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Robinson T. Ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata) modify their behavior during mirror exposure. Behav Processes 2024; 220:105076. [PMID: 38964669 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105076] [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: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Recently, ghost crabs (Ocypode quadrata) were shown to exhibit behavior consistent with passing the mark test, which implies the capacity for self-recognition. Considering this, it seems reasonable to suggest these animals can also distinguish their mirror image from different social stimuli, such as live conspecifics. In the current research, ghost crabs were placed in an experimental tank bisected by a mirror, clear partition separating a conspecific, and non-reflective partition on separate trials. Aggressive threat displays, time spent near partitions, eye cleaning, and partition contact were recorded during each condition. Results showed more aggression in trials with a conspecific present (i.e. clear partition), though this effect was only marginally significant. In addition, eye cleaning was significantly lower in the clear, compared to mirror and non-reflective treatments. Significantly more contact occurred with non-reflective partitions and time near each barrier was similar. These findings might suggest the capacity to distinguish mirror reflections from conspecifics, and mirror self-recognition could promote such ability. This, and other alternatives, are discussed as potential explanations for the observed effects.
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2
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Jägers P, Frischmuth T, Herlitze S. Correlation between bioluminescent blinks and swimming behavior in the splitfin flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron. BMC Ecol Evol 2024; 24:97. [PMID: 38987674 PMCID: PMC11234731 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-024-02283-6] [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: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The light organs of the splitfin flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron are necessary for schooling behavior, to determine nearest neighbor distance, and to feed on zooplankton under dim light conditions. Each behavior is coupled to context-dependent blink frequencies and can be regulated via mechanical occlusion of light organs. During shoaling in the laboratory individuals show moderate blink frequencies around 100 blinks per minute. In this study, we correlated bioluminescent blinks with the spatio-temporal dynamics of swimming profiles in three dimensions, using a stereoscopic, infrared camera system. RESULTS Groups of flashlight fish showed intermediate levels of polarization and distances to the group centroid. Individuals showed higher swimming speeds and curved swimming profiles during light organ occlusion. The largest changes in swimming direction occurred when darkening the light organs. Before A. katoptron exposed light organs again, they adapted a nearly straight movement direction. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that a change in movement direction coupled to light organ occlusion in A. katoptron is an important behavioral trait in shoaling of flashlight fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Jägers
- Department of General Zoology and Neurobiology, Institute of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr- University Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany.
| | - Timo Frischmuth
- Department of General Zoology and Neurobiology, Institute of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr- University Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Stefan Herlitze
- Department of General Zoology and Neurobiology, Institute of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr- University Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany
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3
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Ashouri S, Hubbard PC, Canário AVM. Minimizing the time to evaluate pheromone-mediated reduction of aggressive behavior in Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38830691 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Some cichlid fishes release urine-containing chemical cues that lower aggression in their opponents. Bioassays to identify the aggression-modulating pheromone include assessing the effect of urine fractions on the behavior towards a mirror image or in interactions with another male. However, many of these methods can be time-consuming and require many fish. The objective of the present study was to assess the behavior of male Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) towards male urine using two methods with the intent of simplifying the bioassays: aggression towards a mirror image (mirror assay) and real opponents in which the urogenital papilla was tied using surgical silk to prevent urination. The results confirm the aggression-reducing effect of dominant male urine in both experimental approaches. Ten minutes of biting or 15 min of tail-beating behaviors in the mirror assay, or 5 min of opercular expansion or 15 min of lateral display in interactions with real opponents were necessary to detect a statistically significant reduction in aggressive behavior towards dominant male urine. We also found that males with subordinate status had lower latency to initiate aggressive behaviors towards the mirror than dominants in the same condition, even though fish had been isolated for 1 week. However, no such differences in latency were found in the real opponent assay. We conclude that 5 min of opercular expansion behavior in real opponent fights or 10 min of biting behavior in the mirror assay are the shortest times necessary to test aggressive behavior in urine fractions in bioassay-guided identification of pheromones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samyar Ashouri
- Centro de Ciências do Mar, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências de Lisboa, Bloco C2 Campo Grande, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Peter C Hubbard
- Centro de Ciências do Mar, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
| | - Adelino V M Canário
- Centro de Ciências do Mar, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
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4
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Lenharo M. Do insects have an inner life? Animal consciousness needs a rethink. Nature 2024; 629:14-15. [PMID: 38653828 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-024-01144-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
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5
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Kakrada E, Colombo M. Beyond the mark: Signatures of self-recognition in fish. Learn Behav 2024; 52:5-6. [PMID: 37231105 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-023-00586-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
A new study with cleaner fish demonstrates the need to expand cognitive testing of animals beyond success testing (a simple pass or fail criteria), and instead investigate the signatures of how animals solve tasks. By tailoring traditional cognitive tests to the focal species' natural behaviour, researchers can provide animals with a better chance for demonstrating their cognitive abilities, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the evolution of cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Kakrada
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England.
