1
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Álvarez-Quintero N, Kim SY. Effects of maternal age and environmental enrichment on learning ability and brain size. Behav Ecol 2024; 35:arae049. [PMID: 38952837 PMCID: PMC11215699 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arae049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
It is well known that maternal age at reproduction affects offspring lifespan and some other fitness-related traits, but it remains understudied whether maternal senescence affects how offspring respond to their environments. Early environment often plays a significant role in the development of an animal's behavioral phenotype. For example, complex environments can promote changes in cognitive ability and brain morphology in young animals. Here, we study whether and how maternal effect senescence influences offspring plasticity in cognition, group behavior, and brain morphology in response to environmental complexity. For this, juvenile 3-spined sticklebacks from young and old mothers (i.e. 1-yr and 2-yr-old) were exposed to different levels of environmental enrichment and complexity (i.e. none, simple, and complex), and their behavior, cognitive ability, and brain size were measured. Exposing fish to enriched conditions improved individual learning ability assessed by a repeated detour-reaching task, increased the size of the whole brain, and decreased aggressive interactions in the shoal. Maternal age did not influence the inhibitory control, learning ability, and group behavioral responses of offspring to the experimental environmental change. However, maternal age affected how some brain regions of offspring changed in response to environmental complexity. In offspring from old mothers, those exposed to the complex environment had larger telencephalons and cerebellums than those who experienced simpler environments. Our results suggest that maternal effect senescence may influence how offspring invest in brain functions related to cognition in response to environmental complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Náyade Álvarez-Quintero
- Grupo de Ecoloxía Animal, Centro de Investigación Mariña, Universidade de Vigo, Fonte das Abelleiras, s/n, Vigo, 36310 Pontevedra, Spain
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Complesso Interdepartamentale A. Vallisneri, Università di Padova, Via Ugo Bassi, 58b, 35121 Padova PD, Italy
| | - Sin-Yeon Kim
- Grupo de Ecoloxía Animal, Centro de Investigación Mariña, Universidade de Vigo, Fonte das Abelleiras, s/n, Vigo, 36310 Pontevedra, Spain
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2
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Berlinghieri F, Rizzuto G, Kruizinga L, Riedstra B, Groothuis T, Brown C. Are lateralized and bold fish optimistic or pessimistic? Anim Cogn 2024; 27:42. [PMID: 38833197 PMCID: PMC11150292 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01876-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Cognitive bias is defined as the influence of emotions on cognitive processes. The concept of the cognitive judgement bias has its origins in human psychology but has been applied to animals over the past 2 decades. In this study we were interested in determining if laterality and personality traits, which are known to influence learning style, might also be correlated with a cognitive bias in the three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We used the judgement bias test with the go/no-go procedure where fish were first trained to discriminate between a black and white card and, after reaching a minimum learning criterion, tested their response to an ambiguous card (grey). Optimistic subjects were expected to have a high expectation of reward associated with an ambiguous stimulus, whereas pessimistic subjects a high expectation of non-reward. We used an emergence and a mirror test to quantify boldness and laterality, respectively. We hypothesised that male, bolder and more strongly lateralized fish would be more optimistic than female, shy and less strongly lateralised fish. We found that males and more strongly lateralized fish were more optimistic than females and less strongly lateralized fish. In addition, bold males were more optimistic than shy males as we predicted, but females showed the opposite pattern. Finally, fish trained on the black colour card learned the training task faster than those trained on a white card. Our results indicate that both laterality and personality traits are linked to animals' internal states (pessimistic or optimistic outlooks) which likely has broad implications for understanding animal behaviour particularly in a welfare context.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Berlinghieri
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9747, AG, The Netherlands.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia.
