While studying for my ichthyology final, I found an interesting excerpt in the reproduction section of my textbook, The Diversity of Fishes by Helfman et al.
"Social control also explains protogynous sex change in the Midas Cichlid, Cichlasoma citrinellm, one of the few freshwater changers. Large fish tend to be male, smaller fish are female. Growth rate depends on behavioral interactions of juveniles, with dominant fish growing faster. The size advantage model again explains the course of this change, since female Midas cichlids mate preferably with larger males. This preference is adaptive, because the male has primary responsibility for defending the breeding site and larger males are better defenders (Francis and Barlow 1993)."
Any personal experiences or opinions?
"Social control also explains protogynous sex change in the Midas Cichlid, Cichlasoma citrinellm, one of the few freshwater changers. Large fish tend to be male, smaller fish are female. Growth rate depends on behavioral interactions of juveniles, with dominant fish growing faster. The size advantage model again explains the course of this change, since female Midas cichlids mate preferably with larger males. This preference is adaptive, because the male has primary responsibility for defending the breeding site and larger males are better defenders (Francis and Barlow 1993)."
Any personal experiences or opinions?
anymore?
