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Dissinger A, Rimoldi S, Terova G, Kwasek K. Chronic social isolation affects feeding behavior of juvenile zebrafish (Danio rerio). PLoS One 2024; 19:e0307967. [PMID: 39058733 PMCID: PMC11280532 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Many organisms exhibit social behaviors and are part of some scheme of social structure. Zebrafish are highly social, shoaling fish and therefore, social isolation may have notable impacts on their physiology and behavior. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of social isolation on feed intake, monoaminergic system related gene expression, and intestinal health of juvenile zebrafish fed a high-inclusion soybean meal based diet. At 20 days post-fertilization zebrafish were randomly assigned to chronic isolation (1 fish per 1.5 L tank) or social housing (6 fish per 9 L tank) with 18 tanks per treatment group (n = 18). Dividers were placed between all tanks to prevent visual cues between fish. Zebrafish were fed a commercial fishmeal based diet until 35 days post-fertilization and then fed the experimental high-inclusion soybean meal based diet until 50 days post-fertilization. At the end of the experiment (51 days post-fertilization), the mean total length, weight, and weight gain were not significantly different between treatment groups. Feed intake and feed conversion ratio were significantly higher in chronic isolation fish than in social housing fish. Expression of monoaminergic and appetite-related genes were not significantly different between groups. The chronic isolation group showed higher expression of the inflammatory gene il-1b, however, average intestinal villi width was significantly smaller and average length-to-width ratio was significantly higher in chronic isolation fish, suggesting morphological signs of inflammation were not present at the time of sampling. These results indicate that chronic isolation positively affects feed intake of juvenile zebrafish and suggest that isolation may be useful in promoting feed intake of less-palatable diets such as those based on soybean meal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey Dissinger
- Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, Carbondale, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Simona Rimoldi
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Genciana Terova
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Karolina Kwasek
- Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, Carbondale, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, United States of America
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2
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Lloyd E, Rastogi A, Holtz N, Aaronson B, Craig Albertson R, Keene AC. Ontogeny and social context regulate the circadian activity patterns of Lake Malawi cichlids. J Comp Physiol B 2024; 194:299-313. [PMID: 37910192 PMCID: PMC11233325 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-023-01523-3] [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: 05/27/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Activity patterns tend to be highly stereotyped and critical for executing many different behaviors including foraging, social interactions, and predator avoidance. Differences in the circadian timing of locomotor activity and rest periods can facilitate habitat partitioning and the exploitation of novel niches. As a consequence, closely related species often display highly divergent activity patterns, suggesting that shifts from diurnal to nocturnal behavior, or vice versa, are critical for survival. In Africa's Lake Malawi alone, there are over 500 species of cichlids, which inhabit diverse environments and exhibit extensive phenotypic variation. We have previously identified a substantial range in activity patterns across adult Lake Malawi cichlid species, from strongly diurnal to strongly nocturnal. In many species, including fishes, ecological pressures differ dramatically across life-history stages, raising the possibility that activity patterns may change over ontogeny. To determine if rest-activity patterns change across life stages, we compared the locomotor patterns of six Lake Malawi cichlid species. While total rest and activity did not change between early juvenile and adult stages, rest-activity patterns did, with juveniles displaying distinct activity rhythms that are more robust than adults. One distinct difference between juveniles and adults is the emergence of complex social behavior. To determine whether social context is required for activity rhythms, we next measured locomotor behavior in group-housed adult fish. We found that when normal social interactions were allowed, locomotor activity patterns were restored, supporting the notion that social interactions promote circadian regulation of activity in adult fish. These findings reveal a previously unidentified link between developmental stage and social interactions in the circadian timing of cichlid activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Lloyd
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77840, USA
| | - Aakriti Rastogi
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77840, USA
| | - Niah Holtz
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Ben Aaronson
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - R Craig Albertson
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Alex C Keene
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77840, USA.
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3
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Nunley K, McGhee KE. Detection of relatedness in chemical alarm cues by a selfing vertebrate depends on population and the life stage producing the alarm cue. Behav Processes 2024; 219:105056. [PMID: 38782306 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Aquatic prey have impressive abilities to extract information from a variety of chemical cues. For example, they can use the alarm cues released by wounded individuals during a predator attack to learn about predation risk, and they can also distinguish kin from non-kin individuals during interactions. However, it remains unclear whether animals can combine this information on predation risk with kin recognition of the particular individuals under threat. To examine how the relatedness of the individuals in alarm cue affects behaviour we used the self-fertilizing hermaphroditic mangrove rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus), in which lineages produce genetically identical offspring through selfing. We explored this in two populations that differ in their level of outcrossing. We measured activity before and after exposure to alarm cue made from individuals (either adults or embryos) from their own lineage or an unrelated lineage from the same population. Fish responded weakly to embryo alarm cues, but tended to reduce their activity more when the alarm cues were from an unrelated lineage compared to alarm cues from their own lineage, particularly in fish from the outcrossing population. In contrast, there was no effect of cue relatedness on the response to adult alarm cues but there was a strong population effect. Specifically, individuals from the outcrossing population tended to react more strongly to alarm cues compared to individuals from the predominantly selfing population. We discuss the potential roles of the major histocompatibility complex in cue detection, differences between adult vs embryo alarm cues in terms of concentration and information, and underlying differences among populations and genetic lineages in their production and detection of chemical cues. Whether this kin recognition offers adaptive benefits or is simply a consequence of being able to detect relatedness in living individuals would be an exciting area for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn Nunley
- Department of Biology, The University of the South, Sewanee, TN37383, USA
| | - Katie E McGhee
- Department of Biology, The University of the South, Sewanee, TN37383, USA.
