Aggressive behaviour and energy metabolism in a cichlid fish, Oreochromis mossambicus

We have investigated the effect of mirror-elicited agonistic behaviour on oxygen consumption in the Mozambique tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus (Cichlidae). Males exposed to their mirror image showed higher frequencies of both lateral display and tail-beating and escalated aggression more frequently...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPhysiology & behavior Vol. 89; no. 2; pp. 164 - 170
Main Authors Ros, Albert F.H., Becker, Klaus, Oliveira, Rui F.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge Elsevier Inc 30.09.2006
New York, NY Elsevier
Subjects
Aggression - physiology
Agnatha and pisces
Agonistic display
Animal ethology
Animals
Behavior, Animal - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Calorimetry
Cichlidae
Energy Metabolism - physiology
Freshwater
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Male
Metabolic rate
Mirror-elicited aggression
Oreochromis mossambicus
Oxygen Consumption - physiology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Tilapia
Tilapia - metabolism
Vertebrata
Metabolic rate
Tilapia
Oreochromis mossambicus
Mirror-elicited aggression
Agonistic display
Vertebrata
Energy metabolism
Aggression
Pisces
Rhythm
Aggressiveness
Agonistic behavior
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Summary:We have investigated the effect of mirror-elicited agonistic behaviour on oxygen consumption in the Mozambique tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus (Cichlidae). Males exposed to their mirror image showed higher frequencies of both lateral display and tail-beating and escalated aggression more frequently than males exposed to a transparent glass that was used as a control for the presence of a novel object in the tank. This aggressive response was correlated with an increase in oxygen consumption. Overt aggression was highly correlated with display behaviour and with locomotor activity. Bivariate analyses showed high correlation (explaining about 64% of variation) between overt aggression, locomotor activity and metabolic rates. Weakly positive bivariate correlations between displays and metabolic rates turned spurious after partialling out aggression. The data suggest that energetic costs only emerge late during the conflict, when animals escalate their aggressive behaviour.
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ISSN:0031-9384
1873-507X
DOI:10.1016/j.physbeh.2006.05.043