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Ålund M, Harper B, Kjærnested S, Ohl JE, Phillips JG, Sattler J, Thompson J, Varg JE, Wargenau S, Boughman JW, Keagy J. Sensory environment affects Icelandic threespine stickleback's anti-predator escape behaviour. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220044. [PMID: 35382599 PMCID: PMC8984813 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Human-induced changes in climate and habitats push populations to adapt to novel environments, including new sensory conditions, such as reduced visibility. We studied how colonizing newly formed glacial lakes with turbidity-induced low-visibility affects anti-predator behaviour in Icelandic threespine sticklebacks. We tested nearly 400 fish from 15 populations and four habitat types varying in visibility and colonization history in their reaction to two predator cues (mechano-visual versus olfactory) in high versus low-visibility light treatments. Fish reacted differently to the cues and were affected by lighting environment, confirming that cue modality and light levels are important for predator detection and evasion. Fish from spring-fed lakes, especially from the highlands (likely more diverged from marine fish than lowland fish), reacted fastest to mechano-visual cues and were generally most active. Highland glacial fish showed strong responses to olfactory cues and, counter to predictions from the flexible stem hypothesis, the greatest plasticity in response to light levels. This study, leveraging natural, repeated invasions of novel sensory habitats, (i) illustrates rapid changes in anti-predator behaviour that follow due to adaptation, early life experience, or both, and (ii) suggests an additional role for behavioural plasticity enabling population persistence in the face of frequent changes in environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murielle Ålund
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Integrative Biology, and.,BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | | | - Sigurlaug Kjærnested
- Department of Aquaculture & Fish Biology, Hólar University College, Sauðárkrókur, Iceland
| | - Julian E Ohl
- Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - John G Phillips
- Department of Integrative Biology, and.,BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
| | | | | | - Javier E Varg
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Integrative Biology, and
| | - Sven Wargenau
- Institute of Cell Dynamics and Imaging, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Janette W Boughman
- Department of Integrative Biology, and.,BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Jason Keagy
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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Fouilloux CA, Yovanovich CAM, Rojas B. Tadpole Responses to Environments With Limited Visibility: What We (Don’t) Know and Perspectives for a Sharper Future. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.766725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Amphibian larvae typically inhabit relatively shallow freshwater environments, and within these boundaries there is considerable diversity in the structure of the habitats exploited by different species. This diversity in habitat structure is usually taken into account in relation to aspects such as locomotion and feeding, and plays a fundamental role in the classification of tadpoles into ecomorphological guilds. However, its impact in shaping the sensory worlds of different species is rarely addressed, including the optical qualities of each of these types of water bodies and the challenges and limitations that they impose on the repertoire of visual abilities available for a typical vertebrate eye. In this Perspective article, we identify gaps in knowledge on (1) the role of turbidity and light-limited environments in shaping the larval visual system; and (2) the possible behavioral and phenotypic responses of larvae to such environments. We also identify relevant unaddressed study systems paying special attention to phytotelmata, whose small size allows for extensive quantification and manipulation providing a rich and relatively unexplored research model. Furthermore, we generate hypotheses ranging from proximate shifts (i.e., red-shifted spectral sensitivity peaks driven by deviations in chromophore ratios) to ultimate changes in tadpole behavior and phenotype, such as reduced foraging efficiency and the loss of antipredator signaling. Overall, amphibians provide an exciting opportunity to understand adaptations to visually limited environments, and this framework will provide novel experimental considerations and interpretations to kickstart future research based on understanding the evolution and diversity of strategies used to cope with limited visibility.
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Liu J, Zhang Y, Zheng X, He XZ, Wang Q. Combined cues of male competition influence spermatozoal investment in a moth. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Junyan Liu
- School of Agriculture and Environment Massey University Palmerston North New Zealand
| | - Yujing Zhang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Agric‐Environment and Agric‐Products Safety National Demonstration Center for Experimental Plant Science Education College of Agriculture Guangxi University Nanning China
| | - Xia‐Lin Zheng
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Agric‐Environment and Agric‐Products Safety National Demonstration Center for Experimental Plant Science Education College of Agriculture Guangxi University Nanning China
| | - Xiong Z. He
- School of Agriculture and Environment Massey University Palmerston North New Zealand
| | - Qiao Wang
- School of Agriculture and Environment Massey University Palmerston North New Zealand
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