecosystems and the necessity to consider all influencing factors when attempting to understand impacts of human activities on populations.