Ventilation or nest defense—parental care trade-offs in a fish with male care |
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Authors: | Maria Lissåker Charlotta Kvarnemo |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden 2. Department of Zoology, G?teborg University, P.O. Box 463, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Abstract: | Brood guarding animals face many critical trade-offs. Sand goby males (Pomatoschistus minutus) build nests with larger openings during low oxygen conditions, presumably to enhance ventilation. However, this may make
the nest easier for egg predators to detect and harder for guarding males to defend. Manipulating oxygen level and predator
presence (a small crab) for small and large males, we found support for a parental trade-off between fanning and nest defense.
An increased fanning activity resulted in less time for guarding. Small males and males in low oxygen showed a higher fanning
expenditure than large males and males in high oxygen, but surprisingly, filial cannibalism did not differ between these groups.
Males built larger nest openings in low than high oxygen. However, males in both high and low oxygen treatments reduced their
nest opening size in the presence of a predator, again indicating an important trade-off between ventilation and nest defense. |
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Keywords: | Fanning expenditure Filial cannibalism Low oxygen Parental effort Reproductive success |
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