Mating and reproductive success associated with male body size in Stegastes acapulcoensis (Teleostei: Pomacentridae)

Molecular techniques enable the study of patterns and processes that are difficult to study using other methods. Specifically, population connectivity, taxonomic status and genetic mating systems can be clearly defined using these techniques. In this paper, the genetic mating system of Stegastes aca...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental biology of fishes 2019-12, Vol.102 (12), p.1473-1483
Main Authors: Urbiola-Rangel, Ericka, Chassin-Noria, Omar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Animal reproduction
Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Body size
Breeding success
Eggs
Environment
Females
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Gametes
Hatching
Interspecific relationships
Larvae
Life Sciences
Males
Mating
Microsatellites
Nature Conservation
Nests
Parental behaviour
Polygyny
Predation
Reproduction
Reproductive behaviour
Spawning
Species
Stegastes acapulcoensis
Substrates
Zoology
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Summary:Molecular techniques enable the study of patterns and processes that are difficult to study using other methods. Specifically, population connectivity, taxonomic status and genetic mating systems can be clearly defined using these techniques. In this paper, the genetic mating system of Stegastes acapulcoensis (Fowler Fishes Acad Nat Sci Phila Monographs 6: 57–529, 1944 ) in the Mexican central Pacific (17–19°N, 101–105°W) was analyzed using four nuclear microsatellite loci. In this species, males are territorial and prepare a rocky substrate for spawning with the females, who oviposit tens of thousands of eggs that attach to the substrate with adhesive threads. Once a nest has been established, the male exhibits parental care to protect the eggs from predation until the larvae hatch. Twenty nests were collected from nest-guarding territorial males during the period from 2010 to 2011, and the numbers of female donors of the gametes in these nests were determined. The most common mating system found in this species was polygyny involving two to six females per nest. Larger males exhibited higher reproductive success than smaller males, guarding larger nests with more eggs from more females. Some males in this species exhibited parasitic behavior.
ISSN:0378-1909
1573-5133
DOI:10.1007/s10641-019-00925-z