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Fox JA, Wyatt Toure M, Heckley A, Fan R, Reader SM, Barrett RDH. Insights into adaptive behavioural plasticity from the guppy model system. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232625. [PMID: 38471561 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2625] [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: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Behavioural plasticity allows organisms to respond to environmental challenges on short time scales. But what are the ecological and evolutionary processes that underlie behavioural plasticity? The answer to this question is complex and requires experimental dissection of the physiological, neural and molecular mechanisms contributing to behavioural plasticity as well as an understanding of the ecological and evolutionary contexts under which behavioural plasticity is adaptive. Here, we discuss key insights that research with Trinidadian guppies has provided on the underpinnings of adaptive behavioural plasticity. First, we present evidence that guppies exhibit contextual, developmental and transgenerational behavioural plasticity. Next, we review work on behavioural plasticity in guppies spanning three ecological contexts (predation, parasitism and turbidity) and three underlying mechanisms (endocrinological, neurobiological and genetic). Finally, we provide three outstanding questions that could leverage guppies further as a study system and give suggestions for how this research could be done. Research on behavioural plasticity in guppies has provided, and will continue to provide, a valuable opportunity to improve understanding of the ecological and evolutionary causes and consequences of behavioural plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janay A Fox
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada H3A 1B1
| | - M Wyatt Toure
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada H3A 1B1
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York 10027-6902, NY, USA
| | - Alexis Heckley
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada H3A 1B1
| | - Raina Fan
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada H3A 1B1
| | - Simon M Reader
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada H3A 1B1
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2
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Stein LR, Hoke K. Parental and individual experience with predation risk interact in shaping phenotypes in a sex-specific manner. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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3
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Reddon AR, Aubin‐Horth N, Reader SM. Wild guppies from populations exposed to higher predation risk exhibit greater vasotocin brain gene expression. J Zool (1987) 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. R. Reddon
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool UK
- Department of Biology McGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - N. Aubin‐Horth
- Département de Biologie et Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes Université Laval Quebec City Québec Canada
| | - S. M. Reader
- Department of Biology McGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
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4
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Vinterstare J, Ekelund Ugge GMO, Hulthén K, Hegg A, Brönmark C, Nilsson PA, Zellmer UR, Lee M, Pärssinen V, Sha Y, Björnerås C, Zhang H, Gollnisch R, Herzog SD, Hansson LA, Škerlep M, Hu N, Johansson E, Langerhans RB. Predation risk and the evolution of a vertebrate stress response: Parallel evolution of stress reactivity and sexual dimorphism. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:1554-1567. [PMID: 34464014 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Predation risk is often invoked to explain variation in stress responses. Yet, the answers to several key questions remain elusive, including the following: (1) how predation risk influences the evolution of stress phenotypes, (2) the relative importance of environmental versus genetic factors in stress reactivity and (3) sexual dimorphism in stress physiology. To address these questions, we explored variation in stress reactivity (ventilation frequency) in a post-Pleistocene radiation of live-bearing fish, where Bahamas mosquitofish (Gambusia hubbsi) inhabit isolated blue holes that differ in predation risk. Individuals of populations coexisting with predators exhibited similar, relatively low stress reactivity as compared to low-predation populations. We suggest that this dampened stress reactivity has evolved to reduce energy expenditure in environments with frequent and intense stressors, such as piscivorous fish. Importantly, the magnitude of stress responses exhibited by fish from high-predation sites in the wild changed very little after two generations of laboratory rearing in the absence of predators. By comparison, low-predation populations exhibited greater among-population variation and larger changes subsequent to laboratory rearing. These low-predation populations appear to have evolved more dampened stress responses in blue holes with lower food availability. Moreover, females showed a lower ventilation frequency, and this sexual dimorphism was stronger in high-predation populations. This may reflect a greater premium placed on energy efficiency in live-bearing females, especially under high-predation risk where females show higher fecundities. Altogether, by demonstrating parallel adaptive divergence in stress reactivity, we highlight how energetic trade-offs may mould the evolution of the vertebrate stress response under varying predation risk and resource availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerker Vinterstare
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Gustaf M O Ekelund Ugge
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,School of Bioscience, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden
| | - Kaj Hulthén
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Alexander Hegg
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Christer Brönmark
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Per Anders Nilsson
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ursula Ronja Zellmer
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Marcus Lee
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Varpu Pärssinen
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Yongcui Sha
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Caroline Björnerås
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Huan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology of China, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Raphael Gollnisch
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Simon D Herzog
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Lars-Anders Hansson
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Martin Škerlep
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Nan Hu
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Emma Johansson
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Randall Brian Langerhans
- Department of Biological Sciences, W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
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5
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Prado AC, Wosnick N, Adams K, Leite RD, Freire CA. Capture‐induced vulnerability in male Shortnose guitarfish during their reproductive period. Anim Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Aline Cristina Prado
- Laboratório de Fisiologia Comparativa de Osmorregulação Departamento de Fisiologia Universidade Federal do Paraná Curitiba Paraná Brazil
| | - Natascha Wosnick
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Zoologia Universidade Federal do Paraná Curitiba Paraná Brazil
