Interspecific Aggression and its Relevance to the Concept of Territoriality in Reef Fishes

Myrberg, Arthur A.; Thresher, Ronald E.

doi:10.1093/icb/14.1.81

Cited by 214 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

105

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Individual recognition and past experience are mechanisms which have been acknowledged to mediate aggression (Oliveira, 2004) and might thus account for the differential expression of territorial aggression as a function of intruder's identity. Such factors have indeed been put forward to explain the variation of intraspecific aggression in S. nigricans (Jan et al, 2003) as well as differences between intra-and interspecific aggression in related species (Di Paola et al, 2012;Myrberg and Thresher, 1974). Further detailed observations and experiments on S. nigricans, especially on free-living individuals, are however required to clarify the similarities between intra-and interspecific territorial aggression towards P. lacrymatus as well as other intruding species.…”

Section: Causation Of Interspecific Social Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In coral reefs, niche overlaps between species may lead to both intra-and interspecific competition for shelter or food (Holbrook and Schmitt, 2002;Muñoz and Motta, 2000;Myrberg and Thresher, 1974). This is particularly evident in some species of damselfish that are called 'gardeners' as they grow and harvest algae as a food source (Ceccarelli, 2007;Karino and Nakazono, 1993), and defend these in a permanent territory against a broad array of potential competitors throughout the year (Di Paola et al, 2012;Ebersole, 1977;Hata and Kato, 2002Hata et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Intra- and interspecific aggression do not modulate androgen levels in dusky gregories, yet male aggression is reduced by an androgen blocker

Vullioud

Bshary

Ros

2013

Hormones and Behavior

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Discussions about social behavior are generally limited to fitness effects of interactions occurring between conspecifics. However, many fitness relevant interactions take place between individuals belonging to different species. Our detailed knowledge about the role of hormones in intraspecific interactions provides a starting point to investigate how far interspecific interactions are governed by the same physiological mechanisms. Here, we carried out standardized resident-intruder (sRI) tests in the laboratory to investigate the relationship between androgens and both intra-and interspecific aggression in a year-round territorial coral reef fish, the dusky gregory, Stegastes nigricans. This damselfish species fiercely defend cultivated algal crops, used as a food source, against a broad array of species, mainly food competitors, and thus represent an ideal model system for comparisons of intra-and interspecific territorial aggression. In a first experiment, resident S. nigricans showed elevated territorial aggression against intra-and interspecific intruders, yet neither elicited a significant increase in androgen levels. However, in a second experiment where we treated residents with flutamide, an androgen receptor blocker, males but not females showed decreased aggression, both towards intra-and interspecific intruders. Thus androgens appear to affect aggression in a broader territorial context where species identity of the intruder appears to play no role. This supports the idea that the same hormonal mechanism may be relevant in intra-and interspecific interactions. We further propose that in such a case, where physiological mechanisms of behavioral responses are found to be context dependent, interspecific territorial aggression should be considered a social behavior.

show abstract

Section: Causation Of Interspecific Social Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intra- and interspecific aggression do not modulate androgen levels in dusky gregories, yet male aggression is reduced by an androgen blocker

Vullioud

Bshary

Ros

2013

Hormones and Behavior

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A group was defined as 3 or more fish investigating or feeding at the array at any one time. Fin displays, notably the extension of the dorsal trigger, were used to determine aggression during feeding (Myrberg and Thresher 1974).…”

Section: Materials and Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

New method for presenting nutritionally defined food sources to marine organisms

Andrews

Simpson

Pile

2008

Limnology & Ocean Methods

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To study nutritional ecology in aquatic and marine ecosystems, it is important to be able to perform feeding trials enabling feeding and nutrient selection behavior of organisms to be observed in situ. Current studies in marine nutritional ecology are limited to laboratory and shallow water studies using food sources of undefined nutrient concentration. Here we describe a technique for delivering standardized nutrient sources in situ to both pelagic and benthic organisms as a feeding choice array, in a way that allows the amounts eaten of different foods and nutrients to be quantified and correlated with precise descriptions of the feeding behavior of individual organisms. A pilot study proved that this feeding choice array can be successfully deployed in marine environments. It will also be possible to use this technique to explore patterns of nutrient limitation and to investigate the nutritional regulatory response of marine and aquatic organisms.

show abstract

“…Apogon notatus do not need such food-supplying area as Plecoglossus altivelis or Gerres oyena do, but need a space for pair formation and breeding. From the viewpoint of functional significance, the spacing-out in Apogon notatus seems to be a biological adaptation, as Myrberg et al (1974) mentioned that the major advantages of any territorial system rest with reproductive function and access to food resorces, and may well be called a territory, that is one of important social organizations in advanced animals.…”

Section: Spacing-out Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the author's opinion, problems on complicated relations between territory and individual space seem to occur not only to the fishes that can shift their territory (Apogon notatus) or overrun their territorial boundary in pursuing intruders, such as Eupomacentrus planifrons (Myrberg et al, 1974), Plecoglossus altivelis (Mizuno et al, 1957) and Gerres oyena (in the spring season of 1976, unpublished data), but also to the fishes showing well defined territories such as Hypsypops rubicunda (Clarke, 1971), Gerres oyena (Usuki, 1976) and Pomacentrus jlavicauda (Low, 1971). Leyhausen (1971) suggested that in sedentary animals, the intolerance toward others expressed as individual distance may increase during the breeding season to the point that it becomes a territory.…”

Section: Spacing-out Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Underwater Observations and Experiments on Pair Formation and Related Behaviours of the Apogonid Fish, Apogon Notatus (Houttuyn)

Usuki¹

1977

Publ. SMBL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract(!) Underwater observations and experiments on pair formation in Apogon notatus were conducted almost every morning in June to July, 1976 in a rocky region north of the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory. (2) Experiments manifested that homing of this fish at least in the rocky region can be referred to the "pharotaxis". But homing in the sandy area remains still unexplained. (3) The usual sex recognition of this fish is thought to be based primarily on the differences in behavioural patterns between the sexes, while the mate identification in paired fish is supposed to be closely related to their determined attitude at the nest site. (4) Defended space, or individual space of paired fish is regarded as territory from the viewpoints of territory definition and its functional significance. (5) The smaller aggregations formed mostly in the season of pair formation is comparable with "the club" of the herring gull, Larus argentatus, from the viewpoint of animal sociology. As the aggregated fish maintain their restricted area for the time, the term "home site" may be used in explaining the behaviours of this fish. This seemingly accords with the results of studies on other fishes.

show abstract

Interspecific Aggression and its Relevance to the Concept of Territoriality in Reef Fishes

Cited by 214 publications

References 22 publications

Intra- and interspecific aggression do not modulate androgen levels in dusky gregories, yet male aggression is reduced by an androgen blocker

Intra- and interspecific aggression do not modulate androgen levels in dusky gregories, yet male aggression is reduced by an androgen blocker

New method for presenting nutritionally defined food sources to marine organisms

Underwater Observations and Experiments on Pair Formation and Related Behaviours of the Apogonid Fish, Apogon Notatus (Houttuyn)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About