Spatial and temporal patterns of nest distribution influences sexual selection in a marine fish

In many species, the natural distribution of material resources important for reproduction can profoundly impact reproductive success among individuals and, hence, the opportunity and intensity of sexual selection. Here, we report on a field-based experiment investigating the effects of nest aggregation on sexual selection in a fish, the sand goby (Pomatoschistus minutus). We found that the distribution of potential nests (sparse versus aggregated nest treatments) affected patterns of nest colonization and reproductive success. Specifically, in the treatment with aggregated nesting resources, a greater proportion of nests remained unoccupied by sand goby males. Although the size of nesting males did not differ between treatments, eggs accumulated more rapidly when nests were sparsely distributed. We found that the opportunity for selection decreased over time with the accumulation of eggs in the nests in both the aggregated and sparse treatments. Moreover, the effect of male size on rep...

在诸多物种中，对繁殖活动至关重要的物质资源的自然分布格局，可显著影响个体间的繁殖成功率，进而左右性选择的发生机会与作用强度。本研究开展了一项野外实地实验，探究巢址聚集程度对沙𫚥虎鱼（Pomatoschistus minutus）性选择的影响。研究结果显示，潜在巢址的分布模式（低密度巢址组与高密度聚集巢址组）会对巢址定居格局与繁殖成功率产生影响。具体而言，在巢址资源呈聚集分布的实验组中，未被雄性沙𫚥虎鱼占据的巢址比例更高。尽管两组实验中的筑巢雄性体型并无显著差异，但当巢址呈低密度分布时，鱼卵的积累速度更快。我们还发现，无论是聚集组还是低密度组，随着巢内鱼卵的不断积累，性选择机会均随时间推移逐渐降低。此外，雄性体型对繁殖……