Meeting Abstract
Polymorphisms contribute to adaptive plasticity because individuals with different phenotypes can respond differently to environmental variation. These phenotypes are often a suite of correlated traits spanning physiology, morphology and behavior. Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) males are either a common silver or rare melanistic (white with black blotches) phenotype, but no detailed analysis of their behaviors across social settings exists. We investigated the behavior of melanistic and silver males alone as well as interacting with another male, with a group of females, and with both another male and a group of females. Based on previous studies, we hypothesized that melanistic and silver males will differ in social behavior. Specifically, we predicted that melanistic males will exhibit higher levels of aggression and more mating attempts than silver males. Fish were placed in a five-gallon aquarium and each scenario was video recorded for one hour. First, we described all the focal males’ behavioral acts and compiled them into an ethogram. Behaviors were then scored continuously in JWatcher. Time analyses of behavior were used to determine if the frequency of aggression and mating behavior changes over time. We also applied a Markov chain analysis to compare sequences and transition probabilities of aggression and mating for both phenotypes. Melanistic males are hypothesized to exhibit a different sequence of behavioral acts during aggression and mating. We present a standardized description of Eastern Mosquitofish social behavior for color polymorphic males. These results form a strong foundation for future studies investigating the genetic and environmental mechanisms underlying phenotypic covariation in this and similar species.