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4
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Yan JL, Rosenbaum JR, Esteves S, Dobbin ML, Dukas R. Sexual conflict and social networks in bed bugs: effects of social experience. Behav Ecol 2024; 35:arae030. [PMID: 38690087 PMCID: PMC11059254 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arae030] [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: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Living in groups can provide essential experience that improves sexual performance and reproductive success. While the effects of social experience have drawn considerable scientific interest, commonly used behavioral assays often do not capture the dynamic nature of interactions within a social group. Here, we conducted 3 experiments using a social network framework to test whether social experience during early adulthood improves the sexual competence of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) when placed in a complex and competitive group environment. In each experiment, we observed replicate groups of bed bugs comprising previously socialized and previously isolated individuals of the same sex, along with an equal number of standardized individuals of the opposite sex. Regardless of whether we controlled for their insemination history, previously isolated males mounted and inseminated females at significantly higher rates than previously socialized males. However, we found no evidence of social experience influencing our other measures of sexual competence: proportion of mounts directed at females, ability to overcome female resistance, and strength of opposite-sex social associations. We similarly did not detect effects of social experience on our female sexual competence metrics: propensity to avoid mounts, rate of successfully avoiding mounts, opposite-sex social association strength, and rate of receiving inseminations. Our findings indicate that early social experience does not improve sexual competence in male and female bed bugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janice L Yan
- Animal Behaviour Group, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Jack R Rosenbaum
- Animal Behaviour Group, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Selena Esteves
- Animal Behaviour Group, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Maggie L Dobbin
- Animal Behaviour Group, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Reuven Dukas
- Animal Behaviour Group, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
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5
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Webster MM. Social learning in non-grouping animals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1329-1344. [PMID: 36992613 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Social learning is widespread in the animal kingdom and is involved in behaviours from navigation and predator avoidance to mate choice and foraging. While social learning has been extensively studied in group-living species, this article presents a literature review demonstrating that social learning is also seen in a range of non-grouping animals, including arthropods, fishes and tetrapod groups, and in a variety of behavioural contexts. We should not be surprised by this pattern, since non-grouping animals are not necessarily non-social, and stand to benefit from attending to and responding to social information in the same ways that group-living species do. The article goes on to ask what non-grouping species can tell us about the evolution and development of social learning. First, while social learning may be based on the same cognitive processes as other kinds of learning, albeit with social stimuli, sensory organs and brain regions associated with detection and motivation to respond to social information may be under selection. Non-grouping species may provide useful comparison taxa in phylogenetic analyses investigating if and how the social environment drives selection on these input channels. Second, non-grouping species may be ideal candidates for exploring how ontogenetic experience of social cues shapes the development of social learning, allowing researchers to avoid some of the negative welfare implications associated with raising group-living animals under restricted social conditions. Finally, while non-grouping species may be capable of learning socially under experimental conditions, there is a need to consider how non-grouping restricts access to learning opportunities under natural conditions and whether this places a functional constraint on what non-grouping animals actually learn socially in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mike M Webster
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9TH, UK
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6
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Social isolation does not alter the relationship between flexibility in metabolic rate and growth in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) under changing food availability. J Comp Physiol B 2023; 193:95-108. [PMID: 36355208 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-022-01467-0] [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: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Growth and energy metabolism are highly flexible in fish species in response to food availability, and these two traits depend to some extent on the social rearing environment (e.g., isolated vs. group rearing). Currently, how social rearing environments influence flexibility in metabolic rate of fish and their ecological consequences (e.g., somatic growth) remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated how social isolation (i.e., group-reared vs. isolation-reared) and food availability (i.e., high vs. low) affect metabolic rates, growth and their correlations in a group-living fish, grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), which were subjected to a 4-week growth experiment. The metabolic rates (e.g., standard metabolic rate, SMR; maximum metabolic rate, MMR; aerobic scope, AS = MMR-SMR) and morphology (e.g., body mass and length) of the fish in four treatments were measured at the beginning and end of the growth experiment, and then the growth parameters (e.g., food intake, FI; feeding efficiency, FE; and specific growth rate, SGR) were also obtained. We found that social isolation did impair growth of fish with individuals showing a lower SGR compared to those group-reared fish irrespective of food availability. However, the growth advantage of group-reared fish under two food availabilities did not result from their FIs or FEs. Metabolic rates (i.e., SMR) seemed to decrease in response to social isolation, but increased greater when fish were reared at high food ration. These shifts in metabolic rates were positively linked with individual differences in somatic growth; individuals who increased metabolic rates more grew faster, while those who increased their metabolic rates less or even reduced had a lower growth, but these links were independent on both social isolation and food ration. These results suggested that social isolation can inhibit the growth of individual fish, but not the AS. Flexibility in metabolic rates could confer a growth advantage under changing food availability, but the links between variation in energy metabolism and growth were not altered by social deprivation. Our study demonstrates the importance of metabolic plasticity accounting for inter-individual difference in growth performance under the challenges of changing food resource.
