Temperature influences the coercive mating and swimming performance of male eastern mosquitofish


Autoria(s): Wilson, Robbie S.
Contribuinte(s)

L.Barrett

George W Uetz(Executive Editor)

Leigh .Simmons (Executive Editor)

Data(s)

01/12/2005

Resumo

Although the functional consequences of temperature variation have been examined for a wide range of whole-animal performance traits, the implications of thermal variation for reproductive behaviour or performance are poorly known. I examined the acute effects of temperature on the mating behaviour and swimming performance of male eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki, which rely on a coercive strategy to obtain matings and are routinely exposed to wide daily temperature fluctuations. Males showed reproductive behaviours across the entire test temperature range of 14-38 degrees C, representing one of the widest reproductively active temperature ranges for any ectotherm. Both the time spent in pursuit of females and the total number of mating attempts increased with temperature to a plateau that started at approximately 22-26 degrees C. However, males maintained a constant level of copulations at 18-34 degrees C, the temperature range they routinely experience in southeast Queensland. In contrast, maximum swimming performance and approach speeds during copulations were highly thermally dependent across this temperature range. Thus, acute temperature variation has important fitness implications for male G. holbrooki, but mating performance was significantly limited only at extreme temperatures. (c) 2005 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identificador

http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:77563

Idioma(s)

eng

Publicador

Academic Press

Palavras-Chave #Behavioral Sciences #Zoology #Frog Limnodynastes-peronii #Gambusia-holbrooki #Thermal Physiology #Sexual Selection #Body-size #Muscle #Acclimation #Ectotherms #Predation #Ecology #C1 #270604 Comparative Physiology #770403 Living resources (flora and fauna)
Tipo

Journal Article