Article,
Biochemical costs of a three day long cohabitation in dominant and submissive male Betta splendens
Aggressive Behavior, 20 (5): 369--378 (1994)
Abstract
Studied 3-day cohabitation in pairs of previously isolated adult male Betta splendens. The 1st 2 mornings started with intense fighting that decreased during the day. These morning bursts of aggression were associated with a significant carbohydrate metabolism activation, while daytime activity resulted in a reduction of muscle proteins in the evenings. No bursts of attack activity were observed on the 3rd day, but the threatening display frequency increased. During this day a similar reduction in lipids was observed in dominants and submissives. Whereas during the 1st 2 days the dominant position offered some metabolic advantage, this advantage disappeared during the 3rd day when both members of the dyad seemed to do equally less well than their isolated counterparts. Results suggest that in this species the presence of 1 opponent is less well tolerated than the presence of 4 conspecifics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved)
