BYU ScholarsArchive

Title

New Evidence for Alternative Mating Strategies in Alfaro cultratus

Authors

Kaeli Mueller, Brigham Young University - ProvoFollow
Kaitlyn Golden, Brigham Young University - Provo
Jerry Johnson PhD, Brigham Young University - Provo

Files

Keywords

evolutionary ecology, life history, Poecilia

Abstract

Poster 2nd Place Award Winner

Poeciliids, such as the species Alfaro cultratus, have a unique reproductive system in which males internally fertilize females, which facilitates competition between males. This takes the form of two strategies:

Large Males

• Court females
• Chase away small males
• Have a higher number of successful mating attempts
• Allocate less energy to reproductive organs, i.e. gonads and gonopodium

Small Males

• Can’t mate with as many females
• Attempt sneak copulations, often unsuccessful
• Allocate more energy to reproductive organs, i.e. gonads and gonopodium

These alternative mating strategies can be seen with regressions between gonad and body mass, or gonopodium length and body length. Alfaro may display this shift in reproductive strategy, but it has never been studied in this species.

BYU ScholarsArchive Citation

Mueller, Kaeli; Golden, Kaitlyn; and Johnson, Jerry PhD, "New Evidence for Alternative Mating Strategies in Alfaro cultratus" (2020). Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2020. 27.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/library_studentposters_2020/27

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

2020-04-03

Language

English

College

Life Sciences

Department

Biology

University Standing at Time of Publication

Senior

Copyright Use Information

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