NDLI: Independent effects of male and female density on sexual harassment, female fitness, and male competition for mates in the western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Smith, Chad C.
Copyright Year	2007
Abstract	Operational sex ratio (the ratio of sexually active males to fertilizable females) has a major influence on male competition for mates and male–female interactions. The contributions of male and female density per se to mating system dynamics, however, are rarely examined, and the fitness consequences are often inferred rather than quantified. Male mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) compete aggressively and frequently harass females for copulations, a behavior thought to reduce female fitness. Female fitness can also be reduced by increases in female density, which may affect food availability, cannibalism rates, and chemical interactions between females. I manipulated male and female densities of G. affinis to measure their effects on male–male aggression, male harassment toward females, and female fitness. I found that males chased rivals more often and attempted fewer copulations when female density decreased, but surprisingly male density had no significant effect on the frequency of these male behaviors. In contrast, males’ agonistic displays toward other males increased with male density, but display behavior was unaffected by female density. These results suggest that male and female density do not always contribute equally or at all to the patterns of behavior we observe. Female fitness declined as female density increased, the opposite pattern expected if male harassment is costly to females. This suggests that a strong, negative effect of female density overwhelmed any potential costs of male harassment. Sources of female density dependence and the consequences of changes in male and female density to patterns of male behavior are discussed.
Starting Page	1349
Ending Page	1358
Page Count	10
File Format	PDF
ISSN	03405443
Journal	Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Volume Number	61
Issue Number	9
e-ISSN	14320762
Language	English
Publisher	Springer-Verlag
Publisher Date	2007-02-22
Publisher Place	Berlin, Heidelberg
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Operational sex ratio Sexual selection Sexual conflict Poeciliidae Zoology Behavioural Sciences
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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