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Porteus CS, Khodikian E, Tigert LR, Ren GJ, Yoon GR. Commentary: Best practices for performing olfactory behavioral assays on aquatic animals: A guide for comparative physiologists. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2024:111747. [PMID: 39313183 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111747] [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: 05/02/2024] [Revised: 09/16/2024] [Accepted: 09/16/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
As more physiologists start to incorporate animal behavior into their experiments, especially in the olfactory behavior research field, some considerations are often overlooked, partly due to the inherited way that physiological experiments are traditionally designed and performed. Here we highlight some of these subtle but important considerations and make a case for why these might affect the results collected from behavioral assays. Our aim is to provide useful suggestions for increased standardization of methods so they can be more easily replicated among different experiments and laboratories. We have focused on areas that are less likely to be mentioned in the materials and methods section of a manuscript such as starvation, preliminary experiments, appropriate sample sizes and considerations when choosing an odorant for an assay. Additionally, we are strongly cautioning against the use of alarm cue to generate behavioral responses due to its highly unstable chemical properties/potency. Instead, we suggest using pure chemicals (made up of one known molecule) such as amino acids, bile acids, or polyamines that are commercially available and easier to make up in known concentrations. Lastly, we strongly suggest using environmentally relevant concentrations of these odorants. We believe these guidelines will help standardize these assays and improve replication of experiments within and between laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cosima S Porteus
- Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Cells and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1, Canada.
| | - Elissa Khodikian
- Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Cells and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1, Canada
| | - Liam R Tigert
- Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Cells and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1, Canada
| | - Gary J Ren
- Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Cells and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1, Canada
| | - Gwangseok R Yoon
- Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of New England, ME, USA
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Gong L, Wu H, Wang Z, Wu H, Feng J, Jiang T. Do nocturnal birds use acoustic and visual cues to avoid predation by bats? Integr Zool 2024; 19:524-537. [PMID: 37427486 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12747] [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] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Anti-predation strategies are critical to animal survival and are fundamental to deciphering predator-prey interactions. As an important defense strategy, sensory predator detection (such as through acoustic and visual cues) enables animals to assess predation risk and execute predator-avoidance behavior; however, there are limited studies on the anti-predation behavior of nocturnal animals. The prey of bats provides an excellent representative system for examining the anti-predation behavior of nocturnal animals. Here, we broadcasted different types of echolocation calls of the bird-eating bat Ia io to two wild passerine birds, namely, Zosterops japonicus and Sinosuthora webbiana, that are preyed upon by I. io, and presented the birds with individual bats under different light intensities. The results showed that both bird species were able to perceive the low-frequency audible portion of the bats' echolocation calls; however, they did not exhibit escape responses to the acoustic stimuli. In the dark and under moonlit conditions, both bird species were unable to respond to active bats at close range and the birds only exhibited evasive flight behavior when bats approached or touched them. These results suggest that nocturnal passerine birds may not be able to use acoustic or visual cues to detect bats and adopt evasive maneuvers to avoid predation. This work suggests that bat predation pressure may not elicit primary predator-avoidance responses in nocturnal passerine birds. The results provide new insights into the anti-predation behavior of nocturnal animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixin Gong
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Huan Wu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Hui Wu
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
| | - Jiang Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
| | - Tinglei Jiang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
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Tian Y, Gao Y, Sun K. A fishery predator-prey model with anti-predator behavior and complex dynamics induced by weighted fishing strategies. MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES AND ENGINEERING : MBE 2023; 20:1558-1579. [PMID: 36899498 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2023071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
In this work, a fishery predator-prey model with anti-predator behavior is presented according to the anti-predator phenomenon in nature. On the basis of this model, a capture model guided by a discontinuous weighted fishing strategy is established. For the continuous model, it analyzes how anti-predator behavior affects system dynamics. On this basis, it discusses the complex dynamics (order-m periodic solution (m=1,2)) induced by a weighted fishing strategy. Besides, in order to find the capture strategy that maximizes the economic profit in the fishing process, this paper constructs an optimization problem based on the periodic solution of the system. Finally, all of the results of this study have been verified numerically in MATLAB simulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Tian