| | - Michael Colombo
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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6
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Georgiev DD. Evolution of Consciousness. Life (Basel) 2023; 14:48. [PMID: 38255663 PMCID: PMC10817314 DOI: 10.3390/life14010048] [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: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The natural evolution of consciousness in different animal species mandates that conscious experiences are causally potent in order to confer any advantage in the struggle for survival. Any endeavor to construct a physical theory of consciousness based on emergence within the framework of classical physics, however, leads to causally impotent conscious experiences in direct contradiction to evolutionary theory since epiphenomenal consciousness cannot evolve through natural selection. Here, we review recent theoretical advances in describing sentience and free will as fundamental aspects of reality granted by quantum physical laws. Modern quantum information theory considers quantum states as a physical resource that endows quantum systems with the capacity to perform physical tasks that are classically impossible. Reductive identification of conscious experiences with the quantum information comprised in quantum brain states allows for causally potent consciousness that is capable of performing genuine choices for future courses of physical action. The consequent evolution of brain cortical networks contributes to increased computational power, memory capacity, and cognitive intelligence of the living organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danko D Georgiev
- Institute for Advanced Study, 30 Vasilaki Papadopulu Str., 9010 Varna, Bulgaria
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7
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Marques Maia C. Individuality really matters for fish welfare. Vet Q 2023; 43:1-5. [PMID: 37842814 PMCID: PMC10614702 DOI: 10.1080/01652176.2023.2270653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
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8
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Hillemacher S, Ocklenburg S, Güntürkün O, Tiemann I. Roosters do not warn the bird in the mirror: The cognitive ecology of mirror self-recognition. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0291416. [PMID: 37878556 PMCID: PMC10599514 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Touching a mark on the own body when seeing this mark in a mirror is regarded as a correlate of self-awareness and seems confined to great apes and a few further species. However, this paradigm often produces false-negative results and possibly dichotomizes a gradual evolutionary transition of self-recognition. We hypothesized that this ability is more widespread if ecologically tested and developed such a procedure for a most unlikely candidate: chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Roosters warn conspecifics when seeing an aerial predator, but not when alone. Exploiting this natural behavior, we tested individual roosters alone, with another male, or with a mirror while a hawk's silhouette flew above them. Roosters mainly emitted alarm calls in the presence of another individual but not when alone or seeing themselves in the mirror. In contrast, our birds failed the classic mirror test. Thus, chickens possibly recognize their reflection as their own, strikingly showing how much cognition is ecologically embedded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Hillemacher
- Institute of Agricultural Engineering, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sebastian Ocklenburg
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Department of Psychology, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- ICAN Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Research Center One Health Ruhr, Research Alliance Ruhr, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Inga Tiemann
- Institute of Agricultural Engineering, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Kang J, Ramirez-Calero S, Paula JR, Chen Y, Schunter C. Gene losses, parallel evolution and heightened expression confer adaptations to dedicated cleaning behaviour. BMC Biol 2023; 21:180. [PMID: 37612643 PMCID: PMC10463495 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01682-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cleaning symbioses are captivating interspecific interactions in which a cleaner fish removes ectoparasites from its client, contributing to the health and diversity of natural fish communities and aquaculture systems. However, the genetic signatures underlying this specialized behaviour remain poorly explored. To shed light on this, we generated a high-quality chromosome-scale genome of the bluestreak cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus, a dedicated cleaner with cleaning as primary feeding mechanism throughout its life. RESULTS Compared with facultative and non-cleaner wrasses, L. dimidiatus was found with notable contractions in olfactory receptors implying their limited importance in dedicated cleaning. Instead, given its distinct tactile pre-conflict strategies, L. dimidiatus may rely more heavily on touch sensory perception, with heightened gene expression in the brain in anticipation of cleaning. Additionally, a reduction in NLR family CARD domain-containing protein 3 might enhance innate immunity of L. dimidiatus, probably assisting to reduce the impacts from parasite infections. In addition, convergent substitutions for a taste receptor and bone development genes across cleaners (L. dimidiatus and facultative cleaners) may provide them with evolved food discrimination abilities and jaw morphology that differentiate them from non-cleaners. Moreover, L. dimidiatus may exhibit specialized neural signal transductions for cleaning, as evidenced by positive selection in genes related to the glutamatergic synapse pathway. Interestingly, numerous glutamate receptors also demonstrated significantly higher expression in L. dimidiatus not engaged in cleaning, as compared to those involved in cleaning. Besides, apparent contractions in L. dimidiatus for protocadherins, which are responsible for neuronal development, may further promote specialized neural signal transductions in this species. CONCLUSIONS This study reveals that L. dimidiatus harbours substantial losses in specific gene families, convergent evolutions across cleaners and a large-scale high gene expression in preparation for cleaning, allowing for adaptation to the dedicated cleaning behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingliang Kang
- Swire Institute of Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Sandra Ramirez-Calero
- Swire Institute of Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - José Ricardo Paula
- Swire Institute of Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre & ARNET - Aquatic Research Network, Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Nossa Senhora Do Cabo, 939, Cascais, 2750-374, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Yifang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
| | - Celia Schunter
- Swire Institute of Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
