Examination of boldness traits in sexual and asexual mollies (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Poecilia latipinna</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">P. formosa</Emphasis>) |
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Authors: | Kristin Scharnweber Martin Plath Michael Tobler |
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Institution: | 1.Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes,Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology & Inland Fisheries,Berlin,Germany;2.Department of Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity,J.W. Goethe University Frankfurt,Frankfurt am Main,Germany;3.Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences,Texas A&M University,College Station,USA;4.Department of Zoology,Oklahoma State University,Stillwater,USA |
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Abstract: | Considering the high costs of sexual reproduction (e.g., the production of males), its maintenance and predominance throughout
the Animal Kingdom remain elusive. Especially the mechanisms allowing for a stable coexistence of closely related sexual and
asexual species are still subject to a lively debate. Asexuals should rapidly outnumber sexuals due to higher population growth
rates, unless they face some disadvantages. Here, we investigate potential differences in feeding behavior in a system of
sexual (sailfin mollies, Poecilia latipinna) and coexisting gynogenetic fishes (Amazon mollies, Poecilia formosa). In two different experiments, we tested for differences in behavioral traits associated with boldness. Bold individuals
take higher risks for gains in resources, so shyer individuals should be less competitive. Our study was motivated by the
recent finding that P. formosa are less likely to be preyed upon by piscine predators than P. latipinna. We asked whether this result is indicative of low boldness in P. formosa. However, no differences between the two species were detectible in our behavioral experiments measuring (a) time to emerge
from shelter to explore a novel environment, (b) latency time until feeding in a novel environment, and (c) recovery time
until feeding restarted after a simulated predator attack. Furthermore, different boldness measures were not correlated with
each other within individuals. |
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