Serial monogamy benefits both sexes in the biparental convict cichlid

PeerJ

article

Jennifer L. Snekser¹  Murray Itzkowitz² 

[1] Department of Biology;Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University

关键词: Biparental;    Cichlids;    Reproductive success;    Brood success;    Retrieval;    Parental aggression;    Parental care;    Sex differences;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.6535

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Monogamy can be either long-term or serial, with new pairs formed with each breeding bout. Costs and benefits are associated with each strategy. Because biparental convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) typically switch mates, exhibiting serial monogamy, we tested for the costs associated with forcing individuals to remain with the same mate. Convict cichlids were observed over two successive breeding bouts, either with the same or a new, equally experienced, mate. Parental behavior did not differ between breeding bouts, nor did brood size. Surprisingly, fish that remained with their original partner for a second bout took significantly longer to produce a brood compared to fish that paired with new partners. New partners were also more likely to successfully produce a second brood than re-mated partners. This is in contrast to the majority of bird studies that show many benefits to staying with the same partner for multiple broods. In convict cichlids, there seems to be no benefit associated with remaining with the same partner and switching mates reduces duration between broods for both males and females, potentially increasing overall reproductive success.

【 授权许可】

CC BY