scholarly journals Hormonal regulation of social ascent and temporal patterns of behavior in an African cichlid

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beau A. Alward ◽  
Austin T. Hilliard ◽  
Ryan A. York ◽  
Russell D. Fernald
Keyword(s):  
Hormonal Regulation ◽  
Social Rank ◽  
Aggressive Display ◽  
Behavioral Patterns ◽  
African Cichlid ◽  
Patterns Of Behavior ◽  
Astatotilapia Burtoni ◽  
Mechanistic Basis ◽  
Courtship Behaviors ◽  
Courtship Displays

AbstractFor many species, social rank determines which individuals perform certain social behaviors and when. Higher ranking or dominant (DOM) individuals maintain status through aggressive interactions and perform courtship behaviors while non-dominant (ND) individuals do not. In some species ND individuals ascend (ASC) in social rank when the opportunity arises. Many important questions related to the mechanistic basis of social ascent remain to be answered. We probed whether androgen signaling regulates social ascent in male Astatotilapia burtoni, an African cichlid whose social hierarchy can be readily controlled in the laboratory. As expected, androgen receptor (AR) antagonism abolished reproductive behavior during social ascent. However, we discovered multiple AR-dependent—and AR-independent—temporal behavioral patterns that typify social ascent and dominance. AR antagonism in ASC males reduced the speed of behavioral performance compared to DOM males. Socially ascending males, independent of AR activation, were more likely than DOM males to follow aggressive displays with another aggressive display. Further analyses revealed differences in the sequencing of aggressive and courtship behaviors, wherein DOM males were more likely than ASC males to follow male-directed aggression with courtship displays. Strikingly, this difference was driven mostly by ASC males taking longer to transition from aggression to courtship, suggesting ASC males can perform certain DOM-typical temporal behavioral patterns. Our results indicate androgen signaling drives social ascent, but hormonal signaling and social experience shape the full suite of DOM-typical behavioral patterns.

scholarly journals A behavioral logic underlying aggression in an African cichlid fish

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beau A. Alward ◽  
Phillip H. Cathers ◽  
Danielle M. Blakkan ◽  
Russell D. Fernald
Keyword(s):  
Physical Aggression ◽  
Social Rank ◽  
Relative Size ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
List Type ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Resident Male ◽  
African Cichlid ◽  
Relative Standard ◽  
Astatotilapia Burtoni

AbstractSocial rank in a hierarchy determines which individuals have access to important resources such as food, shelter, and mates. In the African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni, rank is under social control, such that larger males are more likely than smaller males to be dominant in rank. Although it is well known that the relative size of A. burtoni males is critical in controlling social rank, the specific behavioral strategies underlying responses to males of different sizes are not well understood. In this research, our goal was to characterize these responses by performing resident-intruder assays, in which aggressive behaviors were measured in territorial males in response to the introduction of unfamiliar males that differed in relative standard length (SL). We found that the relative SL of intruders played an important role in determining behavioral performance. Resident males exposed to larger (>5% larger in SL) or matched (between 0 and 5% larger or smaller in SL) intruder males performed more lateral displays, a type of non-physical aggression, compared to resident males exposed to smaller (>5% smaller in SL) intruder males. However, physical aggression, such as chases and bites, did not differ as a function of relative SL. Our results suggest that A. burtoni males amplify non-physical aggression to settle territorial disputes in response to differences in relative SL that were not previously considered to be behaviorally relevant.HighlightsRelative size determines social rank in the African cichlid Astatotilapia burtoniResident male A. burtoni respond differently to small size differences in intruder malesResidents perform more non-physical aggression against larger intrudersResidents do not alter physical aggression as a function of differently sized intrudersDistinct behavioral strategies are used against different intruders

Gut microbial diversity increases with social rank in the African cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni

2019 ◽  
Vol 152 ◽  
pp. 79-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avehi Singh ◽  
Joshua J. Faber-Hammond ◽  
Cynthia F. O'Rourke ◽  
Suzy C.P. Renn
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Social Rank ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
African Cichlid ◽  
Astatotilapia Burtoni

scholarly journals Hormonal regulation of social ascent and temporal patterns of behavior in an African cichlid

2019 ◽  
Vol 107 ◽  
pp. 83-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beau A. Alward ◽  
Austin T. Hilliard ◽  
Ryan A. York ◽  
Russell D. Fernald
Keyword(s):  
Hormonal Regulation ◽  
Temporal Patterns ◽  
African Cichlid ◽  
Patterns Of Behavior

Arginine vasotocin regulates social ascent in the African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni

2015 ◽  
Vol 212 ◽  
pp. 106-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin S. Huffman ◽  
Flora I. Hinz ◽  
Sophie Wojcik ◽  
Nadia Aubin-Horth ◽  
Hans A. Hofmann
Keyword(s):  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Arginine Vasotocin ◽  
African Cichlid ◽  
Astatotilapia Burtoni

scholarly journals Reduced cooperative behavior as a cost of high testosterone in a lekking passerine bird

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 401-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben J Vernasco ◽  
Brent M Horton ◽  
Ignacio T Moore ◽  
T Brandt Ryder
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Courtship Behavior ◽  
Cooperative Behavior ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Passerine Bird ◽  
Courtship Display ◽  
Courtship Behaviors ◽  
Pipra Filicauda ◽  
Courtship Displays

Abstract Many studies have identified the reproductive benefits of cooperative behaviors, yet few have identified the mechanisms that underlie these behaviors. Mechanistic studies can inform our understanding of why some individuals are more or less cooperative, as well as identify the physiological constraints imposed upon the evolution of reproductive traits. Male wire-tailed manakins (Pipra filicauda) exhibit cooperative courtship behaviors and more cooperative territory holders have been shown to exhibit higher reproductive success. To begin to understand the proximate basis of cooperative display behaviors, we conducted both an observational study and an experimental study. Because coordinated courtship displays underlie this form of cooperation, our study also examined both the hormonal and social drivers of individual variation in courtship behavior more broadly (e.g., courtship display rates). Our observational study revealed that males with higher testosterone levels performed fewer cooperative display bouts. In addition, our experimental study demonstrated that the proportion of a male’s courtship displays that were cooperative decreased after being administered a testosterone-filled hormone implant. We found no relationship between an individual’s courtship display effort (i.e., display rate and time spent performing courtship displays) and circulating testosterone in either study. However, more cooperative males spent a greater proportion of time performing courtship displays than did less cooperative males, suggesting that testosterone may indirectly mediate courtship display behaviors by influencing a territory holder’s cooperative behavior. Overall, both our observational and experimental results suggest that reduced cooperative behavior is a cost of maintaining high levels of testosterone for territory-holding males.

A Theory of Spontaneous Pattern Generation and Learning

1980 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 728-730
Author(s):  
G. Sampath
Keyword(s):  
Pattern Generation ◽  
Neural Nets ◽  
Neural Net ◽  
Behavioral Patterns ◽  
Spontaneous Firing ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Firing Rates ◽  
Patterns Of Behavior

Spontaneous firing in neural nets can be processed and interpreted as patterns of behavior. Such patterns can be learned through learning mechanisms present in synapses. This implies that behavioral patterns can form without a stimulus if the spontaneous firing rates in a neural net are sufficiently high.

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