SREL Reprint #1750
Cannibalism frequencies in wild populations of the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki: Poeciliidae) in South Carolina
Douglas H. Nesbit1 and Gary K. Meffe2
1Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27109
2University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina 29802
Introduction: Cannibalism is an interesting biological phenomenon because it may involve eating individuals that carry genes related by common descent and thus be detrimental to individual fitness. This should be strongly selected against, unless there are benefits that counter the costs of removing related genotypes from the next generation. A number of benefits have been proposed, including energy gain, survival during periods of food scarcity, removal of potential competitors or predators, and even a group selection argument for population self-regulation (Fox, 1975; Polis, 1981). Regardless of cannibalism's evolutionary role, however, one problem with many studies is that it is difficult to document and quantify under natural conditions. Consequently, in some groups, the importance of the trait in wild populations is unknown.
SREL Reprint #1750
Nesbit, D. H. and G. K. Meffe. 1993. Cannibalism frequencies in wild populations of the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki: Poeciliidae) in South Carolina. Copeia 1993: 867-870.
This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).