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Agonistic Behavior Is Affected by Memory in the Dusky Damselfish Stegastes fuscus
M M Silveira1, J F de Souza1, H Araujo-Silva1
1Departamento de Fisiologia e Comportamento, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
|September 7, 2021
Summary
Dusky damselfish recognize familiar fish, reducing aggression. Memory retention of aggressive encounters affects this recognition, with responses changing over 15 days.
Area of Science:
- Ethology
- Animal Behavior
- Neuroethology
Background:
- Fish species can distinguish familiar from unfamiliar individuals.
- Agonistic interactions are common in territorial species and play a role in recognition.
- Memory's role in aggressive encounters and social dynamics is understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate memory retention of aggressive encounters in dusky damselfish (Stegastes fuscus).
- Determine how long damselfish remember aggressive interactions.
- Analyze the modulation of agonistic responses based on familiarity and memory.
Main Methods:
- Familiarization phase: 5 days of visual exposure to a conspecific.
- Recognition test: Pairing with familiar or unfamiliar conspecifics.
- Memory test: Retesting after 5, 10, and 15 days to assess memory retention.
Main Results:
- Damselfish displayed reduced aggression towards familiar conspecifics.
- Aggression towards unfamiliar conspecifics decreased significantly after 10 days.
- Recognition ability and agonistic response were modulated by time.
Conclusions:
- Dusky damselfish exhibit time-dependent recognition of conspecifics.
- Memory of aggressive encounters influences social behavior and recognition.
- Memory retention plays a crucial role in modulating agonistic responses in damselfish.
