In some animal societies, access to breeding depends on the individual's position in a hierarchy, which often depends on an individual's size. In such societies, individuals may try to outgrow one another to attain a higher rank by engaging in a form of strategic growth (competitive growth). This suggests that members of the hierarchy can track changes in the growth and size of potential competitors and respond accordingly. The clown anemonefish, Amphiprion percula, is one species known to exhibit competitive growth at the initiation of size hierarchies. Here, we use 5 combinations of sensory cues to determine which cues must be available for individuals to engage in competitive growth. Our results show that mechanosensory (pressure and/or touch) cues or unobstructed interactions are necessary for competitive growth to occur. This study provides an understanding of the relationship between sensory cues and phenotypic responses to different social contexts.

中文翻译：

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小丑鳗鱼（Amphiprion percula）中竞争性生长的潜在感觉线索

在一些动物社会中，获得繁殖的机会取决于个人在等级制度中的地位，而等级制度通常取决于个人的体型。在这样的社会中，个人可能会试图通过参与一种战略增长（竞争性增长）形式来超越彼此以达到更高的等级。这表明层次结构的成员可以跟踪潜在竞争对手的增长和规模的变化，并做出相应的反应。小丑海葵鱼 Amphiprion percula 是一种已知在大小等级开始时表现出竞争性生长的物种。在这里，我们使用 5 种感官线索组合来确定哪些线索必须可供个人参与竞争性增长。我们的结果表明，机械感觉（压力和/或触摸）提示或畅通无阻的交互对于竞争性增长的发生是必要的。