The effects of food deprivation on agonistic behavior in an opisthobranch mollusc, Hermissenda crassicornis

Abstract

Behavioral observations of the encounters occurring among Hermissenda which had been deprived of food for 1–3 days demonstrated the following: 1. Although deprivation resulted in an increase of locomotor activity, there was not a corresponding increase in the number of encounters occurring. 2. Deprivation greatly increased the proportion of agonistic encounters. 3. As the deprivation period increased from 1 to 3 days, the proportion of agonistic encounters involving biting increased while the proportion of agonistic encounters without biting decreased. The overall proportion of agonistic encounters of both types appeared unchanged by the length of the deprivation.