Strategic parental investment: Cannibalism and courtship in fishes with exclusive paternal care

Focusing on species of fish where males provide all of the parental care this thesis examines the conditions that lead to fathers eating their own offspring. It also investigates whether parental status influences male courtship behaviour. It finds that males are more likely to eat their own young when they will be costly to raise, and, in some instances, where doing so can help the male breed again. However, males did not adjust their courtship behaviour immediately after acquiring a clutch of eggs. Together, these findings highlight the complexity and variability in mating and parental effort among paternal caring species.