Does the winner–loser effect determine male mating success?

Abstract

Winning or losing a fight can have lasting effects on competitors. Controlling for inherent fighting ability and other factors, a history of winning often makes individuals more likely to win future contests, while the opposite is true for losers (the ‘winner–loser effect’). But does the winner–loser effect also influence a male’s mating success? We experimentally staged contests between male mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) such that focal males either won or lost three successive encounters with stimulus males. We then placed a size-matched (to control for inherent fighting ability) winner and loser with a female and monitored their behaviour (n ¼ 63 trios). Winners spent significantly more time associating with the female. Winners did not make more copulation attempts, nor have a greater number of successful attempts. There was, however, a significant effect of male size on the number of successful copulation attempts: success decreased with male size for losers, but size had no effect on the success rate of winners.