Material Information
- Title:
- EFFECTS OF FREQUENCY AND DISTANCE OF INTRUDERS ON AGGRESSION OF THREESPOT DAMSELFISH (STEGASTES PLANIFRONS)
- Physical Description:
- Book
- Language:
- English
- Creator:
- Otto, Grace
- Publisher:
- New College of Florida
- Place of Publication:
- Sarasota, Fla.
- Publication Date:
- 2014
Thesis/Dissertation Information
- Degree:
- Bachelor's ( B.A.)
- Degree Grantor:
- New College of Florida
- Degree Divisions:
- Social Sciences
- Area of Concentration:
- Psychology, Biology
Subjects
- Genre:
- bibliography ( marcgt )
theses ( marcgt )
government publication (state, provincial, territorial, dependent) ( marcgt )
born-digital ( sobekcm )
Electronic Thesis or Dissertation
Notes
- Abstract:
- Many members of the Pomacentridae family, commonly referred to as damselfish, are
herbivorous, consuming algae regularly as part of their diet, and territorial, aggressively
defending where they feed and reproduce. These characteristics affect coexisting species and the
physical reef, making damselfish behavior an important component of coral reef ecosystems.
The purpose of this study is to analyze how the familiarity of other fish that enter
damselfish territories, called intruders, may affect the variation of aggressive behaviors of
threespot damselfish (Stegastes planifrons). In an observational study (Study 1), threespot
damselfish on the reef were observed and intruding species and aggressive behaviors toward
them were analyzed. Then, in an experimental study (Study 2), subjects were exposed to rare or
frequent novel objects, colored plates meant to represent fish, that were shown close to or far
from the territories. By recording intruding species and territory holders’ behavior toward these
species, the effects of frequency of those species on damselfish behavior were analyzed. The
effects of frequency and proximity of novel objects were also analyzed.
In Study 1, attacks were more frequent on fish showing greater frequency. These results
show that familiarity with intruders affects aggressive behavior toward intruders in threespot
damselfish in the wild. In Study 2, most plates were not attacked during presentation and those that were received low numbers of attacks. These results suggest that damselfish aggression is
affected differently by fish and novel objects. The low number of attacks could be explained by
the salience of the plates in the wild and by differences in behavior between wild and captive
damselfish.
- Statement of Responsibility:
- by Grace Otto
- Thesis:
- Thesis (B.A.) -- New College of Florida, 2014
- General Note:
- RESTRICTED TO NCF STUDENTS, STAFF, FACULTY, AND ON-CAMPUS USE
- Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references.
- General Note:
- This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida Libraries, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.
- General Note:
- Faculty Sponsor: Bauer, Gordon
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- New College of Florida
- Holding Location:
- New College of Florida
- Rights Management:
- Applicable rights reserved.
- Resource Identifier:
- Classification:
- S.T. 2014 O8
- System ID:
- AA00024787:00001
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