BUMP’s Peter Buston, Robin Francis, Theresa Ruger, Cassidy D’Aloia, and John Majoris Published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociaobiology
BUMP’s Pete Buston, Robin Francis, Theresa Rueger, Cassidy D’Aloia, and John Majoris study the determinants of male mating patterns and success in sponge dwelling gobies. Determining the patterns and causes of variation in reproductive success is key to understanding mating systems and sexual selection, but they are challenging to study in cryptobenthic coral reef fishes. Here, we investigate characteristics of breeding habitat, the genetic mating system, and correlates of male mating success in the neon goby Elacatinus lori. This fish is primarily found living and breeding within the yellow tube sponge Aplysina fistularis in Belize — it has become a focus of marine population ecology research, but knowledge of its behavioral ecology is lacking. First, we show that sponges occupied by breeding males tend to be larger than those occupied by residents. Second, we show that E. lori males exhibit a polygynous mating system: some males breed with multiple females simultaneously and/or sequentially. Third, we show that male size is positively related to multiple metrics of male mating success: number of days paired with females, number of clutches laid, and total reproductive output. Male size, however, explains only a small proportion of the variation in male mating success, suggesting that other aspects of the males’ phenotype and ecological context need to be quantified to better explain variation in mating success. More generally, our results suggest that when female movements are restricted, it is necessary to measure habitat characteristics and male traits at smaller spatial scales to gain a deeper understanding of their effects on mating systems and sexual selection. Read more here.