Threat display in Betta splendens: Effects of water condition and type of agonistic stimulation

Doré, François Y.; Lefebvre, Louis; Ducharme, Raymond

doi:10.1016/0003-3472(78)90140-9

Cited by 32 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…These results support previous notions that visual signals and social responsiveness of the opponent can act to facilitate or inhibit Betta aggression (Dore et al, 1978;Johnson & Johnson, 1973). In particular, the paired-encounter data from Experiments 1 and 2 suggest that submissive and nonaggressive behaviors inhibit attacks by Betta; male Betta attack aggressive opponents more than nonaggressive ones and rarely attack opponents once they have submitted.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Baenninger (1968) has presented data which indicate that submissive behaviors have little suppressive effect on attacks and displays by dominant fish. On the other hand, Dore, Lefebvre, and Ducharme (1978) recently have questioned these data and have suggested that visual appeasement signals do, indeed, prevent extensive physical damage in aggressive encounters.…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

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Effects of prior social experience on agonistic responding by Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens)

Cain

Anderson

Stein

et al. 1980

Animal Learning & Behavior

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The role of prior social experience in male Betta agonistic behavior was investigated in two experiments. Fish were either paired with an opponent until dominance was established naturally (Experiment II or given prior combat experience with a known aggressive or nonaggressive opponent (Experiment 2). The effects of prior social experience were then observed both in additional paired encounters and in some noncombat agonistic situations. The pairedencounter data indicate that Betta attack aggressive opponents more than nonaggressive ones and rarely attack opponents once they have submitted. In contrast to attacking, these fish do not show a significant decrease in displays once their opponent has submitted, nor do they display differentiallyto aggressive and nonaggressive opponents. The noncombatagonistic-situation data indicate that prior social experience affects both the preference of fish for viewing other conspecifics and the waning of display behaviors. These results suggest that submissive and nonaggressive behaviors can inhibit attacks but not displays by Betta, and they emphasize the necessity of controlling for prior social experience when studying aggressive behavior.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

mentioning

confidence: 98%

Effects of prior social experience on agonistic responding by Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens)

Cain

Anderson

Stein

et al. 1980

Animal Learning & Behavior

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“…Gallup, 1968;Thompson, 1966]. Probably, since in a normal confrontation with a conspecific no such strict continuity in reciprocity exists, the readiness to show aggressive display to a mirror image has been found to be somewhat higher to a mirror-image than to a conspecific [Dore et al, 1978]. Notwithstanding this difference, mirror image stimulation has been repeatedly used as a model for fighting in B. splendens [Johnson and Johnson, 1973;Meliska and Meliska, 1980;Simpson, 1968].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metabolic costs of aggressive behaviour in the Siamese fighting fish,Betta splendens

et al. 2006

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Aggressive conflicts between males are often resolved by means of multiple ritualized agonistic displays without damaging escalation. Apparently, in such cases by using those displays opponents exchange important motivational and physical information on which they base a decision to stay or leave the interaction. In the Siamese fighting fish, the time spent spreading the dorsal fin and erecting the gill coverts predicts who will be the winner or loser of the interaction. Two experiments were carried out to study whether display performance might be costly. First, oxygen consumption was measured during mirror-image stimulation. This experiment showed that oxygen consumption was positively correlated with gill cover erection and dorsal fin spread. In the second experiment, a fight between two opponents was simulated and the oxygen consumption of the expected winner and loser was compared. Metabolic rates were not different between winners and losers before and during the fight, but winners showed higher oxygen consumption in the night after the fight. These results are in accordance with costs of display performance and with longlasting physiological consequences of winning or losing a fight. Aggr. Behav. 32:474-480, 2006. r

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“…In addition, half the subjects from each group were placed in the apparatus 2 days prior to testing and lived .there for the duration of the experiment (familiar condition); the other half lived in their jars in the fish colony room except for actual test sessions (unfamiliar condition). Before placing each new batch of fish in the runways, the water was changed and the gravel thoroughly rinsed, because previous studies have shown that chemical stimuli from one fish can inhibit aggressive display in another (Ingersoll, Bronstein, & Bonventre, 1976; but see also Dore, Lefebvre, & Ducharme, 1978).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Runway behavior of Siamese fighting fish,Betta splendens, for aggressive display and food reinforcement

Bols

Hogan

1979

Animal Learning & Behavior

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Fish were allowed to choose, in a T-maze, between various combinations of goalboxes containing either food or a mirror, or nothing. Only food and a mirror maintained swimming, but percent choice and speed were higher for food than for a mirror. Measures of time motionless in the runway, turning away from the goalbox, and air gulping supported the notion that a stimulus for aggressive display induces avoidance as well as approach tendencies and that the aversive component in the display situation is responsible for poorer performance for a mirror.Male Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens, perform an elaborate aggressive display that is reliably evoked by the sight of a male Betta, a model of a male Betta, or the fish's mirror image. Simpson (1968) provides a detailed description of the behavior. It is well documented that the opportunity to view display-evoking stimuli is positively reinforcing (see Hogan & Roper, 1978, for a review). Nonetheless, studies comparing aggressive display and food reinforcement in B. splendens have shown differential effects on performance in a number of ways: When reinforced with the opportunity to display, fish show (a) lower asymptotic response levels, (b) more variable performance, (c) more rapid extinction, and (d) a failure to adjust response rates to ratio requirements (Hogan, 1967;Hogan, Kleist, & Hutchings, 1970). There is no clear explanation for these differences.One explanation that could account for some of these differencesis that aggressive display may possess negative as well as positive reinforcing properties, and performance for display would be determined by some combination of these two effects. Aggressive displays, in many species, have been shown to be motivated by both approach tendencies (aggression) and avoidance tendencies (escape or fear) (Hinde, 1970;Morris, 1956;Tinbergen, 1952). In Bettas, there is considerable evidence that a stimulus for aggressive display induces avoidance as well as This study was based on a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a PhD degree at the University of Toronto by R. J. Bois. It was supported by Grant A-Ol40 from the National Research Council of Canada. We thank Arturo Bouzas, Karen Hollis, Sara Shettleworth, and Gary Walters for their helpful criticisms of the manuscript. Don MacNaughton assisted with computer analysis. Requests for reprints should be sent to J.A. Hogan, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S lAI Canada. approach tendencies. For example, experiments by Baenninger (1970) and Rhoad, Kalat, and Klopfer (1975) show that Bettas will work to avoid as well as to approach a mirror, model, or a live conspecific under certain conditions.Further support for the idea that display-evoking stimuli induce avoidance as well as approach comes from experiments by Bols (1977). She gave Bettas a choice between an empty goalbox and a goalbox with a display-evoking stimulus behind a clear partition. Three display-evoking stimuli were tested: a live displaying male B...

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Threat display in Betta splendens: Effects of water condition and type of agonistic stimulation

Cited by 32 publications

References 18 publications

Effects of prior social experience on agonistic responding by Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens)

Effects of prior social experience on agonistic responding by Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens)

Metabolic costs of aggressive behaviour in the Siamese fighting fish,Betta splendens

Runway behavior of Siamese fighting fish,Betta splendens, for aggressive display and food reinforcement

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