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The influence of the sight of a conspecific on the growth ofBlennius pholis (Pisces Teleostei)

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Summary

Individuals ofBlennius pholis were kept (a) isolated, (b) in sight contact to a conspecific and (c) in sight and smell contact to a conspecific. For nine weeks the fish were fed with a ration corresponding to 5 % bodyweight daily and the weight of the fish recorded weekly.

Fish with sight or sight and smell contact grew significantly less than isolated ones. The liverweight and condition factor of fish with contanct to a conspecific was lower than in isolated fish.

No significant differences between fish that had sight and smell contact to a conspecific and those that had sight contact only were detected.

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This work is part of a thesis submitted to the University of Wales (Wirtz, 1973). I wish to express gratitude to Dr. D. J. Grove for his general supervision during the project.

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Wirtz, P. The influence of the sight of a conspecific on the growth ofBlennius pholis (Pisces Teleostei). J. Comp. Physiol. 91, 161–165 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00694271

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00694271

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