Caribbean damselfish with varying territory quality: correlated behaviors but not a syndrome

The behavioral syndrome hypothesis suggests that individual animals within a population behave differently due to specific behavioral types, and these should be consistent across behaviors or in different contexts. In contrast, for animals that live within an environment in which territory quality can change over time, natural selection should have favored behavioral flexibility and modulation of the cost of defense in relation to territory quality. This would require assessment of the territory followed by displays of appropriate types and intensities of behavior. We examined the territorial behavior of male beaugregory damselfish (Stegastes leucostictus) by enhancing territory quality using artificial breeding sites and comparing their behavior to males on lower quality natural sites. When male fish were defending high-quality artificial territories, they had higher levels of aggression toward male conspecifics and courtship toward females than when on low-quality natural territories. We also found that aggression and courtship behaviors were correlated on natural sites but not on artificial sites. Behaviors were not correlated within individuals when males switched from natural to artificial territories or from artificial to natural territories. These results indicate that males assess their current territories and adjust behaviors accordingly and that courtship and aggressive behaviors are not linked within a permanent behavioral syndrome. Copyright 2009, Oxford University Press.