Diel patterns of fanning activity, egg respiration, and the nocturnal behavior of male three-spined sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus L. (f. trachurus)

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Abstract
Observations of male 3-spinned stickleback (G. aculeatus L.) parental care were made in a salt-marsh tide pool at 3 h intervals over 24 h cycles to determine if male behavior varied in association with diel changes in water temperature and dissolved O2 concentration. An analysis of egg metabolism in situ revealed positive correlations between rate of egg O2 consumption and egg age, water temperature and dissolved O2 levels; there was a slight but significant negative correlative with the number of eggs per nest. No significant difference was found when the proportion of time males spent fanning their nests during the day was compared with night levels. Nocturnal fanning bouts were significantly longer and less numberous than diurnal ones. In contrast to the rest of the 24 h cycle, the males remained inactive between fanning bouts at night, except when exposed to hypoxic conditions.