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Mate inspection patterns in the female beaugregory damselfish (Stegastes leucostictus)

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Abstract

We observed female beaugregory damselfish (Stegastes leucostictus) as they interacted with males to see whether their movements fit the predictions of different mate-search models. We established high-quality and low-quality groups with low variance in breeding site quality and a medium-quality, high-variance breeding site group and compared focal observations of female nonforaging forays in each group. Only 8% of 137 forays monitored resulted in spawning events. Eighty-nine percent of the forays were less than 240 s and were within 7 m of the focal female’s territory. Average foray times and straight-line foray distances did not differ for females traveling between males in each group. Females entered high-quality breeding sites at a higher rate than low-quality sites and round-trip distances were also greatest in high-quality groups, indicating that females were following a more convoluted path. We interpret these results to mean that (a) female beaugregories separate the tasks of mate assessment and mate choice by conducting information-gathering forays between mating events, (b) forays are energetically costly and therefore usually short in duration and overall distance traveled, (c) information collection takes approximately the same time for high-quality and low-quality mates, but (d) females will alter their foray patterns in high-quality areas to collect additional information. These data are also consistent with the hypothesis that females optimize their search by employing a tiered process of assessment during information-gathering forays, first using an adjustable threshold to accept or reject each male based on his courtship and subsequently a fixed threshold to assess the quality of each breeding site.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus, Brookville, NY, 11548, USA

    M. J. Draud, J. N. Verga & M. P. Haley

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, 111 Research Dr, Bethlehem, PA, 18015, USA

    M. Itzkowitz

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  1. M. J. Draud
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  2. J. N. Verga
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  3. M. P. Haley
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  4. M. Itzkowitz
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Correspondence to M. Itzkowitz.

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Communicated by E. Goncalves

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Draud, M.J., Verga, J.N., Haley, M.P. et al. Mate inspection patterns in the female beaugregory damselfish (Stegastes leucostictus). acta ethol 11, 6–15 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-007-0036-8

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