DISSERTATION RESEARCH: A Comparative Analysis of the Relationship Between Size, Aggression and a Signal of Aggressive Intent in Male Northern Swordtail Fishes

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A comparative approach will be used to assess the evolutionary relationship between aggressionand male size across the nine species of northern swordtail fishes. Dyadic contests and mirror imagestimulation tests will be used to measure aggression levels. The relationship between the mean male sizeof each species and the two measures of aggression will be analyzed using the comparative method ofindependent contrasts to determine if male size and aggression have been coevolving. In addition, theresponse of males to a signal of aggressive intent (vertical bars) will be examined to determine if thissignal confounds the relationship between aggression and size. This study is important because it willexamine the role that male-male competition has played in the evolution of male size, while examiningthe possible effects of a signal and phylogeny on aggression.In addition to graduate training, undergraduates participate in collection trips to Mexico, projectdesign, data collection and are included as authors on publications for which they have made a substantialand intellectual contribution. This project also includes international collaboration, with students andresearchers from both countries benefiting from in-field interactions and dissemination of research at eachothers home universities.