Viability Costs of Reproduction and Behavioral Compensation in Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)
نویسندگان
چکیده
The cost of reproduction hypothesis suggests that current reproduction has inherent tradeoffs with future reproduction. These tradeoffs can be both in the form of energy allocated to current offspring as opposed to somatic maintenance and future reproduction (allocation costs), or as an increase in mortality as a result of morphological or physiological changes related to reproduction (viability costs). Individuals may be able to decrease viability costs by altering behavior. Female western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis experience a reduction in swimming ability as a consequence of pregnancy. We test for a viability cost of reproduction, and for behavioral compensation in pregnant female G. affinis by measuring survival of females in early and later stages of pregnancy when exposed to predation. Late-stage pregnant females experience a 70% greater probability of mortality compared to early-stage pregnant females. The presence of a refuge roughly doubled the odds of survival of both early and late-stage pregnant females. However, there was no interaction between refuge availability and stage of pregnancy. These data do not provide evidence for behavioral compensation by female G. affinis for elevated viability costs incurred during later stages of pregnancy. Behavioral compensation may be constrained by other aspects of the cost of reproduction.
منابع مشابه
Bioindicators from Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) Sampled from the Imperial Valley in Southern California
Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. Figures 1. Standard curve demonstrating verification of a flow cytometric membrane integri...
متن کاملUse of microsatellite paternity analysis to determine male mating success in the western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis
I tested the effects of male body size on male mating behavior and reproductive success in the western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis. In two separate behavioral experiments (male–male competition and no-competition), I tested the predictions that (1) larger males out-compete smaller males for mates and (2) small males increase their number of mating attempts in the absence of a larger competit...
متن کاملReproductive characteristics of male mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) inhabiting a small southeastern U.S. river receiving treated domestic sewage effluent.
A population of western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) living below a wastewater treatment plant in the vicinity of Birmingham (AL, USA) was studied for evidence of exposure to estrogens. Mosquitofish are sexually dimorphic live-bearing fish. Males have an elongated and modified anal fin, called a gonopodium, used in mating. It has been hypothesized that exposure to estrogens and/or anti-andro...
متن کاملMosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) Preference and Behavioral Response to Animated Images of Conspecifics Altered in Their Color, Aspect Ratio, and Swimming Depth
Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) is an example of a freshwater fish species whose remarkable diffusion outside its native range has led to it being placed on the list of the world's hundred worst invasive alien species (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Here, we investigate mosquitofish shoaling tendency using a dichotomous choice test in which computer-animated images of their co...
متن کامل