Feeding rates in the sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna and its coexisting sexual parasite,the gynogenetic Amazon molly Poecilia formosa |
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| Authors: | C Fischer I Schlupp |
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| Institution: | 1. Systematics and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Carl von Ossietzky‐Str. 9‐11, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany;2. Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK 73019, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Feeding rates of the gynogenetic Amazon molly Poecilia formosa and one of its sexual hosts, the sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna, were measured under winter and summer temperature conditions. Food consumption of the unisexual P. formosa in winter conditions was significantly higher than that of P. latipinna, and it is hypothesized that the resulting food stress might have an important influence on the population composition of these closely related fishes via higher winter mortality in P. formosa. |
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| Keywords: | asexual species coexistence gynogenesis maintenance of sex variable food consumption |
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