Variation in male nuptial colour signals might be maintained by negative frequency-dependent selection. This can occur if males are more aggressive towards rivals with locally common colour phenotypes. To test this hypothesis, we introduced red or melanic three-dimensional printed-model males into the territories of nesting male stickleback from two optically distinct lakes with different coloured residents. Red-throated models were attacked more in the population with red males, while melanic models were attacked more in the melanic male lake. Aggression against red versus melanic models also varied across a depth gradient within each lake, implying that the local light environment also modulated the strength of negative frequency dependence acting on male nuptial colour.
Attack counts
ReadMe details for “Bolnick_data.csv” for Bolnick et al. Biology Letters 2016
The file Bolnick_data.csv is a comma-delimited ..csv text file. This file contains columns necessary to recreate analyses presented in the Biology Letters paper. The data in this table is a synthesis of a raw data file containing the exact time of each interaction, obtained from the original videos that are available upon request from the author (large files).
Each column is distinct information regarding individual fish (rows). These columns are:
A) Lake: Blackwater Lake or Gosling Lake
B) Fish: an ID number corresponding to the camera used to uniquely video tape each interaction
C) Model_color: Red, Blue, or Control_object (a cylinder the same size as our models)
D) depth: Resident males’ nest depth (cm)
E) N_bites: Number of bites directed at the model over a 1 hour video
F) N_inspects: Number of inspections of the model (focal fish approaching the model to within one body length while facing the model)
G) Aggressive_interactions: Sum of bites and inspections
H) Date: date of experiment
I) Mean.interval.between.bites: the mean duration of time between successive bites. Not calculated for Blackwater Lake because too few fish conducted more than 2 bites. Measured in seconds.
J) Median.interval.between.bites: the median duration of time between successive bites. Not calculated for Blackwater Lake because too few fish conducted more than 2 bites. Measured in seconds.
K) SD.interval: the standard deviation of the duration of time between successive bites. Not calculated for Blackwater Lake because too few fish conducted more than 2 bites. Measured in seconds.
Bolnick_data.csv