Predator experience affects mating behavior in male gambusia affinis

Abstract

We tested the hypothesis that predator experience and immediate predation threat would influence mating behaviors in male western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). A series of trials were conducted in which individual males with and without predator experience were placed in an aquarium with females. For each group of males, one Lepomis cyanellus was added as a predator in one-half of the trials. The results indicated that under immediate predation threat naüve males performed more copulatory attempts than those with predator experience. Naïve males also tended to be smaller and attempted more chasing behaviors than predator-experienced males. © 2007, Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.