When are neighbours ‘dear enemies’ and when are they not? The responses of territorial male variegated pupfish, Cyprinodon variegatus, to neighbours, strangers and heterospecifics

Leiser, John K.

doi:10.1006/anbe.2003.2087

Cited by 52 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…In other circumstances where dear-enemy does not occur, heightened aggression between neighbours has been explained by competition for territorial resources (e.g. Leiser, 2003), or frequent movement of nest sites (Sanada-Morimura et al, 2003). In Argentine ants, when aggressive conspecifics are present, there is a real risk of costly territorial conflict (Thomas et al, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Barash, 1974), birds (Molles and Verencamp, 2001), amphibians (Jaeger, 1981), reptiles (Qualls and Jaeger, 1991) and fish (e.g. Leiser, 2003). This "dear enemy phenomenon" suggests that familiarity with the cues of ones neighbours allows a territorial individual to reduce some of the costs associated with territory defense -neighbours are recognized and tolerated while foreign individuals that may be encroaching on ones territory are not.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contact between supercolonies elevates aggression in Argentine ants

et al. 2007

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Complex recognition systems underlie the social organization of many organisms. In social insects the acceptance of other individuals as nestmates can involve a variety of different cues, but the relative importance of these cues can change in relation to the fitness costs of accepting or rejecting other individuals. In this study we investigate the mechanisms that underlie recognition behaviour in Argentine ants (Linepithema humile). Introduced populations of Argentine ants are characterized by a social structure known as unicoloniality where intraspecific aggression is absent over large distances resulting in the formation of expansive supercolonies. Recent research has identified sites where multiple, mutually aggressive supercolonies co-occur allowing an examination of Argentine ant behaviour at territorial boundaries. We found that workers from different supercolonies always interact aggressively with one another, but that neighbours from different colonies (i.e., workers from nests located in the immediate vicinity of territory borders) consistently exhibited higher levels of aggression compared to those displayed by nonneighbours from different colonies (i.e., workers from nests located far enough away from a territory border so that interactions are unlikely). This difference in the level of aggression displayed between neighbours and between non-neighbours from different supercolonies cannot be explained by differences in relatedness or genetic similarity. Instead our findings suggest that direct contact between mutually antagonistic colonies is sufficient to elevate aggression. A laboratory experiment in which we manipulated the extent to which colonies with no prior history of contact could interact with one another, revealed that aggression increased after colonies were permitted to interact, but dropped after connections between colonies were severed. Moreover, the mere presence of an aggressive supercolony was sufficient to elicit elevated aggression. Overall these patterns are opposite to the "dear enemy" phenomenon and could be the result of the intense territorial aggression exhibited by established supercolonies of this species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contact between supercolonies elevates aggression in Argentine ants

et al. 2007

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“…This reduction in aggression is known as the dear enemy relationship, and is exhibited by a variety of vertebrates (e.g., Fisher, 1954;Getty, 1989;Temeles, 1994;Ydenberg et al, 1998;Frostman and Sherman, 2004;Briefer et al, 2008). The dear enemy effect is beneficial for participant territory owners because it allows them to reduce territorial defense costs and to spend their energies on other activities that may increase their fitness (e.g., Temeles, 1994;Leiser and Itzkowitz, 1999;Leiser, 2003;Carazo et al, 2007;Briefer et al, 2008). Explanations for the evolution of this relationship have invoked reciprocal altruism based on the tit for tat (TFT) strategy in an iterated Prisoner's Dilemma (Trivers, 1971(Trivers, , 1985Axelrod and Hamilton, 1981;Getty, 1987), and we do not know alternative mechanical hypotheses for this phenomenon.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tit for Tat in the Dear Enemy Relationship Between Territorial Females of a Cichlid Fish

Sogawa

Kohda

2018

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Many territorial animals reduce aggression toward their neighbors once territorial boundaries are established. This relationship is called the dear enemy phenomenon, hypothetically based on a conditional strategy like tit for tat (TFT). However, studies on territorial animals such as male songbirds do not fully support this hypothesis. We tested the TFT hypothesis in females of the territorial cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher, which exhibits dear enemy relationships, under laboratory conditions. Focal fish attacked invading neighbors as frequently as invading strangers, but they immediately stopped attacking the dear neighbor after the neighbor returned to its own territory, whereas they kept attacking strangers even after they stopped invading. These responses of territory owners are consistent with the predictions of TFT theory. Interestingly, fish were likely to remain vigilant toward the neighbor after its invasion and subsequent return to its own territory. This vigilance, while not a required condition for TFT, is consistent with TFT if a betrayer tends to repeat its intrusion.

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“…In certain cases, a neighbour can be more threatening than a stranger (Temeles 1990). Moreover, the presence of a female within a male's territory can modify the male's aggressive responses to neighbours and strangers (Leiser 2003). Neighbours can be treated as a dear enemy only in the middle of the breeding season, when territories are stable, but not at the beginning and at the end of the season (Briefer et al 2008b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neighbour–stranger call discrimination in a nocturnal rail species, the Corncrake Crex crex

Budka

Osiejuk

2013

J Ornithol

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The acoustic signals of birds are commonly used for individual recognition. Calls or songs allow discrimination between parent and offspring, between mates and between territorial neighbours and strangers. In this study, we investigated vocal neighbour-stranger discrimination in a nocturnally calling rail species, the Corncrake, Crex crex. We conducted interactive playback experiments with 43 males. All males were tested twice on the same night, and their responses to the calls of a familiar neighbour and the calls of an unfamiliar stranger were measured. The Corncrake males responded more aggressively to the playback of a stranger's calls. They approached the speaker more rapidly, spent more time close to the speaker and physically attacked the speaker more frequently. We found no significant differences between the vocal responses to the playback of neighbours' and strangers' calls. Thus, although calling plays an important role in Corncrake territorial interactions, it is only a first line of defence in which males signal aggression towards intruders by calling, similar to singing in passerines. The lack of differences in vocal responses and the presence of clear differences in other behavioural responses demonstrate that the absence of a differential vocal response does not imply the absence of discrimination. Although the individual nature of the Corncrake call has been mentioned in a few previous studies, this study provides the first experimental evidence that Corncrake males indeed use calls for neighbour-stranger discrimination.Notably, because of the Corncrake's dense wet meadow habitat and its tendency to signal at night, it is probable that acoustic individual discrimination in the Corncrake is crucial for making correct decisions during aggressive encounters with rivals.

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When are neighbours ‘dear enemies’ and when are they not? The responses of territorial male variegated pupfish, Cyprinodon variegatus, to neighbours, strangers and heterospecifics

Cited by 52 publications

References 38 publications

Contact between supercolonies elevates aggression in Argentine ants

Contact between supercolonies elevates aggression in Argentine ants

Tit for Tat in the Dear Enemy Relationship Between Territorial Females of a Cichlid Fish

Neighbour–stranger call discrimination in a nocturnal rail species, the Corncrake Crex crex

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