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Variation of territory size and defense behavior in breeding pairs of the endemic Lake Tanganyika cichlid fish Variabilichromis moorii

  • SPECIATION IN ANCIENT LAKES
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Abstract

Lake Tanganyika harbors the ecologically, morphologically, and behaviorally most diverse species flock of cichlid fishes. It is comprised by substrate breeding and mouthbrooding species, most of which live in littoral habitats. Species communities are characterized by complex behavioral and trophic interactions, resulting in a dense pattern of partially overlapping territories, depending on the degree of ecological distinctness. We studied territorial behavior of breeding pairs in a substrate breeding species, with respect to territory size and defense behavior. The study species Variabilichromis moorii belongs to the tribe Lamprologini, the most species rich tribe of cichlids in Lake Tanganyika. Our study shows that breeding pairs of V. moorii can have highly complex territories, in which both parents hold separate sub-territories which are shifted slightly according to the movements of the fry, but the outer borders are conjointly defended. The size of the total defended territory varied from <1 to almost 4 m2, averaging at about 2 m2. Depending on presence of competitors or fry-predators evoking agonistic interactions, the territory size varied quite substantially over the day. Attack rates and size of the defended area decreased with water depth. Agonistic behavior was observed toward heterospecifics as well as conspecifics, with heterospecific attacks mostly concerning territorial neighbors and potential fry-predators in about equal frequencies.

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Acknowledgments

We thank P. Ngalande and the team at the Mpulungu Station of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Republic of Zambia, as well as J. Knapp and N. Feiner for their cooperation during fieldwork. This study was financially supported by the Austrian Science Foundation (Grants P 17680 to CS and P17380 to KMS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria

    Christian Sturmbauer, Christoph Hahn, Stephan Koblmüller, Lisbeth Postl & Kristina M. Sefc

  2. Department of Research and Specialist Services, Fisheries Research Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, P.O. Box 55, Mpulungu, Zambia

    Danny Sinyinza

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  1. Christian Sturmbauer
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  2. Christoph Hahn
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  3. Stephan Koblmüller
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  4. Lisbeth Postl
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  5. Danny Sinyinza
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  6. Kristina M. Sefc
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Correspondence to Christian Sturmbauer.

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Guest editors: T. Wilke, R. Väinölä & F. Riedel

Patterns and Processes of Speciation in Ancient Lakes: Proceedings of the Fourth Symposium on Speciation in Ancient Lakes, Berlin, Germany, September 4–8, 2006

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Sturmbauer, C., Hahn, C., Koblmüller, S. et al. Variation of territory size and defense behavior in breeding pairs of the endemic Lake Tanganyika cichlid fish Variabilichromis moorii . Hydrobiologia 615, 49–56 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-008-9567-x

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