Meeting Abstract

P3.158  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Mathmatical analysis of Betta Splendens display behavior FAN, John; University of Maryland daph@umd.edu

Aggressive behavior amongst male animals of the same species is common. This aggression often manifests in threatening displays, violence, or both. The Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens, for instance, are well known for their aggressive behavior that is often triggered by sight alone. Inspired by the elaborate displaying behaviors of these fish, I used probabilistic tools to describe and analyze male male, male-female and male-mirror (self) encounters. My initial observations allowed me to categorize twelve distinct and consistent behaviors that occur during aggressive displays between these fish and summarize them in an ethogram. I then recorded and analyzed confrontations, translating the observed displays into behavioral sequences. With this data I have been able to create first-degree Markov chains, showing the likelihood of each fishs next behavior based on its current behavior. Furthermore, in the case of male-male interaction, I have used my data to show the probability of each fishs next behavior based on both its own current behavior, as well as the current behavior of the other fish. In determining these various probabilities, three major behavioral patterns seemed to have emerged, which I chosen to describe as aggressive, passive, and defensive.