Skip to main content
Dryad

Data from: Inbreeding and competitor’s genetic relatedness affect dynamic male color-ornament expression in a cichlid fish

Data files

Jan 29, 2025 version files 7.64 KB

Abstract

We examined the dynamic color-expression in male groups of the cichlid Pelvicachromis taeniatus during competition over breeding sites. Groups (trios) were either inbred or outbred and consisted each of 2 unfamiliar brothers and an unfamiliar, unrelated male. Males of P. taeniatus are territorial and develop a carotenoid-based yellow coloration at the ventral body region and the caudal fin. Intense body coloration signals dominance. Our study showed i) that outbred males generally developed more intense yellow coloration (chromaticity) during the experiment compared to inbred males and ii) that related males were more intensively colored at the caudal fin after the trials than the unrelated males. In conclusion, our study indicates environment-dependent inbreeding depression in a male ornament as well as positive kin-selected effects on ornamentexpression. Our study describes understudied sources of phenotypic variation in ornamental traits in animals.