Predicting the mating system from phenotypic correlations between life-history and sperm quality traits in the Alpine whitefish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coregonus zugensis</Emphasis> |
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Authors: | Geir Rudolfsen Rudolf Müller Davnah Urbach Claus Wedekind |
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Institution: | 1.Department of Evolution and Ecology, Institute of Biology,University of Troms?,Troms?,Norway;2.Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag),Kastanienbaum,Switzerland;3.Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore,University of Lausanne,Lausanne,Switzerland |
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Abstract: | The mating behavior and reproductive strategies of Alpine whitefish like Coregonus zugensis (Nüsslin) are poorly understood, probably because they spawn in deep water where direct observations are difficult. In this
study, we interpret life-history and sperm quality traits of fish that we caught from their spawning place. We found that
males invest heavily into gonadal tissue (up to 5.6% of their body weight), which is, in comparison to other fish, consistent
with external fertilization, distinct pairing and moderate to high communal spawning, or no pairing and low to moderate communal
spawning. Sperm competition theory and recent experimental studies on other salmonids predict that males optimize ejaculate
characteristics in relation to the costs of sperm and the level of competition they have to expect: dominant males are predicted
to invest less into ejaculate quality and to have slower spermatozoa than subdominant males. We found that spermatozoa of
older males are slower than those of younger males. Moreover, older males have larger breeding tubercles, a secondary sexual
trait that has, in some previous studies, been found to be linked to good condition and to good genetic quality. Our results
suggest that C. zugensis has age-linked reproductive strategies, that multimale spawning is common, i.e., that sperm competition plays a significant
role, and that older males are on average dominant over younger males at the spawning place. |
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Keywords: | Mating system Sperm competition Sperm velocity Male mating strategies Salmonids Good genes sexual selection |
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