Cycles of aggression in the male three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

Data were collected to determine whether there are intrinsic, short-term cycles of aggression during the reproductive stage in the male three-spined stickleback. The subjects were studied in the lab, where model female-female were presented for 10 + min. The frequency of court-ship behavior, biting, and a variety of nest activities were measured, as a function of time. It was found that biting does undergo regular and striking internal fluctuations, and that this is correlated with the cycling of a number of other behaviors.