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Social hierarchies

Size and growth modification in clownfish

Nature volume 424, pages145–146(2003)Cite this article

Sex change is not the only way these fish achieve dominance — they grow into the role.

Abstract

Conflicts of interest are part and parcel of living in a social group, although these can reduce the fitness of individual members. Here I show that clownfish (Amphiprion percula) adjust their size and growth rate according to their position in the group hierarchy, maintaining a well-defined size difference with respect to individuals above them in social rank. This strategy to prevent conflict is a surprising departure from the more usual ploy used by many animals of modifying their behaviour within the group1,2.

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Figure 1

S. PATERSON

Figure 2: Size and growth of clownfish (Amphiprion percula) in relation to rank.

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Author notes

  1. Peter Buston

    Present address: National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93101, USA

Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Seeley G. Mudd Hall, Ithaca, 14853, New York, USA

    Peter Buston

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  1. Peter Buston
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Correspondence to Peter Buston.

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The author declares no competing financial interests.

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Buston, P. Size and growth modification in clownfish. Nature 424, 145–146 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/424145a

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