Social interaction and distribution of female Zebrafish (Danio rerio) in a large aquarium (2002)

Delany M, Follet C, Ryan N, et al.

Abstract

The mating behavior of the zebrafish seems to be influenced by the exposure of mating partners to one another several to 24 h before spawning begins at sunrise; female gonadal hormones apparently stimulate males to perform courtship behavior (1,2). Our preliminary experiments (unpubl. data) showed reproductive suppression of female zebrafish kept together for 4 days before they were separated and mated with a single male overnight. On average, each of these females(n = 52)laid only 45 12 (SE) eggs, in comparison to 200 12 (SE) eggs of a female kept isolated for 4 days and then mated with one male(n = 15; 150 12(SE) eggs) or two males(n = 30; 180 12(SE) eggs) overnight. Females kept together in a aquarium behaved aggressively toward each other and developed a dominance hierarchy. These results led us to assume that females would avoid other females if they could. The aim of this study was to investigate spatial and social distribution of female zebrafish in a large aquarium where they could choose between different localities and partners.