Sensory Exploitation and Condition Indication May Explain Red Pelvic Spines in the Brook Stickleback Culaea Inconstans Andrew Hodgson Eastern Washington University
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Eastern Washington University EWU Digital Commons EWU Masters Thesis Collection Student Research and Creative Works 2013 Sensory exploitation and condition indication may explain red pelvic spines in the brook stickleback Culaea inconstans Andrew Hodgson Eastern Washington University Follow this and additional works at: http://dc.ewu.edu/theses Part of the Biology Commons Recommended Citation Hodgson, Andrew, "Sensory exploitation and condition indication may explain red pelvic spines in the brook stickleback Culaea inconstans" (2013). EWU Masters Thesis Collection. 181. http://dc.ewu.edu/theses/181 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research and Creative Works at EWU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in EWU Masters Thesis Collection by an authorized administrator of EWU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SENSORY EXPLOITATION AND CONDITION INDICATION MAY EXPLAIN RED PELVIC SPINES IN THE BROOK STICKLEBACK CULAEA INCONSTANS A Thesis Presented To Eastern Washington University Cheney, Washington In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science By Andrew Hodgson Advisor: A. Ross Black Winter 2013 Thesis of Andrew Hodgson approved by: _____________________________________ Date______________ Dr. A. Ross Black, Graduate Committee Chair _____________________________________ Date______________ Dr. Camille McNeely, Graduate Study Committee _____________________________________ Date______________ Dr. Ryan Sain, Graduate Council Representative Master’s Thesis In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master’s degree at Eastern Washington University, I agree that the JFK Library shall make copies freely available for inspection. I further agree that copying of this project in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this thesis for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without my written permission. Signature______________________________ Date___________________ iv ABSTRACT Background: Sensory bias models of the evolution of sexually selected traits predict that trait preferences evolve in a nonsexual context such as prey selection. Indicator models predict that sexually selected traits indicate mate condition. I investigated the potential for sensory exploitation and condition indication models to explain the evolution of what appears to be a recently evolved sexually selected trait. Question: Did red pelvic spine coloration in male Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR) brook stickleback ( Culaea inconstans ) evolve to exploit a preexisting sensory bias for red prey, thus helping males draw females to the nest? Or, did it evolve as an intersexual signal indicating male condition to females? Methods: I recorded the frequency of red pelvic spine coloration in males versus females and breeding versus non-breeding males. I measured the condition factor of males with and without red coloration on their pelvic spines. I presented fish with a paired choice between a red versus an orange, yellow, green, blue, or purple bead, and recorded the proportion of bites at each color. I tested for sexual dimorphism in pelvic spines and made observations on their use by territorial males in comparison to dorsal spines. Results: Red coloration is significantly more common in males than females and in breeding than nonbreeding males. TNWR brook stickleback prefer red to other colors in a predation context. Males with strongly red pelvic spines have a significantly higher mean condition factor than those with plain spines. Pelvic spine size is similar in males and females. Males tend to extend their dorsal spines more often than their pelvic spines during agonistic encounters. Conclusions : Red pelvic spine coloration of TNWR brook stickleback is a secondary sexual character which may exploit a preexisting sensory bias for red prey while also indicating condition to females. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to my primary advisor Dr. A. Ross Black, who has been a friend and inspiration throughout my time at Eastern Washington University. Thank you also to Dr. Camille McNeely, who provided advice and encouraged me to pursue this project. Thanks to Mike Rule and the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge for the opportunity to sample stickleback, and Ryan Hull, Robert Holliday, Nicole Wallace, Evy Wallace-Hodgson, Joe Peters, Anna Wu, Tomoko Bennet, Aaron Wooley and Ben Moree for support and assistance in collecting data. vi Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................. v List of Tables and Figures ................................................................................................................. vii Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 Methods ................................................................................................................................................. 3 Fish Collection ................................................................................................................................ 3 Red Pelvic Spines and Condition .................................................................................................. 4 Color Preferences ............................................................................................................................ 5 Pelvic Spine Size .............................................................................................................................. 6 Spine Use .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Statistical Analyses ........................................................................................................................... 7 Results .................................................................................................................................................... 8 Red Pelvic Spine Coloration .......................................................................................................... 8 Level of Spine Coloration and Condition .................................................................................... 8 Color Preferences ............................................................................................................................ 9 Pelvic Spine Size .............................................................................................................................. 9 Spine Use .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Discussion ........................................................................................................................................... 10 Red Pelvic Spine Coloration ........................................................................................................ 10 Level of Spine Coloration and Condition .................................................................................. 11 Color Preferences .......................................................................................................................... 12 Pelvic Spine Size ............................................................................................................................ 14 Spine Use ........................................................................................................................................ 14 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................... 16 References ....................................................................................................................................... 18 Tables and Figures ......................................................................................................................... 24 vii List of Tables and Figures Table 1: Mean levels of red, green, and blue measured in colored beads. ................................ 25 Table 2: Numbers of male and female Culaea inconstans sampled from Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Spokane Co., Wash., USA, with plain spines or spines with mild, moderate, or strong coloration. ..................................................................................... 26 Table 3: Sample sizes, p-values and Holm-Bonferroni-corrected alpha values for differences between observed and expected frequencies of all bites per comparison and first bites per fish directed at differently-colored beads by Culaea inconstans from Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Spokane Co., Wash., USA. .............................. 27 Table 4: Sample sizes, p-values and Holm-Bonferroni-corrected alpha values for differences between observed and expected frequencies of first bites per trial directed at differently-colored beads by Culaea inconstans from Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Spokane Co., Wash., USA. ............................................................................. 28 Table 5: Sample sizes, Wilcoxon rank sum