When Rivals Are Absent: Male Aggression Towards Females in Bluefin Killifish

The process of obtaining mates, mating, and (potentially) caring for offspring is costly. While there are inherent costs to reproduction, behavioral interactions among individuals are often the primary drivers of reproductive costs. In many species, males frequently compete for territories and females; females may compete for food or males; males often harass females. Here, we sought to determine whether reproductive costs were primarily due to male/male competition, female/female competition, or male/female interactions in the bluefin killifish (Lucania goodei) using an unbiased approach that examined aggressive behaviors and interactions in both sexes. In this species, males hold small spawning territories during the breeding season, which they guard from competitors. Females visit the territories daily to spawn. To manipulate the potential for male and female competition and male/female interactions, we altered the sex ratio and density of each sex across four treatments (1 male: 1 female, 1 male: 3 females, 3 males: 1 female, 3 males: 3 females). Female mortality was higher than male mortality. Surprisingly, female mortality and male aggressive behaviors towards females (i.e., chases) were highest in treatments with a single male. Male-male aggression was present, but males often resolved these disputes via signaling by flaring their fins. There was little evidence for overt aggression among females. When males lack rivals, they turn their territorial defense towards females. These costs help explain why, in nature, females promptly leave male territories following spawning and join loose shoals with conspecific females and minnows.