Social and spatial conflict drive resident aggression toward outsiders in a group-living fish.

ABSTRACT: Group-living animals often experience within-group competition for resources like shelter and space, as well as for social status. Because of this conflict, residents may aggressively resist joining attempts by new members. Here, we asked whether different forms of competition mediate this response, specifically competition over 1) shelter, 2) spatial position within groups, and 3) social or sexual roles. We performed experiments on wild groups of Neolamprologus multifasciatus cichlids in Lake Tanganyika, either increasing or decreasing the number of shelters (empty snail shells) within their territories. We predicted that increases in resource abundance would reduce conflict and lower the aggression of residents toward presented conspecifics, while decreases in resources would incr

SUBMITTER: Gubel J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8528491 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep-Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature