A test of male infanticide as a reproductive tactic in a cichlid fish.
A test of male infanticide as a reproductive tactic in a cichlid fish.
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DOI：
10.1098/rsos.160891
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发表时间：
2017-03
影响因子：
3.5
通讯作者：
Balshine S
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Jindal S;Bose AP;O'Connor CM;Balshine S
杀婴和同类相食是分类学上普遍存在的现象。在某些群居物种中，一个新的占优势的个体接管了一个群体，如果这样做能促使潜在的配偶更快地成为可繁殖的对象，那么它就能从杀虫剂中受益。尽管在鱼类中广泛观察到食卵（即食卵），但没有研究调查鱼类中是否由于群体接管而发生食卵，或者这种类型的食卵行为如何适应。使用合作繁殖的慈鲷，Neolamprologus pulcher，我们测试了是否新的无关男性进入社会群体中的主导地位，更有可能吃鸡蛋，以及这种吃是否会缩短间隔，直到女性的下一次产卵。如果雌性的卵被移走，它们再次产卵的时间比被照顾的时间要早。食卵现象经常发生在群体接管事件之后，如果最初的雄性仍然留在群体中，则更罕见。虽然占主导地位的育种女性最初是高度侵略性的新来的男性，接管了该集团，阻力的程度取决于新的一对之间的相对身体大小的差异，最终，女性的侵略并没有阻止吃鸡蛋。然而，蛋相残，并没有缩短持续时间，直到随后的产卵，或在我们的实验室设置在随后的繁殖增加繁殖力。我们的研究结果表明，通过集团收购介导的杀价行为是一种分类学上普遍存在的行为。
Infanticide and offspring cannibalism are taxonomically widespread phenomena. In some group-living species, a new dominant individual taking over a group can benefit from infanticide if doing so induces potential mates to become reproductively available sooner. Despite widespread observations of infanticide (i.e. egg cannibalism) among fishes, no study has investigated whether egg cannibalism occurs in fishes as a result of group takeovers, or how this type of cannibalism might be adaptive. Using the cooperatively breeding cichlid, Neolamprologus pulcher, we tested whether new unrelated males entering the dominant position in a social group were more likely to cannibalize eggs, and whether such cannibalism would shorten the interval until the female's next spawning. Females spawned again sooner if their broods were removed than if they were cared for. Egg cannibalism occurred frequently after a group takeover event, and was rarer if the original male remained with the group. While dominant breeder females were initially highly aggressive towards newcomer males that took over the group, the degree of resistance depended on relative body size differences between the new pair and, ultimately, female aggression did not prevent egg cannibalism. Egg cannibalism, however, did not shorten the duration until subsequent spawning, or increase fecundity during subsequent breeding in our laboratory setting. Our results show that infanticide as mediated through group takeovers is a taxonomically widespread behaviour.