Population and individual consequences of breeding resource availability in the European bitterling (Rhodeus amarus) |
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Authors: | Markéta Konečná Carl Smith Martin Reichard |
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Institution: | 1. Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic 2. School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, UK
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Abstract: | Resource availability may affect both individual fitness and population demography and the effects can interact. We used two
experiments to test how breeding resource abundance and its spatial distribution, combined with female abundance, affected
male reproductive behavior, population spawning rate, and embryo development and recruitment in the European bitterling (Rhodeus amarus), a small cyprinid fish that lays its eggs in living unionid mussels. In the first experiment, we found that at the population
level the abundance of breeding resources (freshwater mussels) was more important for bitterling recruitment than resource
spatial distribution (clumped or regular). In contrast at the individual level, (variability in reproductive success) the
spatial distribution of resources was more important, but only when resource abundance was not limiting. Territorial males
obtained almost exclusive access to fertilizations when resources were abundant and distributed regularly, but were unable
to defend large clusters of resources (when rival abundance was always high) and abandoned territoriality. Surprisingly, territorial
males remained aggressive and successfully defended their territories when resources were grouped into a single cluster, but
at a low abundance. In the second experiment, more rapid embryo development and larger juvenile body size at the end of the
growing season was detected at high resource abundance and low female abundance, indicating that early hatched juveniles survived
better and hence investment in offspring production early in the season yields a higher fitness pay-offs. The abundance of
females in spawning condition was the best overall predictor of the intensity of male reproductive behavior in both experiments. |
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