Single fathers sacrifice their broods and re-mate quickly in a socially monogamous cichlid

When one of two parents disappears in the midst of caring for offspring, the remaining parent is left with several options. They can either i) desert the brood, ii) continue caring on their own and reject propositions from new potential partners, or iii) continue caring but remain receptive to re-mating opportunities. The presence of a brood may increase re-mating success of single parents, either because brood care is perceived as a signal of partner quality, or because prospective mates perceive the brood as a potential energy source. In this field experiment, we used the socially monogamous, biparental cichlid fish Variabilichromis moorii to examine the re-mating strategy of males with or without dependent offspring after the loss of their female partner. Partner vacancies were filled quickly by new females, and these females engaged in high levels of affiliative behavior with the males. The new females engaged in territorial defense but focused primarily against intruding conspecifi..., , Word, Excel, R