| | - G Rizzuto
- CoNISMa, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Rome, Italy
| | - L Kruizinga
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9747, AG, The Netherlands
| | - B Riedstra
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9747, AG, The Netherlands
| | - Tgg Groothuis
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9747, AG, The Netherlands
| | - C Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
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3
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Lucon-Xiccato T. Inhibitory control in teleost fish: a methodological and conceptual review. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:27. [PMID: 38530456 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01867-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Inhibitory control (IC) plays a central role in behaviour control allowing an individual to resist external lures and internal predispositions. While IC has been consistently investigated in humans, other mammals, and birds, research has only recently begun to explore IC in other vertebrates. This review examines current literature on teleost fish, focusing on both methodological and conceptual aspects. I describe the main paradigms adopted to study IC in fish, identifying well-established tasks that fit various research applications and highlighting their advantages and limitations. In the conceptual analysis, I identify two well-developed lines of research with fish examining IC. The first line focuses on a comparative approach aimed to describe IC at the level of species and to understand the evolution of interspecific differences in relation to ecological specialisation, brain size, and factors affecting cognitive performance. Findings suggest several similarities between fish and previously studied vertebrates. The second line of research focuses on intraspecific variability of IC. Available results indicate substantial variation in fish IC related to sex, personality, genetic, age, and phenotypic plasticity, aligning with what is observed with other vertebrates. Overall, this review suggests that although data on teleosts are still scarce compared to mammals, the contribution of this group to IC research is already substantial and can further increase in various disciplines including comparative psychology, cognitive ecology, and neurosciences, and even in applied fields such as psychiatry research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyrone Lucon-Xiccato
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
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4
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Novaes FC, Natividade JC. The sexual selection of creativity: A nomological approach. Front Psychol 2023; 13:874261. [PMID: 36698589 PMCID: PMC9869285 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.874261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Cultural innovations, such as tools and other technical articles useful for survival, imply that creativity is an outcome of evolution. However, the existence of purely ornamental items obfuscates the functional value of creativity. What is the functional or adaptive value of aesthetic and intellectual ornaments? Recent evidence shows a connection between ornamental creativity, an individual's attractiveness, and their reproductive success. However, this association is not sufficient for establishing that creativity in humans evolved by sexual selection. In this critical review, we synthesize findings from many disciplines about the mechanisms, ontogeny, phylogeny, and the function of creativity in sexual selection. Existing research indicates that creativity has the characteristics expected of a trait evolved by sexual selection: genetic basis, sexual dimorphism, wider variety in males, influence of sex hormones, dysfunctional expressions, an advantage in mating in humans and other animals, and psychological modules adapted to mating contexts. Future studies should investigate mixed findings in the existing literature, such as creativity not being found particularly attractive in a non-WEIRD society. Moreover, we identified remaining knowledge gaps and recommend that further research should be undertaken in the following areas: sexual and reproductive correlates of creativity in non-WEIRD societies, relationship between androgens, development, and creative expression, as well as the impact of ornamental, technical and everyday creativity on attractiveness. Evolutionary research should analyze whether being an evolved signal of genetic quality is the only way in which creativity becomes sexually selected and therefore passed on from generation to generation. This review has gone a long way toward integrating and enhancing our understanding of ornamental creativity as a possible sexual selected psychological trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Carvalho Novaes
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jean Carlos Natividade
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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5
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The effect of sex, age and boldness on inhibitory control. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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6
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Barou‐Dagues M, Dubois F. Exploring the interplay between natural and intersexual selection on the evolution of a cognitive trait. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9066. [PMID: 35813909 PMCID: PMC9251863 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
There has been an increased focus on the role of natural and sexual selection in shaping cognitive abilities, but the importance of the interaction between both forces remains largely unknown. Intersexual selection through female mate choice might be an important driver of the evolution of cognitive traits, especially in monogamous species, where females may obtain direct fitness benefits by choosing mates with better cognitive abilities. However, the importance given by female to male cognitive traits might vary among species and/or populations according to their life-history traits and ecology. To disentangle the effects of natural and sexual selection, here we use an agent-based simulation model and compare the model's predictions when females mate with the first randomly encountered male (i.e., under natural selection) versus when they choose among males based on their cognitive trait values (i.e., under natural and intersexual selection). Males and females are characterized, respectively, by their problem-solving ability and assessment