Contest behaviour in fishes

Earley, Ryan L.; Hsu, Yu-Wei

doi:10.1017/cbo9781139051248.012

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 265 publications

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“…This ability to perform a challenging behaviour well has been described in the context of sexual selection as skill [1]. Similarly, we should expect that individuals that can perform agonistic behaviour skilfully should have a greater chance of victory than those that perform poorly [33]. In the following sections, we discuss what 'performing well' during a fight might mean, and what might underpin variation in the capacity to do this.…”

Section: (B) the Nature Of Fightingmentioning

confidence: 90%

The role of skill in animal contests: a neglected component of fighting ability

Briffa¹,

Lane²

2017

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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What attributes make some individuals more likely to win a fight than others? A range of morphological and physiological traits have been studied intensely but far less focus has been placed on the actual agonistic behaviours used. Current studies of agonistic behaviour focus on contest duration and the vigour of fighting. It also seems obvious that individuals that fight more skilfully should have a greater chance of winning a fight. Here, we discuss the meaning of skill in animal fights. As the activities of each opponent can be disrupted by the behaviour of their rival, we differentiate among ability, technique and skill itself. In addition to efficient, accurate and sometimes precise movement, skilful fighting also requires rapid decision-making, so that appropriate tactics and strategies are selected. We consider how these different components of skill could be acquired, through genes, experiences of play-fighting and of real fights. Skilful fighting can enhance resource holding potential (RHP) by allowing for sustained vigour, by inflicting greater costs on opponents and by minimizing the chance of damage. Therefore, we argue that skill is a neglected but important component of RHP that could be readily studied to provide new insights into the evolution of agonistic behaviour.

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Section: (B) the Nature Of Fightingmentioning

confidence: 90%

The role of skill in animal contests: a neglected component of fighting ability

Briffa¹,

Lane²

2017

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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“…Similarly, in the damselfish, Pomacentrus amboinensis, winners had greater aerobic scope than that of losers (Killen et al, 2014). Although the idea that fighting can be energetically demanding is widely appreciated (Briffa and Sneddon, 2007) and links between metabolic rate and aggressiveness have been proposed (Reale et al, 2010), relatively few studies have directly measured the effects of variation in metabolic rate on fight outcomes (Earley and Hsu, 2013). Although we did not measure metabolic rate in the current study, our data suggest that the effect of variation in metabolism on fight outcomes might be dependent on external conditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How does the environment affect fighting? The interaction between extrinsic fighting ability and resource value during contests

Lane

Briffa

2018

Journal of Experimental Biology

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An individual's performance during a fight is influenced by a combination of their capacity and willingness to compete. While willingness to fight is known to be determined by both intrinsic and extrinsic drivers, an individual's capacity to fight is generally thought of as solely intrinsic, being driven by a host of physiological factors. However, evidence indicates that variation in fighting ability can also be generated through exposure to different environmental conditions. Environmental contributions to fighting ability may be particularly important for animals living in spatially and temporally heterogeneous habitats, in which fights can occur between rivals recently exposed to different environmental conditions. The rapidly changing environment experienced within intertidal zones, for example, means that seawater parameters, including dissolved oxygen content and temperature, can vary across small spatial and temporal scales. Here, we investigated the relative importance of these extrinsic contributions to fighting ability and resource value on contest dynamics in the beadlet sea anemone We manipulated the extrinsic fighting ability of both opponents (through dissolved oxygen concentration prior to fights) and resource value (through seawater flow rate during the fight). Our results indicate that the extrinsic fighting ability of both opponents can interact with resource value to drive escalation patterns and that extrinsic drivers can be more important in determining contest dynamics than the intrinsic traits commonly studied. Our study highlights the need to combine data on intrinsic state and extrinsic conditions in order to gain a more holistic view of the factors driving contest behaviour.

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“…Through the mechanism of sexual selection, mating competition leaves a marked signature (Darwin, 1871/1998; Jenions & Kokko, 2010), generating some of the most conspicuous phenomena in nature: the exhausting and unending croak of the frog (Dyson, Reichert, & Halliday, 2013; Ryan, 1985), the bioluminescent flash of the firefly 3 (Lewis & Cratsley, 2008), the antlers of the stag (Kokko & Brooks, 2003), the recurved horns of the ibex, the elongated canine of the boar (Jennings & Gammell, 2013), the major cheliped claw of the fiddler crab (Briffa, 2013), as well as the horns and mandibles of beetles (Snell-Rood & Moczek, 2013). 4 Likewise, the marks of competition between males for females resulted in the evolution of the dewlap of the lizard indicating bite force (Earley & Hsu, 2013), the comb of the rooster, honestly signaling physical condition and testosterone levels (Pryke, 2013), the lekking parade and plumage display of the sage-grouse, advertising high genetic quality and low parasite load (Harrell, 2008), and the bellowing of the buck during the annual rut, simultaneously indicating dominance to rivals and fitness to females (Jennings & Gammell, 2013). These are the subjects of nature documentaries, the sources of inspiration to aspiring biologists, and the spur to research studies and conservation efforts.…”

Section: Overt and Covert Signatures Of Mating Competitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward a Biology of Collectivism

Hertler

2015

Sage Open

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The signs of mating competition are written into the physiology of the human male, but they are not written equally into the physiology of all racial groupings of human males. It seems that Asian males are different, different in that they are more fully dissimilar from the gorilla than are other races, showing less sexual dimorphism, muscularity, and less marked secondary sexual characteristics, and different in that they are more fully dissimilar from the chimpanzee than are other races, showing less sexual drive and activity as well as smaller testicles and lower sperm counts. It is presently argued that such anatomical differences are a testament to a more peaceably monogamous mating history. In turn, it is then argued that such physiological markers are directly associated with the collectivist ethos that has been historically, anthropologically, and sociologically observed among the Asian people.

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Contest behaviour in fishes

Cited by 12 publications

References 265 publications

The role of skill in animal contests: a neglected component of fighting ability

The role of skill in animal contests: a neglected component of fighting ability

How does the environment affect fighting? The interaction between extrinsic fighting ability and resource value during contests

Toward a Biology of Collectivism

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