title: Agonistic and reproductive interactions in Betta splendens.
abstract: Reproductive and agonistic behaviors in Siamese fighting fish were investigated in eight experiments, and some consequences and determinants of these sequences were isolated. First, fights and the formation of dominance-subordinancy relations were studied. Second, it was determined that large body size as well as males' prior residency in a tank produced an agonistic advantage; the magnitude of this advantage was positively related to the duration of residency. Third, the prior-residency effect in Bettas was determined by males' familiarity with visual and/or tactile cues in their home tanks. Fourth, dominant males had greater access to living space and were more likely to display at a mirror, build nests, and approach females than were subordinates. Finally, it was discovered that chemical cues associated with presumedly inert plastic tank dividers influence Bettas' social behavior.
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression; D000378:Agonistic Behavior; D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal; D005399:Fishes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D012930:Social Dominance; D012931:Social Environment; D013731:Territoriality