strategy. At each generation, agents go through (1) a choosing phase during which females assess the cognitive abilities of potential mates until eventually finding an acceptable one and (2) a reproductive phase during which all males compete for limited resources that are exploited at a rate, which depends on their cognitive abilities. Because males provide paternal care, the foraging success of mated males determines the breeding success of the pair through its effect on nestling provisioning efficiency. The model predicts that intersexual selection plays a major role in most ecological conditions, by either reinforcing or acting against the effect of natural selection. The latter case occurs under harsh environmental conditions, where intersexual selection contributes to maintaining cognitive diversity. Our findings thus demonstrate the importance of considering the interaction between both selective forces and highlight the need to build a conceptual framework to target relevant cognitive traits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Frédérique Dubois
- Département des Sciences BiologiquesUniversité de MontréalMontréalQuebecCanada
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Garnham LC, Boddington R, Løvlie H. Variation in inhibitory control does not influence social rank, foraging efficiency, or risk taking, in red junglefowl females. Anim Cogn 2022; 25:867-879. [PMID: 35122185 PMCID: PMC9334373 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01598-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Individual variation in cognition, seen in many taxa, is not well understood, despite its potential evolutionary consequences. Inhibitory control is an aspect of cognition which differs between individuals. However, how selection could act on this variation remains unclear. First, individual consistency over time of behaviours affected by inhibitory control, and how these behaviours relate to each other, is not well understood. Second, consequences in ecologically relevant contexts of variation in behaviours affected by inhibitory control, are scarcely investigated. Therefore, we explored the temporal consistency and inter-relatedness of two behaviours influenced by inhibitory control (impulsive action and persistence) and how these link to social rank, foraging efficiency, and risk taking in adult female red junglefowl (Gallus gallus). We measured impulsive action in a detour test, and persistence in both a detour test and a foraging test. Impulsive action and persistence, measured in a detour test, were moderately consistent over time, and positively correlated. This implies that selection could act on inhibitory control via these behaviours, and selection on one behaviour could affect the other. However, we found no evidence of links between inhibitory control and social rank, foraging efficiency, or risk taking. This implies that selection may not act on inhibitory control via these measures, and that, in general, there may be a lack of strong selection on inhibitory control. This, in turn, could help explain individual variation in this aspect of cognition. Future research should explore the specificity of when inhibitory control has implications for individuals, and continue to investigate how variation in cognitive traits influences how individuals behave in contexts with potential evolutionary implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Clare Garnham
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden.
| | - Robert Boddington
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Hanne Løvlie
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
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8
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Lucon-Xiccato T, Montalbano G, Reddon AR, Bertolucci C. Social environment affects inhibitory control via developmental plasticity in a fish. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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9
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Fuss T. Mate Choice, Sex Roles and Sexual Cognition in Vertebrates: Mate Choice Turns Cognition or Cognition Turns Mate Choice? Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.749495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The idea of “smart is sexy,” meaning superior cognition provides competitive benefits in mate choice and, therefore, evolutionary advantages in terms of reproductive fitness, is both exciting and captivating. Cognitively flexible individuals perceive and adapt more dynamically to (unpredictable) environmental changes. The sex roles that females and males adopt within their populations can vary greatly in response to the prevalent mating system. Based on how cognition determines these grossly divergent sex roles, different selection pressures could possibly shape the (progressive) evolution of cognitive abilities, suggesting the potential to induce sexual dimorphisms in superior cognitive abilities. Associations between an individual’s mating success, sexual traits and its cognitive abilities have been found consistently across vertebrate species and taxa, providing evidence that sexual selection may well shape the supporting cognitive prerequisites. Yet, while superior cognitive abilities provide benefits such as higher feeding success, improved antipredator behavior, or more favorable mate choice, they also claim costs such as higher energy levels and metabolic rates, which in turn may reduce fecundity, growth, or immune response. There is compelling evidence in a variety of vertebrate taxa that females appear to prefer skilled problem-solver males, i.e., they prefer those that appear to have better cognitive abilities. Consequently, cognition is also likely to have substantial effects on sexual selection processes. How the choosing sex assesses the cognitive abilities of potential mates has not been explored conclusively yet. Do cognitive skills guide an individual’s mate choice and does learning change an individual’s mate choice decisions? How and to which extent do individuals use their own cognitive skills to assess those of their conspecifics when choosing a mate? How does an individual’s role within a mating system influence the choice of the choosing sex in this context? Drawing on several examples from the vertebrate world, this review aims to elucidate various aspects associated with cognitive sex differences, the different roles of males and females in social and sexual interactions, and the potential influence of cognition on mate choice decisions. Finally, future perspectives aim to identify ways to answer the central question of how the triad of sex, cognition, and mate choice interacts.
