How does environment influence fighting? The effects of tidal flow on resource value and fighting costs in sea anemones.

ABSTRACT: An animal's decision to enter into a fight depends on the interaction between perceived resource value (V) and fighting costs (C). Both could be altered by predictable environmental fluctuations. For intertidal marine animals, such as the sea anemone Actinia equina, exposure to high flow during the tidal cycle may increase V by bringing more food. It may also increase C via energy expenditure needed to attach to the substrate. We asked whether simulated tidal cycles would alter decisions in fighting A. equina We exposed some individuals to still water and others to simulated tidal cycles. To gain insights into V, we measured their startle responses before and after exposure to the treatments, before staging dyadic fights. Individuals exposed to flow present shorter startle re

SUBMITTER: Palaoro AV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5454235 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature