creators_name: Beaugrand, Jacques P.
creators_name: Goulet, Claude
editors_name: Zayan, René
editors_name: Staddon, JER
type: journalp
datestamp: 2001-11-30
lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:54:50
metadata_visibility: show
title: Distinguishing kinds of prior dominance and subordination experiences in male Green swordtail fish (Xiphophorus helleri).
ispublished: pub
subjects: bio-ani-behav
subjects: bio-etho
full_text_status: public
keywords: Agonistic experience; Self-selection; Dominance; Subordination; Animal conflict; Social learning; Discrimination; Green swordtail fish; Xiphophorus helleri 
abstract: In experiments, there are usually  two general ways of obtaining dominants and subordinates to test for the effect of recent experience upon ulterior behaviour and dominance. One is to “impose” such an experience on the contestants  by a priori deciding  which individual of the pair will become the dominant and which will become the subordinate through the use of rigged contests. The second technique is to let contestants     “self-select” the winner and loser by waiting for the spontaneous outcome of dyadic encounters between two usually well matched opponents.  These two techniques of obtaining dominants and subordinates  probably represent extreme cases on a single continuum of investment made  by animals to settle dominance. To test this, we compared dominants and subordinates obtained  from these two techniques in Xiphophorus fish males. It was found that pairs obtained through rigged contests (R)  were  much more aggressive in subsequent encounters  than  pairs in which  the dominant and subordinate could self-select (S). They recuperated more rapidly from handling, initiated contact earlier, took more time to assess each other, and fought for a longer period of time. Prior-winners and prior-losers of the  R condition more frequently relied on aggressive behaviour during contest than that of the  S condition. As a consequence, prior-winners and prior-losers of the R condition won equally the subsequent contest. On the contrary,  prior-winners of the S condition defeated their prior-loser opponent in a majority of cases. These results can be tentatively explained by the following principle: winning or losing against a well matched opponent would leave more  “experience” than winning over a much weaker opponent, or losing to a much stronger one. This reinforces the hypothesis that prior-experiences are not qualitative states but come in various degrees. 

date: 2000
date_type: published
publication: Behavioural Processes
volume: 50
publisher: Elsevier
pagerange: 131-142
refereed: TRUE
referencetext: Allee, W.C., 1942. Social dominance and subordination among vertebrates, Biol. Symp.,  8, 139-162.
Beacham, J.L., Newman, J.A., 1987. Social experience and the formation of dominance relationships in the pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus). Animal Behaviour, 35,  1560-1563.
Beaugrand, J.P., 1980. Observation directe du comportement. In: Fondement et étapes de la recherche scientifique en psychologie (M. Robert, Ed.). Paris: Maloine, pp. 165-218.
Beaugrand, J.P., 1984. Modèles de dominance et théorie de l'évolution. In: J.J. Lévy et H.H. Cohen (Editors), Darwin après Darwin. P.U.Q., Québec, pp. 111-137.
Beaugrand, J.P., 1997. Resolution of agonistic conflicts in dyads of acquainted green swordtails (Xiphophorus helleri, Pisces, Poeciliidae): A game with perfect information. Behavioural Processes, 41, 79-96.
Beaugrand, J.P., Beaugrand, M., 1991. Prior residency and the stability of dominance relationships in pairs of green swordtail fish Xiphophorus helleri (Pisces, Poeciliidae). Behavioural Processes, 24, 169-175.
Beaugrand, J.P., Caron, J., Comeau, L., 1984. Social organization of small heterosexual groups of green swordtails (Xiphophorus helleri, Pisces: Poeciliidae) under condition of captivity. Behaviour, 91, 24-60.
Beaugrand, J.P., Goulet, C., Payette, D., 1991. Outcome of dyadic conflict in male green swordtail fish, Xiphophorus helleri: Effects of body size and prior dominance. Animal Behaviour, 41, 417-424.
Beaugrand, J.P., Payette, D., Goulet, C., 1996. Conflict outcome in male green swordtail fish dyads (Xiphophorus helleri): interaction of body size, prior dominance/subordination experience, and prior residency. Behaviour, 133, 1-17.
Beaugrand, J.P., Zayan, R., 1985. An experimental model of aggressive dominance in Xiphophorus helleri (Pisces, Poeciliidae). Behavioural Processes, 10, 1-52.
Benton, D., Brain, P. F.,  1979. Behavioural comparisons of isolated, dominant and subordinate mice.  Behavioural Processes, 4, 211-219.
Bernstein, I., Gordon, T.P., Rose, R.M., 1983. The interaction of hormones, behavior and social context in nonhuman primates. In:  Svare, B.B. (Ed.),  Hormones and Aggressive Behavior. Plenum Press, pp. 535-561.
Bols, R.J., 1977. Display reinforcement in the Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens: aggressive motivation or curiosity ? J. Comp. Physiol. Psy., 91, 233-244.
Bouissou, M.F., 1983. Hormonal influences on aggressive behavior in ungulates.
In: Svare, B.B. (Ed.),  Hormones and Aggressive Behavior. Plenum Press, pp. 507-533.
Corneille, P., 1993. Le Cid.  Tragi-comédie 1637, Paris: Gallimard.
Dow, M., Ewing, A.W., Sutherland, I., 1976. Studies on the behaviour of ciprinodont fish III. The temporal patterning of aggression in Aphysemion striatum (Boulenger). Behaviour, 59, 252-268.
Flanelly, K.J.,  Blanchard, R.J., 1981. Dominance: cause or description of social relationships. Behavioral &  Brain Science, 4, 438-440.
Francis, R.C., 1983. Experimental effects on agonistic behavior in the paradise fish, Macropodus operculatus. Behaviour, 85, 292-313.
Franck, D.,  Ribowski, A., 1987. Influences of prior agonistic experiences on aggression measures in the male swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri).  Behaviour, 103, 217-239.
Gerlai, R., Hogan, J.A. (1992). Learning to find the opponent: An ethological analysis of the Behavior of paradise fish (Macropodus opercularis) in intra- and interspecific Encounters. J. Comp. Psychol., 106, 306-315.
Ginsburg, B., Allee, W.C., 1942. Some effects of conditioning on social dominance and subordination in inbred strains of mice. Physiological Zoology, 15, 485-506.
Greenberg, N., 1983. Central and autonomic aspects of aggression in amphibians and reptiles. In: Ewert, J.P.,  Capranica, R.R., Ingle, D.J. (Eds.), Advances in Vertebrate Neuroethology. Plenum Press, pp. 1135-1143.
Hannes, R.P., 1984. Androgen and corticoid levels in blood and body extracts of high- and low-ranking swordtail males (Xiphophorus helleri) before and after social isolation. Z. Tierpsychol., 66, 70-76. 
Hannes, R.P., 1986. Blood and whole-body androgen levels of male swordtails correlated with aggression measures in a standard-opponent test. Aggressive Behavior, 12, 249-254.
Hannes, R.P., Franck, D., Liemann, F., 1984. Effects of rank-order fights on whole-body and blood concentrations of androgens and corticosteroids in the male swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri). Z. Tierpsychol., 65,  53-65.
Hinde, R.A., 1970. Animal Behaviour: A Synthesis of Ethology and Comparative Psychology. McGraw-Hill.
Hogan, J.A., 1967. Fighting and reinforcement in Siamese fighting fish Betta splendens. J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol., 64, 356-359.
Hogan, J.A.,  Roper, T.J., 1978. A comparison of the properties of different reinforcers. In: Rosenblatt, J.S., Hinde, R.A., Beer C., Busnel, M.C.  (Eds.),   Advances in the study of Behavior,  8. Academic Press,  pp. 155-255.
Hsu, Y., Wolf, L.L., 1999. The winner and loser effect: integrating multiple experiences. Animal Behaviour,  57,  903-910.
Huntingford, F., Turner, A., 1987. Animal Conflict. Chapman  Hall.
Jakobsson, S.,  Radesäter, T., Järvi, T., 1979. On the fighting behaviour of Nannacara anomala (Pisces, Cichlidae). Z. Tierpsychol., 49, 210-220.
Kahn, M.W., 1951. The effect of severe defeat at various age levels on the aggressive behaviour of mice. J. Genet. Psychol., 79, 117-130.
Legrand, R., 1970. Successful aggression as the reinforcer for runway behavior of mice. Psychonomic  Science, 20, 303-305.
Leshner, A.I., 1980. The interaction of experience and neuroendocrine factors in determining behavioral adaptations to aggression. Progress in Brain Research, 53, 427-438.
Leshner, A.I., 1983. The hormonal responses to competition and their behavioral significance. In: Svare, B.B. (Ed.),  Hormones and Behavior, Plenum Press, pp. 393-404.
Mazur, A.,  Lamb, T.A., 1980. Testosterone, status and mood in human males. Hormones and Behavior, 14, 236-246.
McDonald, A. L., Heimstra, N. W., Damkot, D. K., 1968. Social modification of  agonistic behaviour in fish. Animal Behaviour, 16, 437-441.
Ratner, S., 1961. Effect of learning to be submissive on statute in the peck order of domestic fowl. Animal Behaviour, 9, 34-37.
Rose, R.M., Gordon, T.P.,  Bernstein, I.S., 1972. Plasma testosterone levels in the male rhesus: influences of sexual and social stimuli. Science, 178, 643-645.
Rowell, T. E., 1974. The concept of social dominance. Behavioral Biology, 11, 131-154.
Schuurman, T., 1980. Hormonal correlates of agonistic behavior in adult male rats. Progress in Brain Research, 53, 415-420.
Scott, J.P., 1971. Theoretical issues concerning the origin and causes of fighting. In: Scott, J.P.,  Eleftheriou, B.E. (Eds.), The physiology of aggression and defeat. Plenum Press.
Scott, J.P.,  Frederickson, E., 1951. The causes of fighting in mice and rats. Physiological Zoology, 24, 273-309.
Simpson, M.J.A., 1968. The display of the Siamese fighting fish Betta splendens. Anim. Behav. Monog., 1, 1-73.
Slater, P.J.B., Lester, N.P., 1982. Minimising errors in splitting behaviour into bouts. Behaviour, 79, 153-161.
Taylor, G.T., 1979. Reinforcement and intraspecific aggressive behavior. Behav. and Neural Biol., 27, 1-24.
Tellegen, A., Horn, J.M., Legrand, R.G., 1969. Opportunity for aggression as a reinforcer for mice. Psychonomic Science, 14, 104-105.
Tellegen, A.,  Horn, J.M., 1972.  primary aggressive motivation in three inbred strains of mice. J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol., 78, 297-304.
Toates, F., 1995. Stress. Conceptual and Biological Aspects. Wiley.
Williams, J.L., 1991.  Ethoexperimental Analysis of Stress, Contextual Odors, and Defensive Behaviors. In: Blanchard, R.J., Brain, P.F., Blanchard, D.C., Parmigiani, S. (Eds.), Ethoexperimental Approaches to the Study of Behavior. Kluwer Academic:  Nato ASI Series D: Behavioural and Social Sciences, 48, pp. 214-228.

citation:   Beaugrand, Jacques P. and Goulet, Claude  (2000) Distinguishing kinds of prior dominance and subordination experiences in male Green swordtail fish (Xiphophorus helleri).  [Journal (Paginated)]     
document_url: http://cogprints.org/1936/3/beaugrand-goulet-2000-kinds.pdf