Mitochondrial function predicts dominance status in brown trout

In social hierarchies, winning contests confers better access to food, shelter, and reproductive opportunities. Clear dominance relationships are often apparent even when opponents are matched for experience, age, size, and other obvious characteristics. One explanation for this could be among-individual differences in mitochondrial function, since this could be associated with the cellular allocation of energy to dominance-associated traits.
Here, we tested whether the dominance status of juvenile brown trout (Salmo trutta) was related to their mitochondrial function. We determined each fish’s dominance status by staging a series of contests for a feeding territory in an artificial stream tank; observations of colouration, food acquisition, and aggressive behaviour allowed the assignment of dominance. Mitochondrial function (the capacity for ATP production, and the efficiency with which ATP is produced) was then measured in the muscles used for swimming, analysed at the level of both h..., , # Data from: Mitochondrial function predicts dominance status in brown trout

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.n8pk0p38m](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.n8pk0p38m)

This dataset was collected and analysed by the authors of the paper “Mitochondrial function predicts dominance status in brown trout”, which is published in the journal Functional Ecology. Data_for_Dryad_-_McLennan_et_al._2025._Functional_Ecology.xlsx

## Description of the data and file structure:

Please see below for an overview of each variable:

* Fish ID ~ This is the unique ID that we assigned to each of the trout.
* Tag ~ Each of the four fish within a cohort had a unique VIE tag (i.e., one yellow, one red, one green and one white).
* Cohort ~ The experimental cohort that each fish belonged to.
* Colouration score ~ Fish were assigned a score at each observation period, depending on whether they were relatively brighter (indicating dominance) or darker (indicating subordination). Range = -24 to 24.
* Food capture score ...,