Vigorously courting male sticklebacks are poor fathers

Abstract 

Male threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) that are unsuccessful at hatching eggs may provide insufficient parental care or have unhealthy or unfertilized eggs. In this study, most males that were unsuccessful at hatching eggs appeared to be poor fathers because they depleted their energy reserves by vigorously courting females and by maintaining intense nuptial coloration during courtship and parental care, leading to reduced fanning of the eggs. Unsuccessful males differed from successful males by investing more in obtaining a clutch of eggs and less in the eggs once they had them, suggesting a trade-off between investing in courtship and investing in paternal care.