Female fifteen-spined sticklebacks prefer better fathers

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Ecology
• Reproductive Strategies
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• Male fifteen-spined sticklebacks (Spinachia spinachia) exclusively provide parental care.
• Parental care involves nest building, fanning, cleaning, and protecting eggs.
• Understanding variation in paternal competence and female choice is crucial in this species.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate variation in male paternal competence in Spinachia spinachia.
• To determine if male competence is advertised during courtship.
• To ascertain if females prefer males with higher paternal competence.

Main Methods:

• Observed female preference for male courtship behaviors.
• Monitored male fanning bout duration and frequency during the paternal phase.
• Assessed hatching success rates in relation to male behaviors.
• Measured male fin beat rate and weight loss as indicators of condition.

Main Results:

• Females did not prefer larger males; they preferred males with shorter fanning bouts.
• Males with shorter, more frequent fanning bouts had higher hatching success.
• Males with short fanning bouts increased fin beat rate, potentially improving oxygen supply to eggs.
• Courtship body shake frequency positively correlated with hatching success and negatively with fanning bout duration.

Conclusions:

• Female Spinachia spinachia prefer direct benefits of enhanced paternal care.
• Male body shaking during courtship signals paternal competence to females.
• Paternal competence may be a condition-dependent trait, signaled through specific behaviors.