Theory of resource allocation strategy in territorial male tropical reef fishes

Abstract

A mathematical model is proposed to explain energy resource allocation between sperm production and territoriality in male reef fishes (Labridae species) from the point of view of optimization. Labridae species are typically characterized by both TP (terminal phase) and IP (initial phase) males. The former are considered to release a lower amount of sperm but show aggressive territoriality. In the model, TP male reproductive success is considered as depending upon both fertilization probability (depending on sperm density) and the individual's own territorial activities. Between these factors, a trade-off exists by which the fertilization probability can be enhanced only by reducing territoriality. Therefore, the male has to decide how much of the total available energy resource should be allocated to each. The model showed that under high fertilization efficiency the male can achieve high success by spending less of the resource on sperm production and correspondingly more for territoriality. The TP male reproductive success increases with decreasing male density in the habitat. Nevertheless, when intruding males cannot be excluded completely by territorial behavior of the TP male, females prefer high male density. If females can control the number of intruding males to some degree, conflict may arise between the sexes.