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Corral-Lopez A, Bloch NI, van der Bijl W, Cortazar-Chinarro M, Szorkovszky A, Kotrschal A, Darolti I, Buechel SD, Romenskyy M, Kolm N, Mank JE. Functional convergence of genomic and transcriptomic architecture underlies schooling behaviour in a live-bearing fish. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:98-110. [PMID: 37985898 PMCID: PMC10781616 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02249-9] [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] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
The organization and coordination of fish schools provide a valuable model to investigate the genetic architecture of affiliative behaviours and dissect the mechanisms underlying social behaviours and personalities. Here we used replicate guppy selection lines that vary in schooling propensity and combine quantitative genetics with genomic and transcriptomic analyses to investigate the genetic basis of sociability phenotypes. We show that consistent with findings in collective motion patterns, experimental evolution of schooling propensity increased the sociability of female, but not male, guppies when swimming with unfamiliar conspecifics. This finding highlights a relevant link between coordinated motion and sociability for species forming fission-fusion societies in which both group size and the type of social interactions are dynamic across space and time. We further show that alignment and attraction, the two major traits forming the sociability personality axis in this species, showed heritability estimates at the upper end of the range previously described for social behaviours, with important variation across sexes. The results from both Pool-seq and RNA-seq data indicated that genes involved in neuron migration and synaptic function were instrumental in the evolution of sociability, highlighting a crucial role of glutamatergic synaptic function and calcium-dependent signalling processes in the evolution of schooling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Corral-Lopez
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Division of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Natasha I Bloch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Wouter van der Bijl
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Maria Cortazar-Chinarro
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- MEMEG Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Alexander Szorkovszky
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Alexander Kotrschal
- Behavioural Ecology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Iulia Darolti
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Severine D Buechel
- Behavioural Ecology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Maksym Romenskyy
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Judith E Mank
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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2
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Al Shuraiqi A, Abed RMM, Al-Habsi A, Barry MJ. Personality Affects Zebrafish Response to Sertraline. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2024; 43:132-146. [PMID: 37861374 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Sertraline is widely prescribed to treat anxiety and depression. Sertraline acts by blocking serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine transporters systems and has been detected in surface waters globally, where it may impact fish behavior. We classified zebrafish personality on three behavioral axes, boldness, anxiety, and sociability, assigning fish as either high or low in each category. The fish were exposed to nominal concentrations of 0, 5, 50, 500, or 5000 ng/L sertraline (measured concentrations: <10, 21.3, 370, and 2200 ng/L, respectively) to assess changes in boldness, anxiety, and sociability after 7 and 28 days. We also measured shoaling behavior and response to an alarm cue, and determined the gut microbiome of a subset of fish. After 7 days there was no overall effect of sertraline on boldness, but there was an interaction between initial personality and sex, with a stronger impact on females classified as low-boldness personality. Sertraline reduced sociability in all treatments compared with the control, but there was again an interaction between sertraline and initial personality. Fish that were classified as low-sociability responded more strongly to sertraline. After 7 days, fish exposed to a nominal concentration of 5000 ng/L (2200 ng/L measured) showed higher anxiety than controls, with the overall pattern of initial behavior retained. After 28 days, similar patterns were observed, but with higher variation. There was only a weak association between the gut microbiome and personality. Overall, the study highlights the importance of considering initial behavior, which can affect response to pollutants. Our results may also be applicable to human studies and provide a mechanism to explain why different individuals respond differently to the drug. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:132-146. © 2023 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Raeid M M Abed
- Biology Department, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
| | - Aziz Al-Habsi
- Biology Department, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
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3
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Luchiari AC, Maximino C. Fish personality: meta-theoretical issues, personality dimensions, and applications to neuroscience and psychopathology. PERSONALITY NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 6:e9. [PMID: 38107778 PMCID: PMC10725779 DOI: 10.1017/pen.2023.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
