Abstract
Assessing the consequences of personality traits on reproductive success is one of the most important challenges in personality studies and critical to understand the evolutionary implications of behavioural variability among animals. Personality traits are typically associated with mating acquisition in males, and, hence, linked to variation in their reproductive success. However, in most species, sexual selection continues after mating, and sperm traits (such as sperm number and quality) become very important in determining post-mating competitive success. Here, we investigate whether variation in personality traits is associated with variation in sperm traits using the guppy (Poecilia reticulata), a species with high levels of sperm competition. We found a positive association between boldness and sperm number but not sperm velocity, suggesting that bolder males have increased post-copulatory success than shyer individuals. No association was found between exploration and sperm traits. Our work highlights the importance of considering post-copulatory traits when investigating fitness consequences of personality traits, especially in species with high levels of female multiple matings and hence sperm competition.
Highlights
Boldness, aggressiveness and exploration are three behavioural traits often considered in studies on animal personality [1]
When using average individual scores for each behaviour, we found boldness to be positively correlated with sperm number (r 1⁄4 0.26, n 1⁄4 56, p 1⁄4 0.046, figure 1) but not with sperm velocity ( p 1⁄4 0.759), while 5 no correlations were detected between sperm traits and exploratory behaviour in agreement with the pattern of results found with the linear mixed effect models (LMMs)
Our findings revealed a positive association between boldness and sperm number, but not sperm velocity, in male guppies
Summary
Aggressiveness and exploration are three behavioural traits often considered in studies on animal personality [1]. About how variation in these traits is maintained within populations, and, in particular, the reproductive 2 outcome of individuals differing in those traits This is surprising as assessing the consequences of personality traits on reproductive success is crucial to understand the evolutionary implications of variability in those traits. It would be straightforward to think that a more explorative male would increase his chances to find an available mate, and his reproductive success, especially in low-density populations. In this direction, consistent amongindividual variation in parental food provisioning and exploration is correlated in convict cichlid males (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) facing a predator threat [8]. Studies so far have yielded mixed results on the association between exploration and reproductive success (e.g. [9]) and the metaanalysis did not support the hypothesis of a link between exploratory behaviour and reproductive success [4]
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