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7
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Mating experiences with the same partner enhanced mating activities of naïve male medaka fish. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19665. [PMID: 36385126 PMCID: PMC9668913 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23871-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Mating experience shapes male mating behavior across species, from insects, fish, and birds, to rodents. Here, we investigated the effect of multiple mating experiences on male mating behavior in "naïve" (defined as sexually inexperienced) male medaka fish. The latency to mate with the same female partner significantly decreased after the second encounter, whereas when the partner was changed, the latency to mate was not decreased. These findings suggest that mating experiences enhanced the mating activity of naïve males for the familiar female, but not for an unfamiliar female. In contrast, the mating experiences of "experienced" (defined as those having mated > 7 times) males with the same partner did not influence their latency to mate. Furthermore, we identified 10 highly and differentially expressed genes in the brains of the naïve males after the mating experience and revealed 3 genes that are required for a functional cascade of the thyroid hormone system. Together, these findings suggest that the mating experience of naïve male medaka fish influences their mating behaviors, with neural changes triggered by thyroid hormone activation in the brain.
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Santacà M, Devigili A, Gasparini C. Timing matters: female receptivity and mate choice in the zebrafish (Danio rerio). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03255-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Female choice has been documented in many animal taxa, and how we test it has been refined through years of studies on the topic. However, when designing mate choice experiments some variables, surprisingly, often remain overlooked, including receptivity and reproductive stage. Here, we aimed to assess whether the female reproductive stage influences strength and direction of mate choice in the zebrafish, Danio rerio. Females were offered a choice between two males differing in body size. We found that female choice in our experimental setup was significantly repeatable and that females preferred larger males. Nonetheless, the level of choosiness of females was affected by the time since the last spawning. Females spent more time choosing when tested 7 and 10 days after spawning rather than 4 days, indicating a higher receptivity to males from one week after the last spawning. Moreover, females preferred larger males only when tested 7 and 10 days after spawning. Our results suggest that female mate choice should take female receptivity into account, by standardizing time since the last spawning across females. More broadly, this suggests that 7–10 days since the previous spawning is the ideal time interval for zebrafish female receptivity to peak, with implications for facilities and researchers to increase egg production in natural spawning events and manual egg collection.
Significance statement
The role of pre-copulatory female mate preference has long been recognized in sexual selection. Nonetheless, female receptivity often remains overlooked in mate choice experiments especially in external fertilizing species. In the present study, we investigated if the female reproductive stage affects the strength and direction of female mate choice in an external fertilizing fish, the zebrafish, Danio rerio. We found that, when tested 7 and 10 days after spawning rather than 4 days, females spent more time choosing, demonstrating an increased receptivity to males from 1 week following the last spawning. Furthermore, only at 7 and 10 days after spawning females exibith a clear preference for the bigger males. Our study highlights the importance of considering the female receptivity in future studies assessing mate choices in this and other externally fertilizing species, and also for zebrafish facilities to increase egg production in natural spawning events and manual egg collection.
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Guo H, Näslund J, Thomassen ST, Larsen MH. Social isolation affects intra-specific interaction behaviour and reduces the size of the cerebellar brain region in juvenile Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2022; 101:711-721. [PMID: 35751413 PMCID: PMC9540882 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The social environment can affect the development of behavioural phenotypes in fish, and it is important to understand such effects when rearing fish in artificial environments. Here, the authors test the effects of spatial isolation on social interaction propensity and brain development in hatchery-reared Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. Salmon reared in isolation generally stayed further away from a conspecific in a standardized intruder test than conspecifics reared together in groups. Isolated salmon also tended to be more active in an intruder test, albeit non-significantly so, but this pattern was not detected in open-field tests without an intruding conspecific. The cerebellar brain region was relatively smaller in isolated salmon, suggesting that the brain was developing differently in these fish. Therefore, some features of the behavioural and neural phenotype are affected by rearing in isolation. These effects should be considered when rearing salmon, particularly for experimental purposes as it may affect results of laboratory studies on behavioural expression and brain size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoyu Guo
- Fisheries CollegeZhejiang Ocean UniversityZhoushanChina
| | - Joacim Näslund
- Department of Aquatic ResourcesInstitute of Freshwater Research, Swedish University of Agricultural SciencesDrottningholmSweden
| | | | - Martin H. Larsen
- Danish Centre for Wild SalmonRandersDenmark
- National Institute of Aquatic ResourcesSection for Freshwater Fisheries Ecology, Technical University of DenmarkSilkeborgDenmark
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10
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Neuroscience: The sting of social isolation. Curr Biol 2022; 32:R572-R574. [PMID: 35728529 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Social isolation produces deleterious effects on the brain and behavior in many species. A new study on bumblebees uses a multimodal approach to further our understanding of the state produced by prolonged social isolation.