While the field of personality neuroscience has extensively focused on humans and, in a few cases, primates and rodents, a wide range of research on fish personality has emerged in the last decades. This research is focused mainly on the ecological and evolutionary causes of individual differences and also aimed less extensively at proximal mechanisms (e.g., neurochemistry or genetics). We argue that, if consistent and intentional work is made to solve some of the meta-theoretical issues of personality research both on fish and mammals, fish personality research can lead to important advances in personality neuroscience as a whole. The five dimensions of personality in fish (shyness-boldness, exploration-avoidance, activity, aggressiveness, and sociability) need to be translated into models that explicitly recognize the impacts of personality in psychopathology, synergizing research on fish as model organisms in experimental psychopathology, personality neuroscience, and ecological-ethological approaches to the evolutionary underpinnings of personality to produce a powerful framework to understand individual differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Carolina Luchiari
- Department of Physiology & Behavior, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Caio Maximino
- Laboratório de Neurociências e Comportamento, Instituto de Estudos em Saúde e Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará, Marabá, Brazil
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Batabyal A. Predator-prey systems as models for integrative research in biology: the value of a non-consumptive effects framework. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245851. [PMID: 37772622 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Predator-prey interactions are a cornerstone of many ecological and evolutionary processes that influence various levels of biological organization, from individuals to ecosystems. Predators play a crucial role in shaping ecosystems through the consumption of prey species and non-consumptive effects. Non-consumptive effects (NCEs) can induce changes in prey behavior, including altered foraging strategies, habitat selection, life history and anti-predator responses. These defensive strategies have physiological consequences for prey, affecting their growth, reproduction and immune function to name a few. Numerous experimental studies have incorporated NCEs in investigating predator-prey dynamics in the past decade. Interestingly, predator-prey systems can also be used as experimental models to answer physiology, cognition and adaptability questions. In this Commentary, I highlight research that uses NCEs in predator-prey systems to provide novel insights into cognition, adaptation, epigenetic inheritance and aging. I discuss the evolution of instinct, anxiety and other cognitive disorders, the shaping of brain connectomes, stress-induced aging and the development of behavioral coping styles. I outline how studies can integrate the investigation of NCEs with advanced behavioral, genomic and neurological tools to provide novel insights into physiological and cognitive health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuradha Batabyal
- Department of Physical and Natural Sciences, FLAME University, Pune 412115, India
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Lundgren KA, Løvlie H. Increased dietary 5-hydroxytryptophan reduces fearfulness in red junglefowl hens ( Gallus gallus). Front Physiol 2023; 14:1213986. [PMID: 37766752 PMCID: PMC10520959 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1213986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Our production animals typically suffer poor welfare, which can be revealed by measuring the affective state these animals are in. Negative affective state is linked to poorer welfare, and can be measured as fearfulness. While continuing to research how to improve animal welfare, a compliment to reduce negative affective state could therefore be to reduce individuals' fearfulness, similar to how negative affective states are medicated in humans. A proposed mechanism for this is via the monoaminergic systems. This is based on previous studies across species that have linked the serotonergic system and fear-related behaviour. We here aimed to experimentally manipulate the serotonergic system in red junglefowl hens (Gallus gallus), the main ancestor of all domesticated chickens. We measured fearfulness as latency remaining immobile in a tonic immobility test, and did so both before and after our experimental manipulation. We set out to experimentally manipulate the serotonergic system via sub-chronic dietary treatment of 5-hydroxytryptophan (the precursor to serotonin). Our dietary manipulation of 5-hydroxytryptophan significantly reduced measured fearfulness in the manipulated hens, while latency in tonic immobility did not significantly change in our unmanipulated, control hens. This finding is promising since it indicates that increased tryptophan levels can be used to reduce fearfulness. Additionally, our result suggests that this can be done non-invasively via food (instead of injections), thus presenting a potentially feasible manipulation also for larger settings. Nevertheless, the serotonergic system is complex and its role in modulating behaviour in the fowl should be explored further to evaluate our findings, and more directly explored also in a production setting.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hanne Løvlie
- IFM Biology, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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Gartland LA, Firth JA, Laskowski KL, Jeanson R, Ioannou CC. Sociability as a personality trait in animals: methods, causes and consequences. