Data from: The importance of social dimension and maturation stage for the probabilistic maturation reaction norm in Poecilia reticulata

Maturation is an important event in an organism's life history, with important implications on dynamics of both wild and captive populations. The probabilistic maturation reaction norm (PMRN) has emerged as an important method to describe variation in maturation in wild fish. Because most PMRNs are based on age and size only, it is important to understand limitations of these variables in explaining maturation. We experimentally assessed (i) the sensitivity of age- and size-based PMRNs to unaccounted sources of plasticity, (ii) the role of social environment on maturation and (iii) the significance of estimating PMRNs early and late in the maturation process (initiation and completion of maturation, respectively). We reared male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) under laboratory conditions, subjected to two food levels and three different social cues. We found that growth and social environment affected the maturation in a way that could not be accounted for by their effect on age and size. PMRNs estimated for the initiation stage were less plastic (growth differences and social cues influenced the PMRN shape only little) than those for completion. The initiation of maturation is probably closer to the maturation ‘decision’ and allows determining factors influencing maturation decision most accurately.

成熟是生物体生活史中的关键事件，对野生种群与圈养种群的种群动态均具有重要意义。概率成熟反应范型（Probabilistic Maturation Reaction Norm, PMRN）现已成为描述野生鱼类成熟性状变异的重要方法。由于绝大多数概率成熟反应范型仅基于年龄与体长构建，因此厘清这两类变量在解释成熟机制时的局限性具有重要意义。本研究通过实验评估了三个维度的内容：(i) 仅基于年龄与体长构建的概率成熟反应范型对未被纳入考量的表型可塑性来源的敏感性；(ii) 社会环境对个体成熟过程的作用；(iii) 在成熟过程的早期与晚期（分别对应成熟启动与成熟完成阶段）估算概率成熟反应范型的研究价值。我们在实验室条件下饲养雄性孔雀鱼（Poecilia reticulata），设置了两种饵料投喂水平与三种不同的社会刺激信号。研究发现，生长状态与社会环境对个体成熟的影响无法仅通过其对年龄与体长的作用来解释。针对成熟启动阶段估算的概率成熟反应范型，其表型可塑性低于针对成熟完成阶段的范型——生长差异与社会刺激信号仅对该范型的形态产生微弱影响。成熟启动阶段更贴近个体的成熟‘决策’过程，因此能够最精准地确定影响成熟决策的相关因素。