Meeting Abstract
P1.3 Saturday, Jan. 4 15:30 Does the mating call of the plainfin midshipman reflect mate quality? YETSKO, K.L.*; FORLANO, P.M.; SISNEROS, J.A.; College of Charleston, South Carolina; City University of New York, Brooklyn College; University of Washington, Seattle klyetsko@g.cofc.edu
For signals in nature to be honest in a reproductive context, they have to convey accurate information about the sender’s value as a potential mate. The plainfin midshipman (Porichthys notatus) is a good model to investigate vocal-acoustic behavior and honest signaling because acoustic communication is essential to its social and reproductive behavior. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that larger nesting males produce louder and lower frequency advertisement calls than smaller nesting males. Males were collected from intertidal nesting grounds in Hood Canal, WA , transported to Friday Harbor labs, and took up residence in artificial nests in large indoor communal tanks. The calls were recorded at night during the months of June and July 2013. Overall, loudness, or amplitude, of the male’s advertisement call was positively correlated with body size and swim bladder volume. Swim bladder volume and body size were also correlated with the dominant frequency components (first five harmonics) of the male advertisement call; however this correlation was much weaker. The fundamental frequency (1st harmonic) of the male advertisement call was negatively correlated with body size and swim bladder volume, supporting our initial hypothesis; however the frequencies of the 2nd through the 5th harmonics showed a positive correlation. The amplitude of the 2nd and 3rd harmonics relative to the 1st harmonic also increased with body size and tends to be of greater amplitude or equal to the fundamental frequency of the advertisement call of larger males. Based on preliminary data, the plainfin midshipman does seem to convey honest information about the male’s size and potential mate quality, especially in regards to amplitude.
