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- Title
The artistic three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteous aculeatus).
- Authors
Östlund-Nilsson, Sara; Holmlund, Mikael
- Abstract
We investigated whether female three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) are more attracted to a male whose nest contains colourful artificial material than to a nest that only contains algae. The purpose was to examine whether nest characters are of importance for female choice in the three-spined stickleback. Most studies on female preference in this species have focused on male morphological traits. In our study, on a marine population of three-spined stickleback on the West coast of Sweden, we found that males marked their nests' entrance with a deviant colour of algae — an apparent decoration. Moreover, males also decorated their nests with shiny and colourful foil sticks and spangles when provided with such, thereby apparently reducing the nest camouflage. In a mate choice experiment, females were more attracted to males with nests containing sticks and spangles than to males with undecorated nests. Nest decoration may be important for the evolution of paternal care in this species: if males advertise their paternal skills by ornamenting their nest they will receive more matings than males with dull nests.
- Subjects
SWEDEN; THREESPINE stickleback; FEMALES; MALES; CAMOUFLAGE (Biology); NESTS; PARENTAL behavior in animals
- Publication
Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology, 2003, Vol 53, Issue 4, p214
- ISSN
0340-5443
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00265-002-0574-z