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Takai Y, Izumi M, Motoyama Y, Shimasaki Y, Oshima Y, Kang IJ. Peek-A-Boo Test: A Simple Test for Assessing the Effect of Anxiolytics on Fish Behavior. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2023; 42:2358-2363. [PMID: 37431926 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5713] [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: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
The potential of pharmaceuticals and personal care products to alter the behavior of aquatic organisms is a growing concern. To assess the actual effect of these substances on aquatic organisms, a simple but effective behavioral test is required. We devised a simple behavioral (Peek-A-Boo) test to assess the effect of anxiolytics on the behavior of a model fish (medaka, Oryzias latipes). In the Peek-A-Boo test, we investigated the response of medaka to an image of a predator fish (donko fish, Odontobutis obscura). The test revealed that the time taken for test medaka exposed to diazepam (0.8, 4, 20, or 100 µg/L) to approach the image was shorter by a factor of 0.22 to 0.65, and the time spent in the area close to the image was longer by a factor of 1.8 to 2.7 than in the solvent control group for all diazepam exposure groups (p < 0.05). Hence, we confirmed that the test could detect changes in medaka behavior caused by diazepam with high sensitivity. The Peek-A-Boo test we devised is a simple behavioral test with high sensitivity for fish behavioral alteration. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:2358-2363. © 2023 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Takai
- Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Mutsumi Izumi
- Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yuriko Motoyama
- Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yohei Shimasaki
- Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yuji Oshima
- Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
- Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Ik Joon Kang
- School of Interdisciplinary Science and Innovation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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Kniel N, Guenther A, Godin JGJ. Individual personality does not predict learning performance in a foraging context in female guppies, Poecilia reticulata. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Scherer U, Godin JGJ, Schuett W. Do female rainbow kribs choose males on the basis of their apparent aggression and boldness? A non-correlational mate choice study. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2794-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Consistent between-individual differences in behaviour, known as personality differences, are heritable and have consequences for individual survival and reproductive success. Therefore, it is likely that personality differences are not just under natural but also under sexual selection. Indeed, the recently developed idea that individuals choose their mate based on its personality finds empirical support. However, most studies on mate choice based on personality traits are correlative pioneering work and there is a paucity of experimental studies that test for causality by disentangling personality measures from other, potentially correlated traits that may be important during mate choice. Here, we tested female preference for the apparent level and consistency of either male aggression (measured as mean distance of approach towards an animated opponent, manipulated by locating males at a fixed distance) or male boldness (measured as activity under a simulated predation threat, manipulated using a gradient in ambient water temperature) in a bi-parental West African cichlid, Pelvicachromis pulcher. Females could observe the apparent behaviour of paired stimulus males and were allowed to choose between the two stimulus males in a subsequent choice test. We found no direct effect of male apparent aggression/boldness on female choice, but an indirect effect such that female preference for the apparently bold male increased with increasing within-male pair contrast in their apparent level of boldness. Our results indicate females consider male boldness per se during mate choice, suggesting male boldness is sexually selected in our study species.
Significance statement
Ever since Darwin introduced the concept of sexual selection, female choice has been studied extensively. However, the hypothesis that consistent between-individual differences in behaviour (known as personality differences) affect mate choice is relatively new. Correlative studies support this idea but provide only suggestive evidence. Here, we used behavioural manipulations in order to disentangle male behaviour from other, potentially correlated male traits, allowing us to test for causality between female choice and personality differences in male aggression and boldness (both in level and consistency of behaviour) in a bi-parental cichlid. We found no overall female preference for male apparent behaviour, but female preference for the bold-appearing male increased with increasing between-male contrast in apparent boldness. Our results indicate a causal link between female choice and male boldness. In future, behavioural manipulations using a temperature gradient could provide further valuable insights.
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Watve M, Prati S, Taborsky B. Simulating more realistic predation threat using attack playbacks. PeerJ 2019; 7:e8149. [PMID: 31875146 PMCID: PMC6925948 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Use of virtual proxies of live animals are rapidly gaining ground in studies of animal behaviour. Such proxies help to reduce the number of live experimental animals needed to stimulate the behaviour of experimental individuals and to increase standardisation. However, using too simplistic proxies may fail to induce a desired effect and/or lead to quick habituation. For instance, in a predation context, prey often employ multimodal cues to detect predators or use specific aspects of predator behaviour to assess threat. In a live interaction, predator and prey often show behaviours directed towards each other, which are absent in virtual proxies. Here we compared the effectiveness of chemical and visual predator cues in the cooperatively breeding cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher, a species in which predation pressure has been the evolutionary driver of its sociality. We created playbacks of predators simulating an attack and tested their effectiveness in comparison to a playback showing regular activity and to a live predator. We further compared the effectiveness of predator odour and conspecific skin extracts on behaviours directed towards a predator playback. Regular playbacks of calmly swimming predators were less effective than live predators in stimulating a focal individual's aggression and attention. However, playbacks mimicking an attacking predator induced responses much like a live predator. Chemical cues did not affect predator directed behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukta Watve
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian Prati
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Barbara Taborsky
