Population Differences in Pre- and Post-fertilization Offspring Provisioning in the Least Killifish, Heterandria formosa

• DOI: 10.1643/ce-04-230r
• Publication Date: 2006-07-18T16:27:17Z
• Authors: Matthew Schrader; Joseph Travis
• Keywords: Provisioning; Killifish

We used data from a long-term field study of two populations the Least Killifish, Heterandria formosa, to examine whether genetically based population differences in offspring size at birth are mainly due pre-fertilization provisioning (i.e., egg mass) or post-fertilization degree matrotrophy). found between and larger provisioning. These results establish variation H. formosa as potential model for studying costs benefits that could modulate evolution matrotrophy. In addition, our illuminate some associated with matrotrophy offer insight into how influences expression other life history relationships, including female fecundity, trade-off number size, population-specific responses density.