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10
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Savaşçı BB, Lucon-Xiccato T, Bisazza A. Ontogeny and personality affect inhibitory control in guppies, Poecilia reticulata. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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11
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Álvarez-Quintero N, Chiara V, Kim SY. Trap versus net: Behavioural sampling bias caused by capture method in three-spined sticklebacks. Behav Processes 2021; 193:104504. [PMID: 34547377 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Wild-caught animals are often used in behavioural or other biological studies. However, different capture methods may target individuals that differ in behaviour, life history and morphology, thereby giving rise to sampling biases. Here, we investigated whether juvenile three-spined sticklebacks caught in a natural population by passive and active sampling methods using frequently used tools (i.e. trap and hand net) differ in behaviours related to cognition and personality. The fish caught by traps were more prone to take risks and shoal (i.e. bolder and more sociable), but smaller in size and mass than the fish caught by hand nets. Individual variation in boldness was greater in the fish caught by hand nets, suggesting that this active sampling method may capture more representative samples of the natural population. Our results show the importance of capture method to avoid sampling bias in behavioural studies using wild-caught animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Náyade Álvarez-Quintero
- Grupo Ecoloxía Animal, Torre CACTI, Centro de Investigación Mariña, Campus de Vigo, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain.
| | - Violette Chiara
- Grupo Ecoloxía Animal, Torre CACTI, Centro de Investigación Mariña, Campus de Vigo, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
| | - Sin-Yeon Kim
- Grupo Ecoloxía Animal, Torre CACTI, Centro de Investigación Mariña, Campus de Vigo, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
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12
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Álvarez-Quintero N, Velando A, Kim SY. Smart mating: the cognitive ability of females influences their preference for male cognitive ability. Behav Ecol 2021; 32:803-813. [PMID: 34690544 PMCID: PMC8528552 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive abilities may be crucial for individuals to respond appropriately to their social and natural environment, thereby increasing fitness. However, the role of cognitive traits in sexual selection has received relatively little attention. Here, we studied 1) whether male secondary sexual traits (colour, courtship, and nest) reflect their cognitive ability, 2) whether females choose mates based on males' and their own cognitive abilities, and 3) how the interplay between secondary sexual traits and cognitive ability determines male attractiveness in the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculetaus). For this, we first evaluated the cognitive ability of sexually mature males and females in a detour-reaching task. Then, female preference was repeatedly assessed in a dichotomous-choice test, where the female was exposed to two males with contrasting performances (relatively good and bad) in the detour-reaching task. Female preference for better performing males was affected by the female's own cognitive ability. Females with relatively medium-low cognitive ability preferred males with high ability, whereas females with high ability showed no preference. We also found that males with higher cognitive abilities built more elaborated nests, but showed weaker red nuptial colouration. To our knowledge, this is among the first results that illustrate how cognitive traits of both sexes influence female mate preference, which has implications for the strength and direction of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Náyade Álvarez-Quintero
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Universidade de Vigo, Grupo Ecoloxía Animal, Torre CACTI, Campus de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
| | - Alberto Velando
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Universidade de Vigo, Grupo Ecoloxía Animal, Torre CACTI, Campus de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
| | - Sin-Yeon Kim
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Universidade de Vigo, Grupo Ecoloxía Animal, Torre CACTI, Campus de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
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13
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Ryding S, Garnham LC, Abbey-Lee RN, Petkova I, Kreshchenko A, Løvlie H. Impulsivity is affected by cognitive enrichment and links to brain gene expression in red junglefowl chicks. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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14
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Lucon-Xiccato T, Montalbano G, Dadda M, Bertolucci C. Lateralization correlates with individual differences in inhibitory control in zebrafish. Biol Lett 2020; 16:20200296. [PMID: 32750269 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Individual fitness often depends on the ability to inhibit behaviours not adapted to a given situation. However, inhibitory control can vary greatly between individuals of the same species. We investigated a mechanism that might maintain this variability in zebrafish (Danio rerio). We demonstrate that inhibitory control correlates with cerebral lateralization, the tendency to process information with one brain hemisphere or the other. Individuals that preferentially observed a social stimulus with the right eye and thus processed social information with the left brain hemisphere, inhibited foraging behaviour more efficiently. Therefore, selective pressures that maintain lateralization variability in populations might provide indirect selection for variability in inhibitory control. Our study suggests that individual cognitive differences may result from complex multi-trait selection mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyrone Lucon-Xiccato
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Giulia Montalbano
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Marco Dadda
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Cristiano Bertolucci
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
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15
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Brandão ML, Fernandes AMTDA, Gonçalves-de-Freitas E. Male and female cichlid fish show cognitive inhibitory control ability. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15795. [PMID: 31673023 PMCID: PMC6823373 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52384-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory control is a way to infer cognitive flexibility in animals by inhibiting a behavioral propensity to obtain a reward. Here we tested whether there are differences in inhibitory control between females and males of the fish Nile tilapia owing to their distinct reproductive roles. Individuals were tested under a detour-reaching paradigm, consisting of training fish to feed behind an opaque barrier and, thereafter, testing them with a transparent one. Fish is expected to avoid trying to cross through the transparent barrier to achieve food (reward), thus showing inhibitory control by recovering the learned detour with the opaque apparatus. Both males and females learned to detour the transparent barrier with similar scores of correct responses, whereas females reached the food faster. This result is probably associated to their different sex roles in reproduction: females care for the eggs and fry inside their mouth (thus requiring a high inhibitory control not to swallow them), whereas males have to stay inside the territory defending it against intruder males, which also demands some inhibitory ability not to leave the spawning site and take the risk of losing it. Furthermore, this evidence of cognitive flexibility can enable social fish to deal with unpredictable interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Lombardi Brandão
- Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Cristóvão Colombo, 2265, 15054-000, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Marina Tabah de Almeida Fernandes
- Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Cristóvão Colombo, 2265, 15054-000, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Eliane Gonçalves-de-Freitas
- Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Cristóvão Colombo, 2265, 15054-000, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil.
