title: Early growth trajectories affect sexual responsiveness.
abstract: The trajectory of an animal's growth in early development has been shown to have long-term effects on a range of life-history traits. Although it is known that individual differences in behaviour may also be related to certain life-history traits, the linkage between early growth or development and individual variation in behaviour has received little attention. We used brief temperature manipulations, independent of food availability, to stimulate compensatory growth in juvenile three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus. Here, we examine how these manipulated growth trajectories affected the sexual responsiveness of the male fish at the time of sexual maturation, explore associations between reproductive behaviour and investment and lifespan and test whether the perceived time stress (until the onset of the breeding season) influenced such trade-offs. We found a negative impact of growth rate on sexual responsiveness: fish induced (by temperature manipulation) to grow slowest prior to the breeding season were consistently quickest to respond to the presence of a gravid female. This speed of sexual responsiveness was also positively correlated with the rate of development of sexual ornaments and time taken to build a nest. However, after controlling for effects of growth rate, those males that had the greatest sexual responsiveness to females had the shortest lifespan. Moreover, the time available to compensate in size before the onset of the breeding season (time stress) affected the magnitude of these effects. Our results demonstrate that developmental perturbations in early life can influence mating behaviour, with long-term effects on longevity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, , Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK, Department of Biological Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal, , Montréal, Québec, Canada , H3C 3P8, Canada Research Chair in Spatial Modelling and Biodiversity, Université du Québec à Montréal, , Montréal, Québec, Canada , H3C 3P8.
authors.forename: Who-Seung
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Neil B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Metcalfe
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Réale
authors.forename: Pedro R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Peres-Neto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D008136:Longevity; D008297:Male; D012621:Seasons; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D012741:Sexual Maturation; D023701:Smegmamorpha / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: compensatory growth; longevity; phenotypic plasticity; sexual behaviour; three-spined stickleback; trade-off