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11
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Gallego-Abenza M, Boucherie PH, Bugnyar T. Early social environment affects attention to social cues in juvenile common ravens, Corvus corax. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220132. [PMID: 35774139 PMCID: PMC9240683 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Social competence, i.e. defined as the ability to adjust the expression of social behaviour to the available social information, is known to be influenced by early-life conditions. Brood size might be one of the factors determining such early conditions, particularly in species with extended parental care. We here tested in ravens whether growing up in families of different sizes affects the chicks' responsiveness to social information. We experimentally manipulated the brood size of 13 captive raven families, creating either small or large families. Simulating dispersal, juveniles were separated from their parents and temporarily housed in one of two captive non-breeder groups. After five weeks of socialization, each raven was individually tested in a playback setting with food-associated calls from three social categories: sibling, familiar unrelated raven they were housed with, and unfamiliar unrelated raven from the other non-breeder aviary. We found that individuals reared in small families were more attentive than birds from large families, in particular towards the familiar unrelated peer. These results indicate that variation in family size during upbringing can affect how juvenile ravens value social information. Whether the observed attention patterns translate into behavioural preferences under daily life conditions remains to be tested in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Gallego-Abenza
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Palmyre H. Boucherie
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
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12
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Impact of genetic relatedness and food competition on female dominance hierarchies in a cichlid fish. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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13
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Schons RF, Vitt S, Thünken T. Resource heterogeneity but not inbreeding affects growth and grouping behaviour in socially foraging juvenile cichlid fish. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rieke F. Schons
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology University of Bonn Bonn Germany
| | - Simon Vitt
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology University of Bonn Bonn Germany
| | - Timo Thünken
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology University of Bonn Bonn Germany
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Perret A, George I, Coulon M, Cousillas H, Hausberger M, Henry L. Deprivation of direct adult contact during development affects social representation in a songbird. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:e22207. [PMID: 34813093 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22207] [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: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Social cognition involves a wide array of skills that are built largely through interactions with conspecifics and therefore depend upon early social experience. Motivation for social stimuli is a key feature of social behavior and an operant conditioning task showed that isolated wild-caught adult starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are highly motivated to access pictures of other starlings. Here, we show that hand-raised adult starlings maintained in groups of peers throughout development but without any contact with adult models were not or only poorly motivated to access pictures of conspecifics. Moreover, they did not prefer pictures of starlings to pictures of landscapes, unlike birds wild-caught as adults. These results raise questions about the role of social experience during development, particularly with adult models, in the development of social motivation and of social representation in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Perret
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine), UMR 6552, Rennes, France
| | - Isabelle George
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine), UMR 6552, Rennes, France
| | - Marion Coulon
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine), UMR 6552, Rennes, France
| | - Hugo Cousillas
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine), UMR 6552, Rennes, France
| | - Martine Hausberger
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine), UMR 6552, Rennes, France
| | - Laurence Henry
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine), UMR 6552, Rennes, France
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15
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Schons RF, Vitt S, Thünken T. Environmental habituation and sexual composition affect juveniles' shoaling activity in a cichlid fish (Pelvicachromis taeniatus). JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2021; 99:1307-1317. [PMID: 34184282 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Group living is widespread in animals, and many fishes form shoals. Examining within-group interactions in fishes may contribute to the general understanding of dynamic social structures in animals. The sex ratio of a group has been shown to influence grouping decisions of fishes and can be expected to affect behaviour at group level. Behavioural experiments usually involve relatively short acclimatisation times, although the establishment of environmental habituation in fishes is understudied. This study tests whether the sex ratio and long-term habituation to experimental conditions influence general shoal performance (activity parameters, density) and responses of shoals to an acoustic-mechanical disturbance cue in juveniles of the cichlid fish Pelvicachromis taeniatus via individual tracking. The disturbance consisted of a defined hit against the experimental tank, which caused sudden noise and water movement. We found that a higher proportion of females increases shoal activity (swimming speed and distance covered), suggesting that female P. taeniatus are more active than males. Furthermore, shoal activity declined when shoals habituated to the experimental settings and with the time that the shoals were grouped together, which may reflect intensified group member familiarity. Moreover, behavioural changes after disturbance were weaker when individuals were kept with their group longer and more familiar to the experimental conditions. For prey species, lower activity might be beneficial under natural conditions due to lower conspicuousness of the group. We did not find any significant effects of the investigated factors on shoal density (mean interindividual distance) and speed synchronisation. The results indicate that sexual composition, familiarity between shoal members and habituation to the experimental environment affect shoal performance in a cichlid fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rieke F Schons
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Simon Vitt
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Timo Thünken
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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16
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Sant KE, Annunziato K, Conlin S, Teicher G, Chen P, Venezia O, Downes GB, Park Y, Timme-Laragy AR. Developmental exposures to perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) impact embryonic nutrition, pancreatic morphology, and adiposity in the zebrafish, Danio rerio. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 275:116644. [PMID: 33581636 PMCID: PMC8101273 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) is a persistent environmental contaminant previously found in consumer surfactants and industrial fire-fighting foams. PFOS has been widely implicated in metabolic dysfunction across the lifespan, including diabetes and obesity. However, the contributions of the embryonic environment to metabolic disease remain uncharacterized. This study seeks to identify perturbations in embryonic metabolism, pancreas development, and adiposity due to developmental and subchronic PFOS exposures and their persistence into later larval and juvenile periods. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to 16 or 32 μM PFOS developmentally (1-5 days post fertilization; dpf) or subchronically (1-15 dpf). Embryonic fatty acid and macronutrient concentrations and expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) isoforms were quantified in embryos. Pancreatic islet morphometry was assessed at 15 and 30 dpf, and adiposity and fish behavior were assessed at 15 dpf. Concentrations of lauric (C12:0) and myristic (C14:0) saturated fatty acids were increased by PFOS at 4 dpf, and PPAR gene expression was reduced. Incidence of aberrant islet morphologies, principal islet areas, and adiposity were increased in 15 dpf larvae and 30 dpf juvenile fish. Together, these data suggest that the embryonic period is a susceptible window of metabolic programming in response to PFOS exposures, and that these early exposures alone can have persisting effects later in the lifecourse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karilyn E Sant
- Division of Environmental Health, San Diego State University School of Public Health, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts School of Public Health and Health Sciences, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.
