Species with fast life-histories typically prioritize current over future reproductive events, compared to species with slow life-histories. These species therefore require greater energetic input into reproduction, but also likely have less time to realize their reproductive potential. Hence, behaviours that increase access to both resources and mating opportunities, at a cost of increased mortality risk, are thought to coevolve with the pace of life-history. However, whether this prediction holds across species remains untested under standardized conditions. Here, we test how risky behaviours, which facilitate access to resources and mating opportunities (i.e. activity, boldness and aggression), along with metabolic rate, coevolve with the pace of life-history across 20 species of killifish, which present remarkable divergences in the pace of life-history. We found a positive association between the pace of life-history and aggression, but not with other behavioural traits or metabolic rate. Aggression is linked to interference competition, and in killifishes is often employed to secure mates, while activity and boldness are more relevant to exploit energetic resources. Our results suggest that the trade-off between current and future reproduction plays a more prominent role in shaping mating behaviour, while behaviours related to energy acquisition may be influenced by ecological factors.
Main analyses
Bayesian analyses of the relationship between life-history, behaviour and metabolic rate.
Main_analyses.R
Collection date - life-history analysis
Analysis of the relationship between the collection date of each species and PC1 of life-history.
Collection_date_life_history_analysis.R
Plots
Code for the plots in the paper (not including the ESM).
Co-occurrence analysis
Analysis of the relationship between the number of co-occurring species and PC1 of life-history.
Co_occurrence_analysis.R
Latitude - behaviour analysis
Analysis of the relationship between the median latitude of the species distribution, and the species mean for the different measured behaviours.
Latitude_behaviour_analysis.R
Modified tree from Furness et al. 2015 (simpsonichthys and nothobranchius)
Phylogenetic tree used in the phylogenetically controlled analyses. Genus names of Simpsonichthys and Nothobranchius were modified (a "1" was added to the end of the genus name), to be able to add missing species to the correct branches.
Modified_tree_from_Furness_et_al_2015_(simpsonichthys_and_nothobranchius).tree
Life-history PCA scores
PCA scores of life-history, and with the variables it was constructed from.
Life_history_PCA_scores.xls
Latitude data
Data on the median absolute latitude for each species.
latitude.csv
Collection dates and PC1 of life-history
Data on the collection dates, and the scores on PC1 of life-history for each species.
Dates_and_LH.xls
Co-occurrence and PC1 of life-history
Data on co-occurrence with other killifish species, and PC1 of life-history.
Co_occurrence.xls
Behaviour_and_metabolic_rate_data
Main table of data collected in the study. The document "Explanations_of_table_column_names" explains what the different column names refers to.
README file for "Behaviour_and_metabolic_rate_data"
Explanations of the column names in the file "Behaviour_and_metabolic_rate_data.xls".
Explanations_of_table_column_names.txt
Life-history PCA
Probabilistic PCA to obtain PC1 of life-history, used in the main analysis.
Life_history_PCA.R
Maturation, reproduction and growth rate data
Data for the Probabilistic PCA used to obtain PC1 of life-history in the main analysis.The input variables to the Probabilistic PCA were: 1. Days from hatching to sexual maturity (log10 transformed species means), 2. Number of eggs produced per female per month (log10 transformed species means), and 3. total length growth rate in cm/day (log10 transformed species means).
Maturation_reproduction_growth.xls