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Morin A. The Self Course: Lessons Learned from Students' Weekly Questions. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:525. [PMID: 37503972 PMCID: PMC10376065 DOI: 10.3390/bs13070525] [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: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In this paper, I tentatively answer 50 questions sampled from a pool of over 10,000 weekly questions formulated by students in a course entitled "The Self". The questions pertain to various key topics related to self-processes, such as self-awareness, self-knowledge, self-regulation, self-talk, self-esteem, and self-regulation. The students' weekly questions and their answers highlight what is currently known about the self. Answers to the student questions also allow for the identification of some recurrent lessons about the self. Some of these lessons include: all self-processes are interconnected (e.g., prospection depends on autobiography), self-terms must be properly defined (e.g., self-rumination and worry are not the same), inner speech plays an important role in self-processes, controversies are numerous (are animals self-aware?), measurement issues abound (e.g., self-recognition as an operationalization of self-awareness), deficits in some self-processes can have devastating effects (e.g., self-regulatory deficits may lead to financial problems), and there are lots of unknowns about the self (e.g., gender differences in Theory-of-Mind).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alain Morin
- Department of Psychology, Mount Royal University, 4825 Richard Road S.W., Calgary, AB T3E 6K6, Canada
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11
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Coss RG, Tyler CL. African jewel fish (Hemichromis bimaculatus) distinguish individual faces based on their unique iridophore patterns. Anim Cogn 2023:10.1007/s10071-023-01790-1. [PMID: 37269406 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01790-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Previous research has shown that African jewel fish (Hemichromis bimaculatus) recognize pair-bonded mates during their exchanges of egg-guarding duties. The current research examined the perceptual cues for face recognition by comparing two face models displaying anatomically realistic arrangements of blue iridophores derived from discriminant function analysis of distinct sibling groups. Four groups each consisting of 9 subadults were examined using a narrow compartment restraining lateral movement where face models were presented at eye level for eight trials. Because respiratory movement of the operculum can mechanically displace the eye thereby shifting the retinal image, jewel fish reduce their respiration rate during increased attention. When two experimental groups were presented with the same face models on four trials following initial model presentations, both groups exhibited stable respiration rates indicative of model habituation. When the habituated face models were switched to novel face models on the fifth trial, the rates of respiration decreased as measured by reliable increases in the elapsed times of opercular beats. Switching the models back to the habituated models on the sixth trial caused reliable decreases in the elapsed times of opercular beats, resembling the earlier trials for the habituated models. Switching the face models again to the formerly novel models on the seventh trial produced respiration rates that resembled those of the habituated models. The two control groups viewing the same models for all eight trials exhibited no substantial change in respiration rates. Together, these findings indicate that jewel fish can learn to recognize novel faces displaying unique arrangements of iridorphores after one trial of exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard G Coss
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
- , 807 Falcon Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
| | - Carol Lee Tyler
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
- , 1313 West Hellman Ave, Alhambra, CA, 91803, USA
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12
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Sogawa S, Fukushima R, Sowersby W, Awata S, Kawasaka K, Kohda M. Male Guppies Recognize Familiar Conspecific Males by Their Face. Zoolog Sci 2023; 40:168-174. [PMID: 37042696 DOI: 10.2108/zs220088] [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: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
Individual recognition is a necessary cognitive ability for the maintenance of stable social relationships. Recent studies have shown that like primates, some fish species can distinguish familiar fish from unfamiliar strangers via face-recognition. However, the taxa of the studied fish species are restricted (within Perciformes) and the visual signal used for the recognition of fish remains unclear. Here, we investigated the visual signal for individual-recognition in males of a sexually dichromatic guppy (Poecilia reticulata, Cyprinodontiformes). Using guppy males, we examined the hypothesis that fish distinguish between familiar individuals and unknown strangers by their faces rather than by body coloration. We randomly presented focal fish with four types of composite photo-models: familiar (familiar-face and familiar-body = F/F), stranger (stranger-face and stranger-body = S/S), familiar face combined with stranger body (F/S) and stranger face combined with familiar body (S/F). Focal males infrequently attacked familiar-face models but frequently attacked stranger-face models, regardless of body types. These behavioral reactions indicate that guppy males discriminate between familiar and stranger males by their face, not body coloration with wide variation. Importantly, male faces contain clear individual-variation in white/metallic colored patches on the operculum visible for humans. Considering the photo-model, our results suggest that these patches might be an important visual stimulus for face-recognition in guppy males, like some cichlids. Comparative examination among males of different guppy variants, including wild type phenotype, suggests that the face color-patch is stable regardless of variation in body color, with a different genetic mechanism potentially underlying face and body colors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shumpei Sogawa
- Laboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
- Laboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Rio Fukushima
- Laboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Will Sowersby
- Laboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
- Laboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Satoshi Awata
- Laboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
- Laboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kento Kawasaka
- Laboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
- Laboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masanori Kohda
- Laboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan,
- Laboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan
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This fish knows its own face in a mirror. Nature 2023; 614:393. [PMID: 36750701 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-023-00352-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
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