Data from: Presence of same-sex kin promotes explorative behavior in subadult cichlid fish

While the importance of kin discrimination, i.e. kin recognition and
subsequent differential treatment of kin and non-kin, is well established
for kin-directed cooperation or altruism, the role of kin discrimination
in the context of kin competition and kin avoidance is largely unexplored.
Theory predicts that individuals avoiding competition with kin should be
favored by natural selection due to indirect fitness benefits. Using an
experimental approach, we investigated whether the presence of same-sex
kin affects avoidance and explorative behavior in subadult Pelvicachromis
taeniatus, a West African cichlid fish with strong intra-sexual
competition in both sexes. P. taeniatus is capable of recognizing kin
using phenotype matching and shows kin discrimination in diverse contexts.
When exposed to a same-sex conspecific, both males and females tended to
interact less with the related opponent. Moreover, individuals explored a
novel environment faster after exposure to kin than to nonkin. This effect
was more pronounced in females. Individuals avoiding the proximity of
same-sex relatives may reduce kin competition over resources such as
mating partners or food.