| | - Kye Adams
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia, Crawley WA Australia
| | - Renata Daldin Leite
- Laboratório de Fisiologia Comparativa de Osmorregulação Departamento de Fisiologia Universidade Federal do Paraná Curitiba Paraná Brazil
| | - Carolina Arruda Freire
- Laboratório de Fisiologia Comparativa de Osmorregulação Departamento de Fisiologia Universidade Federal do Paraná Curitiba Paraná Brazil
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6
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Antunes DF, Reyes-Contreras M, Glauser G, Taborsky B. Early social experience has life-long effects on baseline but not stress-induced cortisol levels in a cooperatively breeding fish. Horm Behav 2021; 128:104910. [PMID: 33309816 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 11/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In cooperatively breeding cichlid fish, the early social environment has lifelong effects on the offspring's behaviour, life-history trajectories and brain gene expression. Here, we asked whether the presence or absence of parents and subordinate helpers during early life also shapes fluctuating levels of cortisol, the major stress hormone in the cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher. To non-invasively characterize baseline and stress-induced cortisol levels, we adapted the 'static' holding-water method often used to collect waterborne steroid hormones in aquatic organisms by including a flow-through system allowing for repeated sampling without handling of the experimental subjects. We used 8-year-old N. pulcher either raised with (+F) or without (-F) parents and helpers in early life. We found that N. pulcher have a peak of their circadian cortisol cycle in the early morning, and that they habituated to the experimental procedure after four days. Therefore, we sampled the experimental fish in the afternoon after four days of habituation. -F fish had significantly lower baseline cortisol levels, whereas stress-induced cortisol levels did not differ between treatments. Thus, we show that the early social environment has life-long effects on aspects of the physiological stress system of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Interrenal (HPI) axis. We discuss how these differences in physiological state may have contributed to the specialization in different social and life-history trajectories of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diogo F Antunes
- Behavioural Ecology Division, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Maria Reyes-Contreras
- Behavioural Ecology Division, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Gaétan Glauser
- Neuchâtel Platform of Analytical Chemistry, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Barbara Taborsky
- Behavioural Ecology Division, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Switzerland
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7
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Hare AJ, Zimmer AM, LePabic R, Morgan AL, Gilmour KM. Early-life stress influences ion balance in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio). J Comp Physiol B 2020; 191:69-84. [PMID: 33064210 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-020-01319-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
As a key endocrine axis involved in responding to stress, the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis plays dual roles in mobilizing energy and maintaining ionic/osmotic balance in fishes. Although these roles have been examined independently in detail in adult fishes, less attention has been paid to the effects of an endogenous stress response during early life, particularly with respect to its potential effects on ionic/osmotic balance. The present study tested the hypothesis that exposure of zebrafish to stress during early development would alter ion balance later in life. Zebrafish at three developmental stages (4, 7, or 15 days post-fertilization, dpf) were subjected to an air-exposure stressor twice a day for 2 days, causing elevation of whole-body cortisol levels. Individuals stressed early in life exhibited decreased survival and growth, altered cortisol responses to a subsequent air-exposure stressor, and increased whole-body Na+ and Ca2+ concentrations. Changes in whole-body Ca2+ concentrations were accompanied by increased ionocyte abundance at 7 dpf and increased rates of Ca2+ uptake from the environment. Differences in whole-body ion concentrations at 15 and 35 dpf were not accompanied by altered ion uptake rates. Across all ages examined, air-exposure stress experienced at 7 dpf was particularly effective at eliciting phenotypic changes, suggesting a critical window at this age for a stress response to influence development. These findings demonstrate that early-life stress in zebrafish triggers developmental plasticity, with age-dependent effects on both the cortisol stress axis and ion balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J Hare
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - A M Zimmer
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - R LePabic
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - A L Morgan
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - K M Gilmour
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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8
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Houslay TM, Earley RL, Young AJ, Wilson AJ. Habituation and individual variation in the endocrine stress response in the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 270:113-122. [PMID: 30339807 PMCID: PMC6300406 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 10/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The vertebrate stress response enables individuals to react to and cope with environmental challenges. A crucial aspect of the stress response is the elevation of circulating glucocorticoids. However, continued activation of the stress response under repeated exposure to stressors can be damaging to fitness. Under certain circumstances it may therefore be adaptive to habituate to repeated exposures to a particular stressor by reducing the magnitude of any associated release of glucocorticoids. Here, we investigate whether Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) habituate to repeated exposure to a mild stressor, using a waterborne hormone sampling approach that has previously been shown to elicit a stress response in small fish. We also test for individual variation in the extent of habituation to this stressor. Concentrating on freely circulating cortisol, we found that the first exposure to the assay induced high cortisol release rates but that guppies tended to habituate quickly to subsequent exposures. There were consistent differences among individuals in their average cortisol release rate (after accounting for effects of variables such as body size) over repeated exposures. Our analyses did not find evidence of individual differences in habituation rate, although limitations in statistical power could account for this finding. We repeated the analysis for free 11-ketotestosterone, which can also respond to stressors, but found no obvious habituation pattern and no among-individual variation. We also present data on conjugated forms of both hormones, which were repeatable but did not show the expected time-lagged habituation effect. We discuss consistent individual differences around the general pattern of habituation in the flexible stress response, and highlight the potential for individual variation in habituation to facilitate selection against the deleterious effects of chronic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- T M Houslay
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter (Penryn Campus), Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK.
