Social plasticity in non-territorial male African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni

Fulmer, Andrew Goldklank; Neumeister, Heike; Preuss, Thomas

doi:10.1007/s10164-016-0498-0

Cited by 13 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Video recordings (using a Panasonic DMC‐GH4 video camera) of the contest behaviour lasted 30 min; chases and bites were later counted from the video recording. The behaviour was classified as a “chase” when one fish accelerated in the direction of his opponent without making physical contact (Fulmer et al ., 2017). A bite was recorded when one of the fish made physical contact with its mouth on the body of its opponent (Chou et al ., 2016).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female preference for dominant males in the Mexican mojarra cichlid fish, Cichlasoma istlanum

Castillo

Arce

2020

Journal of Fish Biology

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It is widely assumed that female preference and male competition operate simultaneously during sexual selection. Dominance is likely an honest indicator of male quality, and females can identify and choose the dominant male to reproduce with individuals with greater competitive abilities, thus improving the quality and competitiveness of their offspring. In this context, few studies have investigated female preference in relation to male fighting ability. The Mexican mojarra, Cichlasoma istlanum, is a cichlid species native to the Balsas River basin. It is territorial during reproduction and provides parental care. Males commonly engage in territorial defence, whereas females care directly for offspring. This study examined whether females prefer dominant males that exhibit more aggressive behaviour. The authors conducted experiments using groups of two males and one female to test competitive ability in males and female preference. They also quantified the time during which the female associated with the dominant male and the subordinate male after observing the outcome of a fight between the two males. They found that Mexican mojarra females preferred dominant males and that the time females spent associating with males was positively related with their aggressive behaviours during competition. These results indicate that dominant males were more attractive than subordinate males to female Mexican mojarra. The relationship between female preference and male dominance in the Mexican mojarra demonstrates the importance of male competitive ability for future parental care in reproduction.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female preference for dominant males in the Mexican mojarra cichlid fish, Cichlasoma istlanum

Castillo

Arce

2020

Journal of Fish Biology

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“…Although sex and social status have strong effects on adult behavior, individual variation persists, including in the frequency or quality of behavioral expression, such as aggression, territoriality, courtship, reproductive behavior, and maternal behavior (Alward et al, 2021;Friesen et al, 2022;Fulmer et al, 2017;M. R. Kidd et al, 2013;Maruska, Becker, et al, 2013;Renn et al, 2009); tenure in a dominant vs. subordinate role (Hofmann et al, 1999); female mate choice (M. R. Kidd et al, 2013); social learning (Rodriguez-Santiago et al, 2020); and cognition (Wallace & Hofmann, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple behavioural mechanisms shape development in a highly social cichlid fish

Harmon

McCabe

Graves

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Early-life social experiences shape adult phenotype, yet the underlying behavioral mechanisms remain poorly understood. We manipulated early-life social experience in the highly social African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni to investigate the effects on behavior and neuroendocrine stress axis function. Juveniles experienced different numbers of early-life social partners in stable pairs (1 partner), stable groups (6 fish; 5 partners), and socialized pairs (a novel fish was exchanged every 5 days; 5 partners). Treatments also differed in group size (groups vs. pairs) and stability (stable vs. socialized). We then measured behavior in multiple contexts and water-borne cortisol. We found effects of treatment on behavior across all assays: open field exploration, social cue investigation, dominant behavior, and subordinate behavior. Cortisol did not differ across treatments. Principle components (PC) analysis revealed robust co-variation of behavior across contexts, including with cortisol, to form behavioral syndromes sensitive to early-life social experience. PC1 (25.1%) differed by numbers of social partners: juveniles with more social partners were more active during the social cue investigation, spent less time in the territory, and were more interactive as dominants. Differences in PC5 (8.5%) were based on stability: socialized pairs were more dominant, spent less time in and around the territory, were more socially investigative, and had lower cortisol than stable groups or pairs. Behavior observations in the home tanks provided further insights into the behavioral mechanisms underlying these effects. These results contribute to our understanding of how early-life social experiences are accrued and exert strong, lasting effects on adult phenotype.

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“…Their detailed ethogram included 36 different behaviours that were classified into five categories such as aggressive, social, maintenance, reproductive, and submissive [ 10 ]. Ethograms have also been adapted to investigate social plasticity [ 11 ], genotype-environment interaction [ 12 ], play behaviour [ 13 ], or even behavioural responses to interactive robots [ 14 , 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Point for Enrichment, Point for Welfare—Testing Use of a Laser Pointer with Arapaima gigas

Mátrai

Chan²,

Leung³

et al. 2023

Animals

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The arapaima (Arapaima gigas) is one of the largest freshwater fish species, known to exceed 3 m in total length. It is listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN. A. gigas is native to the Amazon River basin where they are an important food source. Arapaimas are also farmed for meat and for live specimens in various South American and Asian countries. Despite decades of keeping the species in public aquariums, little is known of its behaviour and cognitive abilities. This pilot study provides baseline data on using a green laser pointer as environmental enrichment for this species under human care. The data collection included 18 observations before the use of the laser pointer (baseline) and 18 observations during the use of the laser pointer (test). Ten behaviours were monitored, investigating physical contact, activity pattern and habitat use by the fish. During the test, the fish significantly increased their presence in the tank, their level of activity and their use of the habitat. This pilot study provides valuable baseline data for further investigations demonstrating the value of a laser pointer as environmental enrichment for A. gigas under human care.

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Social plasticity in non-territorial male African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni

Cited by 13 publications

References 46 publications

Female preference for dominant males in the Mexican mojarra cichlid fish, Cichlasoma istlanum

Female preference for dominant males in the Mexican mojarra cichlid fish, Cichlasoma istlanum

Multiple behavioural mechanisms shape development in a highly social cichlid fish

Point for Enrichment, Point for Welfare—Testing Use of a Laser Pointer with Arapaima gigas

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