Synopsis
I examined the hypothesis that animals alter their behavior in response to changes at the community scale of organization, rather than simply reacting to a sequential set of independent interactions with other organisms. The focal species was the threespot damselfish, Stegastes planifrons,a territorial coral reef fish that experiences a high degree of variation in community composition. Field observations of individual threespot damselfish showed a significant increase in the amount of time spent on active territorial defense when the community contained greater proportions of food competitors. Territorial behavior also increased concurrently with higher species diversity in the community. However, no behavioral change was observed in response to the total number of fish entering the defended territory, suggesting that threespot damselfish are responding to more complex environmental cues associated with community structure rather than simple density.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
J. Altmann (1974) ArticleTitleObservational study of behavior: sampling methods Behaviour 49 227–267 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:CSuC28zhsFc%3D Occurrence Handle4597405
H.T. Boschung SuffixJr. J.D. Williams D.W. Gotshall D.K. Caldwell M.C. Caldwell (1983) The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Fishes, Whales and Dolphins Knopf New York 848
J.P. Ebersole (1977) ArticleTitleThe adaptive significance of interspecific territoriality in the reef fish Eupomacentrus leucosticts Ecology 58 914–920
L. Fishelson (2003) ArticleTitleCoral and fish biocoenosis: ecological cells gradually maturing in complexity, species composition and energy turnover Environ. Biol. Fish. 68 391–405
S.A. Foster (1985) ArticleTitleGroup foraging by a coral reef fish: a mechanism for gaining access to defended resources Anim. Behav. 33 782–792
R.C. Francis S.R. Hare (1994) ArticleTitleDecadal-scale regime shifts in the large marine ecosystems of the North-east Pacific: a case for historical science Fish. Oceanogr. 3 279–291
M.E. Harrington G.S. Losey (1990) ArticleTitleThe importance of species identification and location on interspecific territorial defense by the damselfish, Stegastes fasciolatus Environ. Biol. Fish. 27 139–145
J.M. Helfield R.J. Naiman (2001) ArticleTitleEffects of salmon-derived nitrogen on riparian forest growth and implications for stream productivity Ecology 82 2403–2409
M. Itzkowitz (1990) ArticleTitleHeterospecific intruders, territorial defense and reproductive success in the beaugregory damselfish J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 140 49–59
C.G. Jones Lawton. J. (1995) Linking Species & Ecosystems Chapman & Hall San Francisco 387
C.G. Jones J.H. Lawton M. Shachak (1997) ArticleTitlePositive and negative effects of organisms as physical ecosystem engineers Ecology 78 1946–1957
D.W. Leger S.D. Berney-Key P.W. Sherman (1984) ArticleTitleVocalizations of Belding’s ground squirrels (Spermophilsu beldingi) Anim. Behav. 32 753–764
R.A. Mauck K.C. Harkless (2001) ArticleTitleThe effect of group membership on hiding behaviour in the northern rock barnacle, Semibalanus balanoides Anim. Behav. 62 743–748
B.A. Maurer (1987) ArticleTitleScaling of biological community structure: a systems approach to community complexity J. Theor. Biol. 127 97–110 Occurrence Handle3669685
K. McGarigal S. Sushman S. Stafford (2000) Multivariate statistics for wildlife and ecology research Springer New York 283
M. Milinski D. Kulling R. Kettler (1990) ArticleTitleTit for tat: sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus)‘trusting’ a cooperating partner Behav. Ecol. 1 7–11
A.A. Myrberg M. Mohler J.D. Catala (1986) ArticleTitleSound production by males of a coral reef fish (Pomacentrus partitus): its significance to females Anim. Behav. 34 913–923
A.A. Myrberg R.E. Thresher (1974) ArticleTitleInterspecific aggression and its relevance to the concept of territoriality in coral reef fishes Am. Zool. 14 81–96
G.K. Noble (1936) ArticleTitleCourtship and sexual selection of the flicker (Colaptes auratus luteus) Auk 53 269–282
J.E. Randall (1967) ArticleTitleFood habits of reef fishes in the West Indies Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. 5 665–847
D.R. Robertson S.G. Hoffman J.E. Shelbourne (1981) ArticleTitleAvailability of space for the territorial Caribbean damselfish Eupomacentrus planifrons Ecology 62 1162–1169
D.R. Robertson J.M. Sheldon (1979) ArticleTitleCompetitive interactions and the availability of sleeping sites for a diurnal coral reef fish J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 40 285–298
D.I. Rubenstein R.J. Barnett R.S. Ridgley P.H. Klopfer (1977) ArticleTitleAdaptive advantages of mixed-species feeding among seed-eating finches in Costa Rica Ibis 119 10–21
M.J. Shulman (1985) ArticleTitleCoral reef Fish assemblages: Intra- and interspecific competition for shelter sites Environ. Biol. Fish. 13 81–92
R.R. Sokal F.J. Rohlf (1981) Biometry: The Principles and Practice of Statistics in Biological Research 2nd edition Freeman San Francisco 219
S.E. Tardiff J.A. Stanford (1998) ArticleTitleGrizzly bear digging: effects on subalpine meadow plants in relation to mineral nitrogen availability Ecology 79 2219–2228
R.E. Thresher (1976) ArticleTitleField experiments on species recognition by the threespot damselfish, Eupomacentrus planifrons(Pisces: Pomacentridae) Anim. Behav. 24 562–569
L.K. Vahlburg (1992) ArticleTitleFlocking and frugivory: the effect of social groupings on resource use in the common bush-tanager Condor 94 358–363
A.H. Williams (1979) ArticleTitleInterference behavior and ecology of threespot damselfish (Eupomacentrus planifrons) Oecologia 38 223–230
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Abrey, C.A. The effect of community on the territorial behavior of the threespot damselfish. Environ Biol Fish 73, 163–170 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-004-5561-y
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-004-5561-y