Female mating competition alters female mating preferences in common gobies  

作　　者：Katja HEUBEL 

机构地区：[1]Institute for Zoology, Ecological Research Station Rees, Grietherbusch 3a, D-46459 Rees, Germany [2]Tvarminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palmenin tie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland

出　　处：《Current Zoology》2018年第3期351-361,共11页动物学报（英文版）

摘　　要：Mating decisions can be affected by intrasexual competition and sensitive to operational sex-ratio （OSR） changes in the population. Conceptually, it is assumed that both male and female matecompetition may interfere with female reproductive decisions. Experimentally, however, the focus has been on the effect of male competition on mate choice. In many species with paternal care as in the common goby Pomatoschistus microps, the OSR is often female-biased and female matecompetition for access to available nesting males occurs. Using the same protocol for 3 experi- ments testing the effect of a perceived risk of female mate-competition, I studied female preferences for nest-holding males differing in its nest size （large/small）, body size （large/small）, and nest status （with/without eggs already in nest） and measured mating decisions, spawning latencies, and clutch size. Regardless of the social context, females preferred males with larger nests. A preference for large males was only expressed in presence of additional females. For nest status, there was a tendency for females to prefer mating with males with an empty nest. Here, female-female competition increased the propensity to mate. The results of this study show that females are sensitive to a female competitive social environment and suggest that in choice situations, females respond to the social context mainly by mating decisions per se rather than by adjusting the clutch size or spawning latency. Females base their mating decisions not only on a male＇s nest size but also on male size as an additional cue of mate quality in the presence of additional females.

关 键 词：audience effect intrasexual competition mate sampling parental care Pomatoschistus microps sex-roles size. 

分 类 号：Q958.12[生物学—动物学] TS972.126.2[轻工技术与工程]