| | - R L Earley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Biology Building 211-213, Box 870344, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA.
| | - A J Young
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter (Penryn Campus), Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK.
| | - A J Wilson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter (Penryn Campus), Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK.
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Moniruzzaman M, Mukherjee J, Jacquin L, Mukherjee D, Mitra P, Ray S, Chakraborty SB. Physiological and behavioural responses to acid and osmotic stress and effects of Mucuna extract in Guppies. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2018; 163:37-46. [PMID: 30031943 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.07.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Revised: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Variation in pH (acidification) and salinity conditions have severe impact at different levels of biological organization in fish. Present study focused to assess the effects of acidification and salinity changes on physiological stress responses at three different levels of function: i) hormonal and oxidative response, ii) osmoregulation and iii) reproduction, in order to identify relevant biomarkers. Second objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of plant (Mucuna pruriens) extract for alleviating pH and salinity related stress. Guppies (Poecilia reticulata) were exposed to different pH (6.0, 5.5, 5.0) and salinity (1.5, 3.0, 4.5 ppt) for 7, 14 and 21 days. Following exposure to stress for respective duration, fish were fed diet containing methanol extract of Mucuna seeds (dose 0.80 gm/kg feed) for 7, 14 and 21 days to measure their possible recovery response. Stress hormone (cortisol), hepatic oxidative stress parameters [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GRd), glutathione peroxidise (GPx), glutathione S-transferase (GST), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH)], gill osmoregulatory response (Na+-K+ATPase activity), sex steroid profiles and mating behaviours (gonopodial thrust and gestation period) were estimated. Cortisol and MDA levels increased with dose and duration of acid and salinity stress, and cortisol levels were higher in males than in females. Effect on Na+-K+ATPase activity was more intense by salinity stress rather than pH induced stress. Both acid and salinity stress reduced sex steroid levels, and mating response was highly affected by both stresses in a dose- and duration-dependent manner. Mucuna treatment reduced stress-induced alteration of cortisol, MDA, Na+-K+ATPase activity and reproductive parameters. Dietary administration of Mucuna seed extract decreased the intensity of environmental stressors at all three functional levels. Mucuna treatment was more effective against salinity stress than acid stress. Thus, cortisol, oxidative stress marker MDA and Na+-K+ATPase could be effective indicators for acid and salinity stress in wild and domestic fish populations. Dietary administration of Mucuna extract may limit the detrimental effects of acidification and salinity variations that are the inevitable outcomes expected under global climate change conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahammed Moniruzzaman
- Fish Endocrinology Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata 700019, India
| | - Joyita Mukherjee
- Department of Zoology, Krishna Chandra College, University of Burdwan, Hetampur, Birbhum 731124, West Bengal, India
| | - Lisa Jacquin
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique EDB, UMR 5174, Université de Toulouse, UPS, CNRS, IRD, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Debosree Mukherjee
- Fish Endocrinology Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata 700019, India
| | - Pubali Mitra
- Fish Endocrinology Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata 700019, India
| | - Santanu Ray
- Ecological Modeling Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan 731235, India
| | - Suman Bhusan Chakraborty
- Fish Endocrinology Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata 700019, India.
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Reddon AR, Chouinard‐Thuly L, Leris I, Reader SM. Wild and laboratory exposure to cues of predation risk increases relative brain mass in male guppies. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adam R. Reddon
- Department of BiologyMcGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
| | | | - Ioannis Leris
- Department of BiologyMcGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
- Department of Biology and Helmholtz InstituteUtrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Simon M. Reader
- Department of BiologyMcGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
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