- School of Science, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
| | - Yan Gao
- School of Science, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
| | - Kaibiao Sun
- School of Control Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
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How cunning is the puppet-master? Cestode-infected fish appear generally fearless. Parasitol Res 2022; 121:1305-1315. [PMID: 35307765 PMCID: PMC8993785 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-022-07470-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Trophically transmitted parasites have life cycles that require the infected host to be eaten by the correct type of predator. Such parasites should benefit from an ability to suppress the host’s fear of predators, but if the manipulation is imprecise the consequence may be increased predation by non-hosts, to the detriment of the parasite. Three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) infected by the cestode Schistocephalus solidus express reduced antipredator behaviours, but it is unknown whether this is an example of a highly precise manipulation, a more general manipulation, or if it can even be attributed to mere side effects of disease. In a series of experiments, we investigated several behaviours of infected and uninfected sticklebacks. As expected, they had weak responses to simulated predatory attacks compared to uninfected fish. However, our results suggest that the parasite induced a general fearlessness, rather than a precise manipulation aimed at the correct predators (birds). Infected fish had reduced responses also when attacked from the side and when exposed to odour from a fish predator, which is a “dead-end” for this parasite. We also tested whether the reduced anti-predator behaviours were mere symptoms of a decreased overall vigour, or due to parasite-induced hunger, but we found no support for these ideas. We propose that even imprecise manipulations of anti-predator behaviours may benefit parasites, for example, if other behaviours are altered in a way that increases the exposure to the correct predator.
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Szabo B, Mangione R, Rath M, Pašukonis A, Reber SA, Oh J, Ringler M, Ringler E. Naive poison frog tadpoles use bi-modal cues to avoid insect predators but not heterospecific predatory tadpoles. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb243647. [PMID: 34845497 PMCID: PMC8729909 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
For animals to survive until reproduction, it is crucial that juveniles successfully detect potential predators and respond with appropriate behavior. The recognition of cues originating from predators can be innate or learned. Cues of various modalities might be used alone or in multi-modal combinations to detect and distinguish predators but studies investigating multi-modal integration in predator avoidance are scarce. Here, we used wild, naive tadpoles of the Neotropical poison frog Allobates femoralis ( Boulenger, 1884) to test their reaction to cues with two modalities from two different sympatrically occurring potential predators: heterospecific predatory Dendrobates tinctorius tadpoles and dragonfly larvae. We presented A. femoralis tadpoles with olfactory or visual cues, or a combination of the two, and compared their reaction to a water control in a between-individual design. In our trials, A. femoralis tadpoles reacted to multi-modal stimuli (a combination of visual and chemical information) originating from dragonfly larvae with avoidance but showed no reaction to uni-modal cues or cues from heterospecific tadpoles. In addition, visual cues from conspecifics increased swimming activity while cues from predators had no effect on tadpole activity. Our results show that A. femoralis tadpoles can innately recognize some predators and probably need both visual and chemical information to effectively avoid them. This is the first study looking at anti-predator behavior in poison frog tadpoles. We discuss how parental care might influence the expression of predator avoidance responses in tadpoles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Szabo
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Rosanna Mangione
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Rath
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrius Pašukonis
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- CEFE, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 34293 Montpellier 5, France
| | - Stephan A. Reber
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Lund University Cognitive Science, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jinook Oh
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Cremer Group, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Max Ringler
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics, University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Eva Ringler
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria
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Makaras T, Stankevičiūtė M, Šidagytė-Copilas E, Virbickas T, Razumienė J. Acclimation effect on fish behavioural characteristics: determination of appropriate acclimation period for different species. