Sneak spawning and egg stealing by male threespine sticklebacks

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Nest-raiding behavior by breeding male threespine sticklebacks was examined in a laboratory study to determine the contexts in which spawnings and egg stealing occur, and the effect, if any, of egg stealing on the mating success of the egg stealer. Of three males competing for mates at any one time, those that were last to complete construction of their nest and, subsequently, last to spawn in their own nest, raided most frequently. It was found that raids are initiated primarily during spawning by neighboring males and the majority of incidents of egg stealing are preceded by sneak spawnings. In many cases males steal eggs that they themselves potentially fertilized. However, the stolen eggs do not increase the chances of a male attracting a female to his nest to spawn. Stealing eggs may affect mating success in an open population, but under the conditions of the present experiment the adaptive significance of egg stealing remains unclear.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: