Bower Size and Male Reproductive Success in a Cichlid Fish Lek

The hypothesis that male reproductive success of a lekking species depends on the size of the display site was investigated. For the species Cyrtocara eucinostomus, the height of the bower appears to be a crucial characteristic used by females in determining with which males to court and eventually...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American naturalist 1990-05, Vol.135 (5), p.597-613
Main Authors: McKaye, Kenneth R., Louda, Svata M., Stauffer, Jay R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agnatha and pisces
Animal ethology
Biological and medical sciences
Breeding
Eggs
Female animals
Freshwater fishes
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Male animals
Mating behavior
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Reproductive success
Sexual selection
Shallow water
Species
Vertebrata
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Summary:The hypothesis that male reproductive success of a lekking species depends on the size of the display site was investigated. For the species Cyrtocara eucinostomus, the height of the bower appears to be a crucial characteristic used by females in determining with which males to court and eventually spawn. In this study, males more vigorously defended, and were less likely to abandon, taller bowers. This pattern was consistent at all depths, although the species showed a peak density of bowers at 6.0-7.5 m in depth. The lower-depth distribution of bowers is probably due to nocturnal predation by deep-dwelling catfish, and the upper-depth distribution depends on wave action eroding the bowers. Therefore, the pattern of bower distribution appears to be influenced by ecological processes. When bowers were experimentally removed, new bowers were built immediately, but not at exactly the same spot. The top diameter of the bower was reestablished in one day. These bower characteristics were specific for this species. The new bowers grew at a rate of approximately 1 cm per day and reached the heights of control bowers in approximately two weeks. C. eucinostomus bred year-round but with a distinct breeding peak in both the wet and the dry seasons. During these periods, the density of bowers at 6.0-7.5 m appeared saturated, with a distance of approximately 2.5 m between the centers of the nearest neighbors' territories.
ISSN:0003-0147
1537-5323
DOI:10.1086/285064