- Centro de Aquicultura da UNESP, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brasil.
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16
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Keagy J, Minter R, Tinghitella RM. Sex differences in cognition and their relationship to male mate choice. Curr Zool 2019; 65:285-293. [PMID: 31263487 PMCID: PMC6595418 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoz014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Male cognition has gained recognition as an important potential player in sexual selection. A number of studies have found positive correlations between male sexual signals and cognitive performance and/or female preferences for males with better cognitive performance, although other studies have not found these relationships. Sex roles can differ dramatically, and sex differences in selection on cognition likely follow from the different tasks associated with these sex roles. Here, using threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus, a species with clearly divergent sex roles and mutual mate choice, we focus on the cognitive trait inhibitory control because males must differentially respond to reproductive females versus other sticklebacks while defending territories and refrain from eating eggs and fry while performing paternal care. We presented fish with a detour task four times over a period of 7 days, allowing us to assess initial inhibitory control and improvement over time. We ask 1) whether there are sex differences in inhibitory control and 2) whether male mate choice is associated with female inhibitory control. Although males outperformed females on three different measures of detour task performance across four trials, these differences were largely explained by males being less neophobic than females. Females took more trials to successfully solve the detour task, even after accounting for sex differences in neophobia. Female cognitive abilities, however, were unrelated to the vigor with which males courted them. The equivocal results regarding sex differences in cognitive ability suggest further study given the very different selection pressures each sex experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Keagy
- Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Ross Minter
- Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
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17
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Fuss T, Witte K. (Under)water love-linking mate choice and cognition in fish and frogs. Curr Zool 2019; 65:279-284. [PMID: 31263486 PMCID: PMC6595417 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoz030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Theodora Fuss
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology, Institute of Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biology, University of Siegen, Adolf-Reichwein-Str. 2, Siegen, Germany
| | - Klaudia Witte
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology, Institute of Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biology, University of Siegen, Adolf-Reichwein-Str. 2, Siegen, Germany
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Minter R, Keagy J, Tinghitella RM. The relationship between male sexual signals, cognitive performance, and mating success in stickleback fish. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:5621-5631. [PMID: 28808542 PMCID: PMC5551085 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2016] [Revised: 04/25/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive ability varies dramatically among individuals, yet the manner in which this variation correlates with reproduction has rarely been investigated. Here, we ask (1) do male sexual signals reflect their cognitive ability, and (2) is cognitive ability associated with male mating success? Specifically, we presented threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) with a detour‐reaching task to assess initial inhibitory control. Fish that performed better were those who solved the detour‐reaching task, solved it faster, and required fewer attempts to solve. We then reexamined males’ performance on this task over several days to assess learning ability in this context. We next measured sexual signals (coloration, nest area, and courtship vigor) and asked whether they reveal information about these male cognitive abilities. Finally, we examined whether success at attracting a female is associated with male cognition. After controlling for the strong effect of neophobia, we found that no measured sexual signals were associated with initial inhibitory control. Sexual signals were also not associated with change in performance on the detour‐reaching task over time (learning). However, females preferred mating with males who had better initial inhibitory control. We speculate that inhibitory control is a critical trait for male sticklebacks. In this system, males perform all parental care, but must avoid eating their own fry which closely resemble their prey items. Therefore, males with better inhibitory control may be more likely to successfully raise their offspring to independence. Our research adds to a growing list of mating systems and taxa in which cognition is important for measures related to fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross Minter
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Denver Denver CO USA
| | - Jason Keagy
- Department of Animal Biology University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign IL USA
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