Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: According to the mate attractiveness hypothesis of biased progeny sex-ratio, sexually attractive males should produce relatively more sons. We tested this hypothesis with three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus , a fish species with external fertilisation, in which the intensity of red breeding coloration is a sexually selected trait. We used reflecto-spectrophotometry and visual modelling to assess red breeding coloration from a stickleback’s point of view. More intensely red-coloured males produced relatively more sons as assessed with molecular sexing three weeks after hatching of 34 clutches from different parents. Confounding factors like mortality rate and maternal and paternal effects could largely be ruled out. We discuss potential mechanisms for the role of fathers in sex-ratio allocation.
Source: Evolutionary Ecology
Institution: University of Bonn
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,590
OpenAlex ID: W7129054492