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High degree of paternity loss in a species with alternative reproductive tactics

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Abstract

In many mating systems, males adopt alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) to maximize reproductive success. In fishes, guarding males often invest more energy into courtship, defense, and paternal care, whereas cuckolding males forego such costs and steal fertilizations by releasing their sperm in the nest of a guarding male. These two tactics have been documented in the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus), yet the relative reproductive success of the guarding and cuckolding male tactics remains unknown. In this study, we used microsatellite markers to determine the level of paternity of the guarding type I males. We explored how paternity varied with male phenotype and across the breeding season. Our results revealed the lowest documented levels of paternity in a species with obligate paternal care. Although paternity remained consistently low, it did increase as the breeding season progressed. Male body size did not significantly predict paternity. The low paternity in this species may be explained, in part, by aspects of their reproductive ecology including the duration of parental care period, limited nest availability and competition for nests, as well as the occurrence of nest takeovers. Overall, our findings contribute to the understanding of the ultimate factors underlying ARTs in this species and highlight the importance of investigating reproductive success across the entire breeding season.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Celia Chui, John Fitzpatrick, Ahdia Hassan, Julie Marentette, Jen Reynolds, Natalie Sopinka, and Jonathan Taves for their assistance with data collection in British Columbia. We thank Michael Roubakha, Shawn Garner, Cayli Hunt, and Amanda Pereira for their assistance with DNA extractions and sample analyses. We thank Cayli Hunt, Erin McCallum, Ryan Caldwell, and Celeste Bouchard for assistance with developing classification scheme and its validity. We also thank Mr. and Mrs. Cogswell, Mr. and Mrs. Weatherell, and especially Mr. and Mrs. Flader for providing access to midshipman habitats and lodgings for field crew. This work was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (grants to S.B. and B.D.N.).

Ethical standards

This work conformed to the guidelines outlined by the Canadian Council on Animal Care, and permission to undertake this work was granted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the First Nations Bands in which sampling occurred.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1

    Karen M. Cogliati & Sigal Balshine

  2. Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada, N6A 5B7

    Bryan D. Neff

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  1. Karen M. Cogliati
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  2. Bryan D. Neff
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Correspondence to Karen M. Cogliati.

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Communicated by A. Pilastro

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Cogliati, K.M., Neff, B.D. & Balshine, S. High degree of paternity loss in a species with alternative reproductive tactics. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 67, 399–408 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-012-1460-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-012-1460-y

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