Commitments to aggression and nest sites in male Betta splendens

Male Siamese fighting fish construct nests that are relatively isolated from conspecific males. Following nest construction, the presence of a male opponent elicits (a) nest fixation, (b) further nest building, and (c) Betta's agonistic sequence, i.e., attacks alternating with flight movements, along with gill displays occurring near the opponent. The form of a male-male encounter depends upon the distance between a resident's nest and the opponent as well as upon the individual differences in combatants' tolerance for the presence of a conspecific nearby. Also, the intensity of aggression early in an encounter is positively correlated with the intensity of subsequent fighting. Male Bettas appear to compete for space through the use of aggressive behavior and to coordinate their fighting activities by means of visual signals. An incentive model of visual communication is proposed in which visual cues emanating from a displaying male opponent elicit attack with an intensity that is directly proportional to the persistence of the opponent and inversely proportional to the distance between fish.