| | - Kate Annunziato
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts School of Public Health and Health Sciences, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Sarah Conlin
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts School of Public Health and Health Sciences, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Gregory Teicher
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Phoebe Chen
- Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Olivia Venezia
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts School of Public Health and Health Sciences, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Gerald B Downes
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Yeonhwa Park
- Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Alicia R Timme-Laragy
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts School of Public Health and Health Sciences, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
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17
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Gerlach G, Wullimann MF. Neural pathways of olfactory kin imprinting and kin recognition in zebrafish. Cell Tissue Res 2021; 383:273-287. [PMID: 33515290 PMCID: PMC7873017 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-020-03378-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Teleost fish exhibit extraordinary cognitive skills that are comparable to those of mammals and birds. Kin recognition based on olfactory and visual imprinting requires neuronal circuits that were assumed to be necessarily dependent on the interaction of mammalian amygdala, hippocampus, and isocortex, the latter being a structure that teleost fish are lacking. We show that teleosts—beyond having a hippocampus and pallial amygdala homolog—also have subpallial amygdalar structures. In particular, we identify the medial amygdala and neural olfactory central circuits related to kin imprinting and kin recognition corresponding to an accessory olfactory system despite the absence of a separate vomeronasal organ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Gerlach
- Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl-von-Ossietzky University, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.,Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity Oldenburg (HIFMB), 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.,Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, QLD, 4811, Townsville, Australia
| | - Mario F Wullimann
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences & Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany. .,Max-Planck-Institute for Neurobiology, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
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18
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Vitt S, Hiller J, Thünken T. Intrasexual selection: Kin competition increases male-male territorial aggression in a monogamous cichlid fish. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:11183-11191. [PMID: 33144958 PMCID: PMC7593200 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
During intrasexual competition, individuals of the same sex compete for access to breeding sites and mating partners, often accompanied by aggressive behavior. Kin selection theory predicts different kin-directed social interactions ranging from cooperation to aggression depending on the context and the resource in question. Kin competition reducing indirect fitness might be avoided by actively expelling relatives from territories and by showing higher aggression against kin. The West-African cichlid Pelvicachromis taeniatus is a monogamous cave breeder with males occupying and defending breeding sites against rivals. This species is capable of kin recognition and shows kin-preference during juvenile shoaling and mate choice. However, subadults of P. taeniatus seem to avoid the proximity of same-sex kin. In the present study, we examined territorial aggression of territory holders against intruding related and unrelated males as well as intruder's behavior. We observed higher aggression among related competitors suggesting that related males are less tolerated as neighbors. Avoidance of intrasexual competition with relatives might increase indirect fitness of males in monogamous species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Vitt
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and EcologyUniversity of BonnBonnGermany
| | - Jenny Hiller
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and EcologyUniversity of BonnBonnGermany
| | - Timo Thünken
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and EcologyUniversity of BonnBonnGermany
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19
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Boucherie PH, Blum C, Bugnyar T. Effect of rearing style on the development of social behaviour in young ravens ( Corvus corax). Ethology 2020; 126:595-609. [PMID: 32612316 PMCID: PMC7317586 DOI: 10.1111/eth.13010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Early social experiences can affect the development and expression of individual social behaviour throughout life. In particular, early-life social deprivations, notably of parental care, can later have deleterious consequences. We can, therefore, expect rearing procedures such as hand-raising-widely used in ethology and socio-cognitive science-to alter the development of individual social behaviour. We investigated how the rearing style later affected (a) variation in relationship strength among peers and (b) individuals' patterns of social interactions, in three captive groups of juvenile non-breeders consisting of either parent-raised or hand-raised birds, or a mix of both rearing styles. In the three groups, irrespectively of rearing style: strongest relationships (i.e., higher rates of association and affiliations) primarily emerged among siblings and familiar partners (i.e., non-relatives encountered in early life), and mixed-sex and male-male partners established relationships of similar strength, indicating that the rearing style does not severely affect the quality and structure of relationships in young ravens. However, compared to parent-raised ravens, hand-raised ravens showed higher connectedness, i.e., number of partners with whom they mainly associated and affiliated, but formed on average relationships of lower strength, indicating that social experience in early life is not without consequences on the development of ravens' patterns of social interaction. The deprivation of parental care associated with the presence of same-age peers during hand-raising seemed to maximize ravens' propensity to interact with others, indicating that besides parents, interactions with same-age peers matter. Opportunities to interact with, and socially learn from peers, might thus be the key to the acquisition of early social competences in ravens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christian Blum
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
- Haidlhof Research StationUniversity of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine ViennaViennaAustria
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20
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Thünken T, Hesse S, Meuthen D. Increased Levels of Perceived Competition Decrease Juvenile Kin-Shoaling Preferences in a Cichlid Fish. Am Nat 2020; 195:868-875. [PMID: 32364789 DOI: 10.1086/707747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Inclusive fitness theory predicts that individuals can increase their indirect fitness by grouping with kin. However, kin grouping also increases competition between kin, which potentially outweighs its benefits. The level of kin competition is contingent on environmental conditions and thus highly variable. Hence, individuals should benefit from plastically adjusting kin discrimination according to the expected level of kin competition. Here, we investigate whether perceived high competition affects juvenile kin-shoaling preferences in the cichlid Pelvicachromis taeniatus. Juveniles were given the choice between two shoals consisting of either kin or nonkin. Levels of perceived competition were manipulated through food limitation in the face of the differential energy expenditure of differently sized fish. The preference to shoal with kin decreased with increasing levels of perceived competition; small food-deprived individuals avoided kin. Shoaling with kin under strong competition may reduce individual indirect fitness. Hence, individuals can likely improve their inclusive fitness by plastically adjusting their kin-grouping preferences.
