THE ONTOGENY OF SOCIAL-BEHAVIOR IN 4 SPECIES OF CENTRARCHID FISH

The ontogeny of agonistic behavior was studied in 4 spp. of centrarchid fish. Sixteen different agonistic MAP [modal action patterns] were observed with 8 being common to all 4 species. The 2 congeneric sunfish, bluegill and pumpkinseed, were most similar with regard to forms and frequencies of the MAP. Largemouth bass and rock bass were most different. The results did not support the observation that threat MAP increase relative to aggressive MAP as the fry aged. The onsets and types of agonistic MAP displayed by fry varied among species and appeared to be adaptive in that they were related to ecological events in the early life history of the fish in Lake Opinicon [Ontario, Canada].