The behaviour and ecology of competitive aggression Animals differ tremendously, both within and among species, in the amount of aggression used when competing for resources. The primary goal of our research is to determine how the distribution of resources in space and time influences the aggressiveness of animals. In laboratory and field experiments, we manipulate presentation of food or mates, while monitoring the aggressive behaviour of small groups of fish or birds. Our long-term goal is to develop general principles of competitive aggression that will help explain the diversity of foraging, mating and social systems observed in the wild.
We use stream-dwelling salmonids as a model system to investigate how territorial behaviour affects population regulation. Much of our work to date has involved following marked individuals in the wild as they feed, defend territories, and move through the environment. We relate the diversity in behaviour observed to measures of fitness, such as growth and mortality rate. Current work involves manipulations of food abundance to determine the quantitative relationships among habitat productivity, terrotory size and population density.
