Prey color preferences of the brook stickleback Culaea inconstans

Prospectus PresentationAndrew Hodgson

Advisor: Dr. A. Ross Black21 March 2012

Outline

SticklebacksBreeding colorsPrey color preferences

Sensory exploitationMethodsResults and conclusions

Introduction

Fourspine

Threespine

http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/Tubesnout.jpg

Yellow Tubesnout

Encyclopedia of Life

Blackspotted Encyclopedia of life

Why red ornaments?

New England Aquarium

Fourspine

Threespine

Introduction

Brook

Sticklebacks withoutany red breedingsignals (Reisman and Cade 1964)

Ninespine

http://lsfv-nds.de/cms/index.php?page=neunstachliger-stichling

Fifteenspine

ThreespineThreespine

Ninespine

http://lsfv-nds.de/cms/index.php?page=neunstachliger-stichling

Color preferences(Smith et al. 2004)

Introduction

m/f

m/f

Introduction

ninespinethreespine

Origin of feeding bias

for red

ninespinethreespine

Origin of feeding bias

for red

Introduction (sensory exploitation)

Introduction (sensory exploitation)

Methods

Paired comparisons~10 trials

Methods123456789

101112131415

MeasurementsFirst bites (~30)Total bites (~130)Repeated bites (~4) Latency to bite (65%, ~6 ds)Inspections (~45, ~8.5 ds)

IndependentBead colorTime

Methods (measures)

MeasurementsFirst bites (1st color = 2nd color)Total bites (1st color = 2nd color)Repeated bites (1st color = 2nd color) Latency to bite (1st color = 2nd color)Inspections (1st color = 2nd color)

IndependentBead colorTime

Methods (null hypotheses)

Methods (video analysis)

First bitesTotal bitesRepeated attempts Latency to bite Inspections

Binomial tests, e.g. p(red)=0.5Holm-Bonferroni (Holm 1979) corrected Least squares regressionSpecialized Wilcoxon rank sum test (Capanu et al. 2006)

Methods (stats)

First bites20<n<31

Results (color preferences)

* *

*

*

Results (color preferences)

Total bites71<n<198p<0.001

* **

*

Results (repeated bites)

*

Results (bites vs inspections)

155<n<236P<0.001

Results (latency to bite)

r2=0.10p<0.001F=36n=333

Is brook stickleback red/orange spine coloration a secondary sexual character?

Results

Results (red spines)2011 breeding seasonn=311

*

Results (red spines)

*

Local brook stickleback prefer red and orange prey to other colors

A sensory exploitation origin of red stickleback breeding signals is supported

Red pelvic spines are a secondary sexual character

Discussion (conclusions)

Conclusions

Why are sticklebacks sensitive to red? Hemoglobin?

Carotenoids?ImmunityCancer preventionCell growthLiverWater balance

(Smith et al. 2004)Copyright Randall & Schietzelt & Harper College

https://wiki.cgb.indiana.edu/display/DGC/Projects

Finish paired comparisonsContinue to monitor red spine colorTry patterns (e.g. red and blue vs red and yellow)Try movies

SaturationBrightnessMovement

Future plans

Dr. Ross BlackDr. Camille McNeelyMike Rule and TNWRRobert HollidayNicole WallaceJoseph Peters, Anna Wu, Tomoko Bennet

Acknowledgments

Works CitedCapanu, M., G. A. Jones, and R. H. Randles. 2006. Testing for a preference using a sum of Wilcoxon signed rank statistics. Computational Statistics and Data Analysis 51:793-796.Holm, S. 1979. A simple sequentially rejective multiple test procedure. Scandanavian Journal of

Statistics 6:65-70.Proctor, H. C. 1992. Sensory exploitation and the evolution of male mating behavior: a cladistic

test using water mites (Acari: Parasitengona). Animal Behaviour 44:745-752.Reisman H. M., T. J. Cade. 1967. Physiological and behavioral aspects of reproduction in the

brook stickleback, Culaea inconstans. American Midland Naturalist 77:257-295.Rodd, F. H., K. A. Hughes, G. F. Grether, and C. T. Baril. 2002. A possible non-sexual origin of

mate preference: are male guppies mimicking fruit? Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences 269: 475-81.Smith C., I. Barber, R. T. Wootton, and L. Chittka. 2004. A Receiver Bias in the origin of three-

spined stickleback mate choice. Proceedings: Biological Sciences 271:949-955.

Questions?

McLennan 1993

Mattern and McLennan 2004

Kawahara et al 2009

Results (inspections before bites)

Introduction (hypotheses)

Hypotheses:1) More bites at red than any other color

• Multiple predation attempts appear to predict color preferences

• Brook stickleback are more likely to bite at novel prey than inspect it and leave

Conclusions

• How to deal with learning statistically• Objective measurements of red coloration• Controlling for color

Problems to solve

Introduction (phylogenetics)

Phylogenetic relationships of the sticklebacks (Gasterosteidae), not including SpinachiaSpinachia, modified from McLennan (1996) and Smith et al (2004)

Paired Comparison p-value alphaOrange vs red 0.0669 0.0500Yellow vs red 0.0004 0.0100Green vs red 0.0013 0.0125Blue vs red 0.0207 0.0250Purple vs red 0.0133 0.0167

Table 1. P-values and Holm-Bonfrronicorrected apha values for first bitesobserved in trials directed at beads ofspecific colors by Culaea inconstans,Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, SpokaneCo., WA, USA

Three main competing modelsFisher runawayGood genesSensory Bias

Introduction (sexual selection)

Trait and preference components

Introduction (sexual selection)

Fisher runawayTrait origin: response to preferencePreference origin: response to trait

Good genesTrait origin: indirectly indicate fitnessPreference origin: indirectly increase fitness

Introduction (sexual selection)

Sensory biasTrait origin: response to preferencePreference origin: another context

Fisher runaway

Good genes

Sensory bias *

Model Prediction

Preference and trait coevolve

Trait evolves first

Preference evolves firste.g. in predation

Process

Positive feedback between preference and trait

Females evolve to select traits indirectly linked to fitness

Trait evolves in response to a preexisting, naturally selected preference

Introduction (sensory bias)

Introduction

Ninespine

http://lsfv-nds.de/cms/index.php?page=neunstachliger-stichling

Preference forred prey?

Introduction (sensory bias)

Other ExamplesWater mite trembling (Proctor 1992)Tungara frog mating calls (Ryan and Rand 1990)Swordtail fish tails (Basolo 1990, 1995, 1996, 1998)Costa’s hummingbird songs (Clark and Feo 2009)Cichlid egg spots (Egger et al. 2011)Bird song repertoires (Collins 1999)