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2021; 99:502-512. [PMID: 33783817 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In the present study, the authors investigated the effect of acclimation duration (up to 4 h) on behavioural characteristics of taxonomically and functionally different fish species, i.e., the migratory rheophilic salmonids rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), and the non-migratory eurytopic European perch (Perca fluviatilis) and three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Specifically, the authors explored fish behavioural patterns based on specific endpoints (average, maximum and angular velocity) during the acclimation period, and determined the acclimation period suitable for the tested fish species. The performed behavioural data analysis showed that the minimum time needed to adjust fish activity to a more stable (baseline) level should be at least 2 h for O. mykiss and S. salar and 1 h for G. aculeatus. Nonetheless, P. fluviatilis behaviour did not show significant changes during the 4 h acclimation. The results of this study revealed that the effect of the acclimation duration on such rheophilic species as O. mykiss and S. salar was greater than that on the eurytopic species P. fluviatilis and G. aculeatus, indicating that acclimation period is important in managing fish stress before behavioural observations. For all species, the highest variability was found in the endpoint of maximum velocity, and the lowest in that of angular velocity. This study showed that before starting actual toxicity testing experiments, it is important to determine an appropriate, species-specific acclimation period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Makaras
- Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
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Näslund J. Unreplicable state‐dependent effects on start‐box emergence latency in wild‐origin sticklebacks. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joacim Näslund
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
- Department of Aquatic Resources Institute of Freshwater Research Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Drottningholm Sweden
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Chen E, Zielinski C, Deno J, Singh R, Bell AM, Hellmann JK. The specificity of sperm-mediated paternal effects in threespine sticklebacks. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021; 75:68. [PMID: 37283951 PMCID: PMC10241442 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03001-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Parental effects may help offspring respond to challenging environments, but whether parental exposure to different environmental challenges induces similar responses in offspring is largely unknown. We compared the offspring of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) fathers who had been exposed to a potentially threatening stimulus (net), a native predator (sculpin), or who had been left unexposed (control). Relative to offspring of control fathers, offspring of sculpin-exposed fathers were more responsive (greater change in activity) to a simulated sculpin predator attack, while offspring of net-exposed fathers were less responsive (fewer antipredator behaviors) and showed altered stress responses compared to the control. To evaluate whether parental exposure primes offspring to respond to specific stimuli (e.g., offspring of net-exposed fathers respond most strongly to a net), we then exposed offspring of each paternal treatment to nets, native sculpin models, or non-native trout models. Paternal treatment did not influence offspring response to different stimuli; instead, offspring were generally more responsive to the native sculpin predator compared to nets or non-native trout predator, suggesting that sticklebacks have innate predator recognition of native predators. Collectively, these results underscore that, while parental exposure to non-ecologically relevant stressors elicits effects in intergenerational studies, these findings may not mirror those produced when parents encounter ecologically relevant stressors. Knowing that parental effects can be predator-specific furthers our understanding of the ways in which parental effects may evolve to be adaptive and suggests the potential for transgenerational plasticity to affect how animals respond to human induced environmental change, including non-native predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunice Chen
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Christian Zielinski
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Jack Deno
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Raiza Singh
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Alison M. Bell
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Jennifer K. Hellmann
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Present address: Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA
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Daniell TL, Hutchinson MN, Ainsley P, Gardner MG. Recognition of reptile predator scent is innate in an endangered lizard species. AUST J ZOOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1071/zo20064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Chemical cues can alert prey to the presence of predators before the predator is within visual proximity. Recognition of a predator’s scent is therefore an important component of predator awareness. We presented predator and control scents to wild, wild-born captive, and predator-naive captive-born pygmy bluetongue lizards to determine (1) whether lizards respond to reptile chemical cues differently from controls, (2) whether captive lizards respond more strongly to a known predator than to other predatory reptiles, (3) whether captive-born lizards recognise predators innately, whether captive-born lizards have reduced predator recognition compared with wild lizards and whether time spent in captivity reduces responses to predators, and (4) whether the avoidance response to predator detection differs between naive and experienced lizards. There was no significant difference in the number of tongue flicks to predator scent among wild, wild-born and captive-born lizards, suggesting that predator detection is innate in the pygmy bluetongue lizard and time in captivity did not reduce predator recognition. The number of tongue flicks directed towards brown snake scent was significantly higher than that to the novel and water controls for all lizard origins. Lizards of all origins continued to bask in the presence of predator scents, suggesting that chemical cues alone may be insufficient to instigate an avoidance response and other cues may be required.
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