Epscor: Condition-Dependent Reproductive Strategies in a Fish With Male Parental Care

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Title: Condition-Dependent Reproductive Strategies in a Fish with Male Parental Care PI: R. Craig Sargent Non-Technical Summary Animals acquire resources throughout their lives, which they ultimately invest in fitness: i.e. survival and reproduction. The study species for this research, the fathead minnow, is a fish in which males perform all parental care. Past work with this species has shown that males with higher energy reserves are more likely to win contests for nest sites with other males, are more likely to be chosen as mates by females, and are more likely to sire a lot of offspring over an entire breeding season. This research will specifically investigate now males allocate resources to their breeding coloration. It will also study how this coloration may function as a signal to attract females, as a signal of dominance to rival males, or both. Manipulation of male energy reserves, through manipulation of diet, will be used to determine how energy reserves may influence male breeding coloration and fitness. The results of this research will provide insights into how energy reserves (and overall health) affect animal signals, communication, reproductive success, and fitness.