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Reproductive state but not recent aggressive experience influences behavioral consistency in male Siamese fighting fish

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Abstract

Consistent individual differences in behavior imply that individuals act in the same manner every time they encounter a situation while differing from others. While these differences occur in a variety of contexts in a wide range of organisms, how recent experience affects behavioral consistency remains underexplored. Male Siamese fighting fish exhibit consistent individual differences in behavior when both a male and a female are present. However, whether these responses can be shaped by immediate recent aggressive experience is unknown. In this study, males first were presented with paired dummy male and female conspecifics after they had been isolated to obtain a baseline, no-experience measure. Males then won and lost fights and were retested with the dummies after each fight. These three experience types (no, win, loss) occurred both when males did and did not have nests to determine the effects of nest presence, experience, and the interaction between these factors on behavioral consistency. Overall behavior did not change based on experience with the exception of male-directed tail beats. Repeatability values were affected more by having a nest than fight outcome. This study demonstrates that consistent individual differences in behavior to conflicting stimuli are fairly resistant to short-term aggressive experiential effects.

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Acknowledgments

Erica Gagnon and Courtney Gill assisted with fish care and conducting behavioural trials. The authors thank Olivia Hebert, Linda Morrison, Christina Perazio, Kalyn Sullivan, and three anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. They also thank Jennifer Wieselquist for statistical advice. This work was supported through funding from a UNE CAS Faculty Development grant for TLD and was reviewed under UNE IACUC proposal 20101001DZI.

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of New England, 11 Hills Beach Rd, Biddeford, ME, 04005, USA

    Teresa L. Dzieweczynski & Lindsay M. Forrette

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  1. Teresa L. Dzieweczynski
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  2. Lindsay M. Forrette
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Correspondence to Teresa L. Dzieweczynski.

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Dzieweczynski, T.L., Forrette, L.M. Reproductive state but not recent aggressive experience influences behavioral consistency in male Siamese fighting fish. acta ethol 16, 31–40 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-012-0136-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-012-0136-y

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