Subordinate Fish Mediate Aggressiveness Using Recent Contest Information

Memorizing dominance relationships can help animals avoid unwinnable subsequent contests. However, when competitive ability changes over time—for example, as a function of condition—it may be adaptive to “forget” these and for subordinates once again enter contests with previously dominant individuals. Here, we examined the behavior pairs male cichlid fish, Julidochromis transcriptus , in repeated separated by different time intervals. We found that taken reach resolution influenced aggressive subordinate toward dominant, longer initial leading higher aggression. Longer intervals between also increased aggression from dominant. These results are consistent increasing uncertainty due ambiguous contest outcomes Our show was necessary resolve larger pairs, suggesting self-assessment strategy, but not mutual assessment strategy. Taken together, individuals appear adaptively lose or ignore gathered social information because they have fighting better body condition. Therefore, conclude losing ignoring unreliable an strategy context relationships.