Competitor size, male mating success and mate choice in eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki

Isobel Booksmythe*, Patricia R.Y. Backwell, Michael D. Jennions

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    20 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Males usually compete for mates but, by choosing a favourable social environment (e.g. avoiding stronger competitors), males might increase their reproductive success. We first tested whether the mate choice of male eastern mosquitofish depended on the size of potential competitors. In two-choice trials, focal males preferred to associate with a group of large males over a group of small males. However, when both stimulus groups also contained females, focal males associated equally often with the group with large males and the group with small males. We then quantified the effect of competitor size on the relative mating success (proportion of all mating attempts) of males competing for access to a female. In mating trials, the relative mating success of focal males increased with focal male size. In addition, focal males had higher mating success when competing in a group of small males than a group of large males. We suggest that the benefits of associating with small male competitors in a mating context (greater mating success) are balanced by other benefits that have led to a general preference for associating with larger males.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)371-375
    Number of pages5
    JournalAnimal Behaviour
    Volume85
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Feb 2013

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