Reproductive costs, condition and carotenoid-based colour in natural populations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

Male threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, display an orange/red throat during the breeding season, which is carotenoid-based colour. We examined the relationship between energy-based costs of reproduction and colour in three lacustrine populations of threespine stickleback: two benthic (Willow and Big Beaver) and one limnetic (Lynne) ecotypes. In two lakes (Willow and Big Beaver) where benthic males defend nests against cannibalistic groups, males paid higher energy costs than in the third lake (Lynne) where cannibalistic groups are absent. We then examined colour variation within each population. Males from Lynne Lake did not change colour during the parental stage, whereas males from Willow and Big Beaver lakes became more intensely coloured. In addition, colour was typically independent of condition within stages. We propose that energy-based reproductive costs could explain some of the observed variation in colour by altering the payoffs associated with signalling effort during current versus future reproduction.