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21
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Vitt S, Madge Pimentel I, Thünken T. Presence of same-sex kin promotes explorative behavior in subadult cichlid fish. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
While the importance of kin discrimination, that is, kin recognition and subsequent differential treatment of kin and nonkin, 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 intrasexual competition in both sexes. Pelvicachromis 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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Vitt
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 1, Bonn, Germany
| | - Iris Madge Pimentel
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 1, Bonn, Germany
| | - Timo Thünken
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 1, Bonn, Germany
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22
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Ward AJW, Kent MIA, Webster MM. Social Recognition and Social Attraction in Group-Living Fishes. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
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23
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Impact of social rearing-environment on performance in a complex maze in females of a cichlid fish. Behav Processes 2019; 167:103915. [PMID: 31349022 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Spatial orientation is an important skill as it improves, for example, foraging, localisation of recourses, predator avoidance or navigation. Habitat complexity positively affects spatial abilities in various fish species with a more complex environment promoting learning ability. However, to what extent a complex social environment affects cognitive abilities in fishes has received less attention. Here, we investigated differences in maze performance of adult females of the West African cichlid fish Pelvicachromis taeniatus, which had been reared and maintained either in a group or in isolation from an early age on. Fish had to master the route through a maze in order to gain a food reward. Our results indicate marked differences in performance contingent upon social rearing-environment: isolation fish ran successful trials (i.e. locating the food reward) significantly more often than group fish and were faster during trials, also in a reversed maze. However, the number of mistakes did not differ between isolation and group fish and the time needed to relocate the food reward did not diminish with elapsed training days. In a second experiment, the activity of group and isolation fish was analysed in an open field test. Here, isolation fish were less active than group fish. We discuss different possibilities for performance differences of group and isolation fish including enhanced cognitive abilities of isolation fish, motivational/emotional differences and hyperactivity.
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24
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Riley JL, Guidou C, Fryns C, Mourier J, Leu ST, Noble DWA, Byrne RW, Whiting MJ. Isolation rearing does not constrain social plasticity in a family-living lizard. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Julia L Riley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Côme Guidou
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Caroline Fryns
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Johann Mourier
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Labex CORAIL, PSL Université Paris, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Perpignan, France
| | - Stephan T Leu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Daniel W A Noble
- School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Richard W Byrne
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom
| | - Martin J Whiting
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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25
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Conservation Evo-Devo: Preserving Biodiversity by Understanding Its Origins. Trends Ecol Evol 2017; 32:746-759. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2017.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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26
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Lesne P, Cazalé-Debat L, Ramon Portugal F, Trabalon M, Jeanson R. Early experience and social performance in spiderlings. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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27
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Ab Ghani NI, Herczeg G, Merilä J. Effects of perceived predation risk and social environment on the development of three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) morphology. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nurul I. Ab Ghani
- Ecological Genetics Research Unit; Department of Biosciences; University of Helsinki; PO Box 65 FI-00014 Helsinki Finland
- Department of Biology; Faculty of Science; University of Putra Malaysia; 43400 UPM Serdang Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia
| | - Gábor Herczeg
- Ecological Genetics Research Unit; Department of Biosciences; University of Helsinki; PO Box 65 FI-00014 Helsinki Finland
- Behavioural Ecology Group; Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology; Eötvös Loránd University; Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c H-1117 Budapest Hungary
| | - Juha Merilä
- Ecological Genetics Research Unit; Department of Biosciences; University of Helsinki; PO Box 65 FI-00014 Helsinki Finland
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28
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Barbosa M, Camacho-Cervantes M, Ojanguren AF. Phenotype Matching and Early Social Conditions Affect Shoaling and Exploration Decisions. Ethology 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Barbosa
- CESAM; Department of Biology; Universidade de Aveiro; Aveiro Portugal
- Scottish Oceans Institute; School of Biology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews UK
| | | | - Alfredo F. Ojanguren
- Scottish Oceans Institute; School of Biology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews UK
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29
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Hesse S, Bakker TC, Baldauf SA, Thünken T. Impact of social environment on inter- and intrasexual selection in a cichlid fish with mutual mate choice. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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30
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Moss S, Tittaferrante S, Way GP, Fuller A, Sullivan N, Ruhl N, McRobert SP. Interactions between aggression, boldness and shoaling within a brood of convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciatus). Behav Processes 2015; 121:63-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2015.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2015] [Revised: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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31
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Abstract
Predation is an important but often fluctuating selection factor for prey animals. Accordingly, individuals plastically adopt antipredator strategies in response to current predation risk. Recently, it was proposed that predation risk also plastically induces neophobia (an antipredator response towards novel cues). Previous studies, however, do not allow a differentiation between general neophobia and sensory channel-specific neophobic responses. Therefore, we tested the neophobia hypothesis focusing on adjustment in shoaling behavior in response to a novel cue addressing a different sensory channel than the one from which predation risk was initially perceived. From hatching onwards, juveniles of the cichlid Pelvicachromis taeniatus were exposed to different chemical cues in a split-clutch design: conspecific alarm cues which signal predation risk and heterospecific alarm cues or distilled water as controls. At 2 months of age, their shoaling behavior was examined prior and subsequent to a tactical disturbance cue. We found that fish previously exposed to predation risk formed more compact shoals relative to the control groups in response to the novel disturbance cue. Moreover, the relationship between shoal density and shoal homogeneity was also affected by experienced predation risk. Our findings indicate predator-induced, increased cross-sensory sensitivity towards novel cues making neophobia an effective antipredator mechanism.
