Synopsis
Reproductive events tend to be synchronized in natural populations of Xiphophorus variatus. Males physically resembling one another tend to mature at the same rate and time. This coordinate development has also been seen in the laboratory. We hypothesize that juveniles resembling each other experience fewer aggressive responses from males than do juveniles without ‘look-alikes’, because of habituation of aggression. This would decrease social inhibition and permit their synchronous development.
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Borowsky, R., Diffley, J. (1981). Synchronized maturation and breeding in natural populations of Xiphophorus variatus (Poeciliidae). In: Noakes, D.L.G., Ward, J.A. (eds) Ecology and ethology of fishes. Developments in environmental biology of fishes, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1341-2_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1341-2_7
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