A1 Journal article (refereed)
Size-dependent aggression towards kin in a cannibalistic species (2022)

Fouilloux, C. A., Fromhage, L., Valkonen, J. K., & Rojas, B. (2022). Size-dependent aggression towards kin in a cannibalistic species. Behavioral Ecology, 33(3), 582-591. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arac020

JYU authors or editors

Fouilloux, Chloe
Fromhage, Lutz
Valkonen, Janne
Rojas Zuluaga, Bibiana

Publication details

All authors or editors: Fouilloux, Chloe A.; Fromhage, Lutz; Valkonen, Janne K.; Rojas, Bibiana

Journal or series: Behavioral Ecology

ISSN: 1045-2249

eISSN: 1465-7279

Publication year: 2022

Publication date: 25/03/2022

Volume: 33

Issue number: 3

Pages range: 582-591

Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arac020

Research data link: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.zs7h44j6w

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/81645

Abstract

In juveniles extreme intraspecies aggression can seem counter-intuitive, as it might endanger their developmental goal of surviving until reproductive stage. Ultimately, aggression can be vital for survival, although the factors (e.g., genetic or environmental) leading to the expression and intensity of this behavior vary across taxa. Attacking (and sometimes killing) related individuals may reduce inclusive fitness; as a solution to this problem, some species exhibit kin discrimination and preferentially attack unrelated individuals. Here, we used both experimental and modeling approaches to consider how physical traits (e.g., size in relation to opponent) and genetic relatedness mediate aggression in dyads of cannibalistic Dendrobates tinctorius tadpoles. We paired full-sibling, half-sibling, and non-sibling tadpoles of different sizes together in an arena and recorded their aggression and activity. We found that the interaction between relative size and relatedness predicts aggressive behavior: large individuals in non-sibling dyads are significantly more aggressive than large individuals in sibling dyads. Unexpectedly, although siblings tended to attack less overall, in size-mismatched pairs they attacked faster than in non-sibling treatments. Using a theoretical model to complement these empirical findings, we propose that larval aggression reflects a balance between relatedness and size where individuals trade-off their own fitness with that of their relatives.

Keywords: animal behaviour; kin selection; cannibalism; frogs

Fields of science: