Does paternal care influence mate preference? Male and female mating behavior in Threespine Stickleback ecotypes that differ markedly in parental care. Issue 3 (28th March 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Corney, Rachel H.; Weir, Laura K.
• Is Part Of: Ecology and evolution. Volume 13:Issue 3(2023)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2023-03-28
• Subjects: assortative mating -- body size -- female response -- male courtship -- sexual selection; Ecology -- Periodicals; Evolution -- Periodicals; 577.05
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9953
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2045-7758

Abstract

Abstract: Reproductive isolation can occur due to divergence in sexual selection for particular traits. For example, differences in mate preference associated with body size can play an important role in divergence between groups. The importance of mate preference for population divergence may be influenced by other aspects of a mating system, such as the requirement for parental care. In Nova Scotia, Canada, two ecotypes of marine Threespine Stickleback occur sympatrically: a "common" ecotype wherein males provide parental care, and a "white" ecotype that does not exhibit paternal care. The goal of our study was to examine differences in male mate preference between white and common stickleback males to test the prediction that males who invest more in parental care may be more selective about their mates. Because of the link between size and fecundity in this species, we predict that males that invest in parental care should prefer large females, while males that do not provide care will not exhibit preference for larger female size. We found that common male stickleback preferred larger‐bodied females of both ecotypes, while white males showed a preference for larger‐bodied common females. Secondarily, we assessed whether females differed in their willingness to mate with males of different sizes and ecotypes. Common female stickleback had a higher response rate toward smaller white males, which may be associated with their relatively high courtship rates. Counter to previous studies on these ecotypes that suggest that mating is completely assortative, interecotype matings occurred in half of the observed spawning events. This observation, coupled with the results that males may prefer females based mainly on size and females respond to males who court more rigorously regardless of their ecotype, may lend insight into recent genetic evidence for hybridization in the wild. Abstract : For this study we tested the prediction that males who provide parental care may exhibit stronger mate preference than those that do not in two ecotypes of the Threespine Stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus ). Our results showed that both male ecotypes tended to prefer the largest females, although males who provide parental care were more consistent with respect to a preference for larger female body size. By contrast, female stickleback generally did not exhibit preference for male size or ecotype, but some of our results suggest that females may prefer smaller males who also court more frequently.