Boldness predicts social status in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

This study explored if boldness could be used to predict social status. First, boldness was assessed by monitoring individual zebrafish behaviour in (1) an unfamiliar barren environment with no shelter (open field), (2) the same environment when a roof was introduced as a shelter, and (3) when the r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2011-08, Vol.6 (8), p.e23565-e23565
Main Authors: Dahlbom, S Josefin, Lagman, David, Lundstedt-Enkel, Katrin, Sundström, L Fredrik, Winberg, Svante
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological - physiology
Aggression - physiology
Aggressiveness
Agriculture
Analysis
Animal behavior
Animals
Biology
Construction materials
Danio rerio
Data processing
Dominance
Dominance hierarchies
Dominance-Subordination
Female
Females
Fish
Fishes
Hierarchy, Social
Information management
Male
Males
Medicine
Multivariate analysis
NATURAL SCIENCES
NATURVETENSKAP
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Principal Component Analysis
Regression Analysis
Salmo trutta
Salvelinus alpinus
Sex Factors
Shelters
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Social aspects
Social behavior
Social interactions
Stress, Psychological - physiopathology
Trout
Veterinary Science
Zebrafish
Zebrafish - physiology
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Summary:This study explored if boldness could be used to predict social status. First, boldness was assessed by monitoring individual zebrafish behaviour in (1) an unfamiliar barren environment with no shelter (open field), (2) the same environment when a roof was introduced as a shelter, and (3) when the roof was removed and an unfamiliar object (Lego® brick) was introduced. Next, after a resting period of minimum one week, social status of the fish was determined in a dyadic contest and dominant/subordinate individuals were determined as the winner/loser of two consecutive contests. Multivariate data analyses showed that males were bolder than females and that the behaviours expressed by the fish during the boldness tests could be used to predict which fish would later become dominant and subordinate in the ensuing dyadic contest. We conclude that bold behaviour is positively correlated to dominance in zebrafish and that boldness is not solely a consequence of social dominance.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0023565