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32
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Morandini L, Ramallo MR, Moreira RG, Höcht C, Somoza GM, Silva A, Pandolfi M. Serotonergic outcome, stress and sexual steroid hormones, and growth in a South American cichlid fish fed with an L-tryptophan enriched diet. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2015; 223:27-37. [PMID: 26449161 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2015] [Revised: 09/11/2015] [Accepted: 10/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Reared animals for edible or ornamental purposes are frequently exposed to high aggression and stressful situations. These factors generally arise from conspecifics in densely breeding conditions. In vertebrates, serotonin (5-HT) has been postulated as a key neuromodulator and neurotransmitter involved in aggression and stress. The essential amino acid L-tryptophan (trp) is crucial for the synthesis of 5-HT, and so, leaves a gateway for indirectly augmenting brain 5-HT levels by means of a trp-enriched diet. The cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus, locally known as chanchita, is an autochthonous, potentially ornamental species and a fruitful laboratory model which behavior and reproduction has been studied over the last 15years. It presents complex social hierarchies, and great asymmetries between subordinate and dominant animals in respect to aggression, stress, and reproductive chance. The first aim of this work was to perform a morphological description of chanchita's brain serotonergic system, in both males and females. Then, we evaluated the effects of a trp-supplemented diet, given during 4weeks, on brain serotonergic activity, stress and sexual steroid hormones, and growth in isolated specimens. Results showed that chanchita's brain serotonergic system is composed of several populations of neurons located in three main areas: pretectum, hypothalamus and raphe, with no clear differences between males and females at a morphological level. Animals fed with trp-enriched diets exhibited higher forebrain serotonergic activity and a significant reduction in their relative cortisol levels, with no effects on sexual steroid plasma levels or growth parameters. Thus, this study points to food trp enrichment as a "neurodietary'' method for elevating brain serotonergic activity and decreasing stress, without affecting growth or sex steroid hormone levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonel Morandini
- Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología y Comportamiento, DBBE e IBBEA-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Intendente Güirlades 2160, C1428EHA Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Martín Roberto Ramallo
- Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología y Comportamiento, DBBE e IBBEA-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Intendente Güirlades 2160, C1428EHA Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Renata Guimarães Moreira
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências-USP, Rua do Matão, travessa 14, n.321, sala 220 CidadeUniversitária, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Christian Höcht
- Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junín 956, (C1113AAD) Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gustavo Manuel Somoza
- IIB-INTECH (CONICET-UNSAM), Av. Intendente Marino km 8.2 (B 7130IWA) Chascomús, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ana Silva
- Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Avda. Italia 3318, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay; Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Matías Pandolfi
- Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología y Comportamiento, DBBE e IBBEA-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Intendente Güirlades 2160, C1428EHA Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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33
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Thünken T, Hesse S, Bakker TC, Baldauf SA. Benefits of kin shoaling in a cichlid fish: familiar and related juveniles show better growth. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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34
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Hesse S, Anaya-Rojas JM, Frommen JG, Thünken T. Kinship reinforces cooperative predator inspection in a cichlid fish. J Evol Biol 2015; 28:2088-96. [PMID: 26299423 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Revised: 06/17/2015] [Accepted: 07/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Kin selection theory predicts that cooperation is facilitated between genetic relatives, as by cooperating with kin an individual might increase its inclusive fitness. Although numerous theoretical papers support Hamilton's inclusive fitness theory, experimental evidence is still underrepresented, in particular in noncooperative breeders. Cooperative predator inspection is one of the most intriguing antipredator strategies, as it implies high costs on inspectors. During an inspection event, one or more individuals leave the safety of a group and approach a potential predator to gather information about the current predation risk. We investigated the effect of genetic relatedness on cooperative predator inspection in juveniles of the cichlid fish Pelvicachromis taeniatus, a species in which juveniles live in shoals under natural conditions. We show that relatedness significantly influenced predator inspection behaviour with kin dyads being significantly more cooperative. Thus, our results indicate a higher disposition for cooperative antipredator behaviour among kin as predicted by kin selection theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Hesse
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jaime M Anaya-Rojas
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Eawag Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland.,Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Joachim G Frommen
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Institute for Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Timo Thünken
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Department of Behavioural Ecology, Institute for Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
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35
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Bierbach D, Sommer-Trembo C, Hanisch J, Wolf M, Plath M. Personality affects mate choice: bolder males show stronger audience effects under high competition. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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36
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Stamps JA. Individual differences in behavioural plasticities. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2015; 91:534-67. [PMID: 25865135 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2014] [Revised: 03/14/2015] [Accepted: 03/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Interest in individual differences in animal behavioural plasticities has surged in recent years, but research in this area has been hampered by semantic confusion as different investigators use the same terms (e.g. plasticity, flexibility, responsiveness) to refer to different phenomena. The first goal of this review is to suggest a framework for categorizing the many different types of behavioural plasticities, describe examples of each, and indicate why using reversibility as a criterion for categorizing behavioural plasticities is problematic. This framework is then used to address a number of timely questions about individual differences in behavioural plasticities. One set of questions concerns the experimental designs that can be used to study individual differences in various types of behavioural plasticities. Although within-individual designs are the default option for empirical studies of many types of behavioural plasticities, in some situations (e.g. when experience at an early age affects the behaviour expressed at subsequent ages), 'replicate individual' designs can provide useful insights into individual differences in behavioural plasticities. To date, researchers using within-individual and replicate individual designs have documented individual differences in all of the major categories of behavioural plasticities described herein. Another important question is whether and how different types of behavioural plasticities are related to one another. Currently there is empirical evidence that many behavioural plasticities [e.g. contextual plasticity, learning rates, IIV (intra-individual variability), endogenous plasticities, ontogenetic plasticities) can themselves vary as a function of experiences earlier in life, that is, many types of behavioural plasticity are themselves developmentally plastic. These findings support the assumption that differences among individuals in prior experiences may contribute to individual differences in behavioural plasticities observed at a given age. Several authors have predicted correlations across individuals between different types of behavioural plasticities, i.e. that some individuals will be generally more plastic than others. However, empirical support for most of these predictions, including indirect evidence from studies of relationships between personality traits and plasticities, is currently sparse and equivocal. The final section of this review suggests how an appreciation of the similarities and differences between different types of behavioural plasticities may help theoreticians formulate testable models to explain the evolution of individual differences in behavioural plasticities and the evolutionary and ecological consequences of individual differences in behavioural plasticities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judy A Stamps
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
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Hesse S, Anaya-Rojas JM, Frommen JG, Thünken T. Social deprivation affects cooperative predator inspection in a cichlid fish. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2015; 2:140451. [PMID: 26064616 PMCID: PMC4448828 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.140451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The social environment individuals are exposed to during ontogeny shapes social skills and social competence in group-living animals. Consequently, social deprivation has serious effects on behaviour and development in animals but little is known about its impact on cooperation. In this study, we examined the effect of social environment on cooperative predator inspection. Predator inspection behaviour is a complex behaviour, which is present in a variety of shoaling fish species. Often, two fish leave the safety of the group and inspect a potentially dangerous predator in order to gather information about the current predation risk. As predator inspection is highly risky, it is prone to conflicts and cheating. However, cooperation among individuals may reduce the individual predation risk. We investigated this complex social behaviour in juveniles of the cichlid fish Pelvicachromis taeniatus that were reared in two different social environments throughout development. Fish reared in a group inspected more often than isolation-reared fish and were more likely to cooperate, i.e. they conducted conjoint inspection of a predator. By contrast, isolation-reared fish were more likely to perform a single inspection without a companion. These results suggest an impairment of cooperative behaviour in isolation-reared fish most probably due to lack of social experience and resulting in lowered social skills needed in coordinated behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Hesse
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 1, Bonn 53121, Germany
| | - Jaime M. Anaya-Rojas
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 1, Bonn 53121, Germany
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Seestraße 79, Kastanienbaum 6047, Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Seestraße 79, Kastanienbaum 6047, Switzerland
| | - Joachim G. Frommen
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Institute for Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstr. 50a, Hinterkappelen 3032, Switzerland
| | - Timo Thünken
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 1, Bonn 53121, Germany
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Institute for Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstr. 50a, Hinterkappelen 3032, Switzerland
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Raveh S, Vogt D, Montavon C, Kölliker M. Sibling Aggregation Preference Depends on Activity Phase in the European Earwig (Forficula auricularia). Ethology 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shirley Raveh
- Department of Environmental Sciences Zoology and Evolution; University of Basel; Basel Switzerland
| | - Dominik Vogt
- Department of Environmental Sciences Zoology and Evolution; University of Basel; Basel Switzerland
| | - Célien Montavon
- Department of Environmental Sciences Zoology and Evolution; University of Basel; Basel Switzerland
| | - Mathias Kölliker
- Department of Environmental Sciences Zoology and Evolution; University of Basel; Basel Switzerland
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