Meeting Abstract
Male green anoles (Anolis carolinensis) establish dominance relationships within minutes of interacting with other males. Acquisition and maintenance of social status over a period of time results in physiological changes influencing an array of behaviors including aggression, courtship and self-preservation behavior. Here we examined the influence of social status in male anoles on aggression and exploratory behavior. Size and weight matched males were paired to allow the formation of dominant-subordinate dyads and were tested for aggression and exploratory behavior 6 days after pairing. The same animals were also tested 6 days before pairing to evaluate preexisting differences in these behaviors. For the aggression test, a mirror was used to simulate the presence of an intruder and the number of aggressive acts was quantified. For the exploratory behavior test, an arena was separated by a divider into two chambers: a dark, smaller acclimation chamber and an illuminated, larger test area that included perches. The animals were allowed to explore the test area for 40 minutes. The time spent in the test area and on the perches was recorded. Subordinates were found to be significantly less aggressive than dominants following the establishment of hierarchy (paired t test: t=3.645, p=0.0039). Furthermore, both dominants (D) and subordinates (S) had lower levels of aggression relative to their pre-pair levels (paired t tests: D:p=0.0014, t=4.226; S: p= 0.0018, t=4.097). Acquisition of social status had no affect on exploratory behavior. Interestingly after acquisition of social status, future subordinates spent significantly less time in the test area (t=2.573, p=0.022). Thus, while social hierarchy influences aggression it has no affect on general exploratory behavior.