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Plath M, Liu K, Umutoni D, Gomes-Silva G, Wei JF, Cyubahiro E, Chen BJ, Sommer-Trembo C. Predator-induced changes of male and female mating preferences: innate and learned components. Curr Zool 2019; 65:305-316. [PMID: 31263489 PMCID: PMC6595919 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoz003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While many mating preferences have a genetic basis, the question remains as to whether and how learning/experience can modify individual mate choice decisions. We used wild-caught (predator-experienced) and F1 laboratory-reared (predator-naïve) invasive Western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis from China to test whether mating preferences (assessed in a first mate choice test) would change under immediate predation threat. The same individuals were tested in a second mate choice test during which 1 of 3 types of animated predators was presented: 1) a co-occurring predator, 2) a co-evolved but not currently co-occurring predator, and 3) a non-piscivorous species as control. We compared preference scores derived from both mate choice tests to separate innate from experiential effects of predation. We also asked whether predator-induced changes in mating preferences would differ between sexes or depend on the choosing individual’s personality type and/or body size. Wild-caught fish altered their mate choice decisions most when exposed to the co-occurring predator whereas laboratory-reared individuals responded most to the co-evolved predator, suggesting that both innate mechanisms and learning effects are involved. This behavior likely reduces individuals’ risk of falling victim to predation by temporarily moving away from high-quality (i.e., conspicuous) mating partners. Accordingly, effects were stronger in bolder than shyer, large- compared with small-bodied, and female compared with male focal individuals, likely because those phenotypes face an increased predation risk overall. Our study adds to the growing body of literature appreciating the complexity of the mate choice process, where an array of intrinsic and extrinsic factors interacts during decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Plath
- Department of Basic and Applied Zoology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.,Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology in Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Kai Liu
- Department of Basic and Applied Zoology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Diane Umutoni
- Department of Basic and Applied Zoology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Guilherme Gomes-Silva
- Department of Basic and Applied Zoology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.,Sino-Canadian Center for Environment & Sustainable Development, Department of Geography ("Saude Ambiental"), Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Jie-Fei Wei
- Department of Basic and Applied Zoology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Eric Cyubahiro
- Department of Basic and Applied Zoology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Bo-Jian Chen
- Department of Basic and Applied Zoology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.,College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Carolin Sommer-Trembo
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Institute of Zoology, University of Basel, Switzerland
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Scherer U, Schuett W. No male mate choice for female boldness in a bi-parental West African cichlid, the rainbow krib ( Pelvicachromis pulcher). PeerJ 2018; 6:e5373. [PMID: 30123707 PMCID: PMC6087618 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In many species, males have a lower reproductive investment than females and are therefore assumed to increase their fitness with a high number of matings rather than by being choosy. However, in bi-parental species, also males heavily invest into reproduction. Here, reproductive success largely depends on costly parental care; with style and amount of parental effort in several cases being associated with personality differences (i.e., consistent between-individual differences in behaviour). Nonetheless, very little is known about the effect of personality differences on (male) mate choice in bi-parental species. Methods In the present study, we tested male mate choice for the level and consistency of female boldness in the rainbow krib, Pelviachromis pulcher, a bi-parental and territorial West African cichlid. Individual boldness was assumed to indicate parental quality because it affects parental defence behaviour. For all males and females, boldness was assessed twice as the activity under simulated predation risk. Mate choice trials were conducted in two steps. First, we let a male observe two females expressing their boldness. Then, the male could choose between these two females in a standard mate choice test. Results We tested for a male preference for behavioural (dis-)similarity vs. a directional preference for boldness but our data support the absence of effects of male and/or female boldness (level and consistency) on male mating preference. Discussion Our results suggest female personality differences in boldness may not be selected for via male mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Scherer
- Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Wiebke Schuett
- Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.,School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
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Chen BJ, Liu K, Zhou LJ, Gomes-Silva G, Sommer-Trembo C, Plath M. Personality differentially affects individual mate choice decisions in female and male Western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197197. [PMID: 29763435 PMCID: PMC5953439 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Consistent individual differences in behavioral tendencies (animal personality) can affect individual mate choice decisions. We asked whether personality traits affect male and female mate choice decisions similarly and whether potential personality effects are consistent across different mate choice situations. Using western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) as our study organism, we characterized focal individuals (males and females) twice for boldness, activity, and sociability/shoaling and found high and significant behavioral repeatability. Additionally, each focal individual was tested in two different dichotomous mate choice tests in which it could choose between computer-animated stimulus fish of the opposite sex that differed in body size and activity levels, respectively. Personality had different effects on female and male mate choice: females that were larger than average showed stronger preferences for large-bodied males with increasing levels of boldness/activity (i.e., towards more proactive personality types). Males that were larger than average and had higher shoaling tendencies showed stronger preferences for actively swimming females. Size-dependent effects of personality on the strength of preferences for distinct phenotypes of potential mating partners may reflect effects of age/experience (especially in females) and social dominance (especially in males). Previous studies found evidence for assortative mate choice based on personality types or hypothesized the existence of behavioral syndromes of individuals’ choosiness across mate choice criteria, possibly including other personality traits. Our present study exemplifies that far more complex patterns of personality-dependent mate choice can emerge in natural systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo-jian Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, P.R. China
| | - Kai Liu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, P.R. China
| | - Lin-jun Zhou
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, P.R. China
| | - Guilherme Gomes-Silva
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, P.R. China
- Department of Geography (“Saude Ambiental”), Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Carolin Sommer-Trembo
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, P.R. China
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, J.W. Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Martin Plath
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, P.R. China
- * E-mail:
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Different or alike? Female rainbow kribs choose males of similar consistency and dissimilar level of boldness. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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