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:802-816. [PMID: 34894041 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Within animal populations there is variation among individuals in their tendency to be social, where more sociable individuals associate more with other individuals. Consistent inter-individual variation in 'sociability' is considered one of the major axes of personality variation in animals along with aggressiveness, activity, exploration and boldness. Not only is variation in sociability important in terms of animal personalities, but it holds particular significance for, and can be informed by, two other topics of major interest: social networks and collective behaviour. Further, knowledge of what generates inter-individual variation in social behaviour also holds applied implications, such as understanding disorders of social behaviour in humans. In turn, research using non-human animals in the genetics, neuroscience and physiology of these disorders can inform our understanding of sociability. For the first time, this review brings together insights across these areas of research, across animal taxa from primates to invertebrates, and across studies from both the laboratory and field. We show there are mixed results in whether and how sociability correlates with other major behavioural traits. Whether and in what direction these correlations are observed may differ with individual traits such as sex and body condition, as well as ecological conditions. A large body of evidence provides the proximate mechanisms for why individuals vary in their social tendency. Evidence exists for the importance of genes and their expression, chemical messengers, social interactions and the environment in determining an individual's social tendency, although the specifics vary with species and other variables such as age, and interactions amongst these proximate factors. Less well understood is how evolution can maintain consistent variation in social tendencies within populations. Shifts in the benefits and costs of social tendencies over time, as well as the social niche hypothesis, are currently the best supported theories for how variation in sociability can evolve and be maintained in populations. Increased exposure to infectious diseases is the best documented cost of a greater social tendency, and benefits include greater access to socially transmitted information. We also highlight that direct evidence for more sociable individuals being safer from predators is lacking. Variation in sociability is likely to have broad ecological consequences, but beyond its importance in the spread of infectious diseases, direct evidence is limited to a few examples related to dispersal and invasive species biology. Overall, our knowledge of inter-individual variation in sociability is highly skewed towards the proximate mechanisms. Our review also demonstrates, however, that considering research from social networks and collective behaviour greatly enriches our understanding of sociability, highlighting the need for greater integration of these approaches into future animal personality research to address the imbalance in our understanding of sociability as a personality trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lizzy A Gartland
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, U.K
| | - Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, U.K
| | - Kate L Laskowski
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, U.S.A
| | - Raphael Jeanson
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (UMR5169), Centre de Biologie Intégrative, CNRS, UPS, Université de Toulouse, 31062, Toulouse, France
| | - Christos C Ioannou
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, U.K
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Kudo H, Okuyama MW, Sakamoto KQ, Uchida K, Sato K. Serotonin-manipulated juvenile green sea turtles Chelonia mydas exhibit reduced fear-like behaviour. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2021. [DOI: 10.3354/esr01153] [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] Open
Abstract
Animals display fear-like behaviours before escaping from predators. This response triggers both behavioural and physiological changes in multiple body systems, allowing animals to escape danger and ensure survival. Fear-like behaviour is modulated by the serotonergic system in the brain of vertebrates, which shapes social behaviour and cooperative behaviours. Using fluoxetine (FLX), a common pharmaceutical that alters the levels of serotonin in the brain, we aimed to clarify whether the same is true in solitary animals like green turtles Chelonia mydas. Green turtles exhibit individual differences in their response to risk. If fear-related behaviours are regulated by the serotonin system in turtles, the fear-like responses of individuals injected with FLX could change. We therefore assessed the effect of FLX injection on the behavioural responses to a fear stimulus in 9 wild juvenile green turtles in an aquarium setting. We inserted a hand net as a stimulus into the aquarium (within a designated inspection zone) to elicit a fear-like behaviour and measured the time that turtles spent in this zone. All turtles exhibited fear-like behaviour and fled from the stimulus prior to any injection treatment. Turtles with control injection (no FLX) also fled and avoided the inspection zone with the fear stimulus. FLX injection appeared to reduce the turtles’ fear of the stimulus: The total time turtles injected with FLX spent in the inspection zone was significantly longer than for turtles that received a control medium injection. Control turtles fled from the stimulus and were initially vigilant and avoided the area with the stimulus, but then moved throughout the aquarium, including the inspection zone. These data suggest that fear-like behaviour is modulated by the serotonin-mediated nerve system in juvenile green turtles.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Kudo
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8564, Japan
| | - MW Okuyama
- Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu 879-5593, Japan
| | - KQ Sakamoto
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8564, Japan
| | - K Uchida
- Oita environmental conservation forum, Nishishinchi, Oita, Oita 870-0901, Japan
| | - K Sato
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8564, Japan
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Lundgren KA, Abbey-Lee RN, Garnham LC, Kreshchenko A, Ryding S, Løvlie H. Manipulating monoamines reduces exploration and boldness of Mediterranean field crickets. Behav Processes 2020; 183:104298. [PMID: 33347960 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Despite the prevalence and research interest of animal personality, its underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Due to the essential role of monoamines in modulating behaviour, we manipulated the monoaminergic systems of Mediterranean field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) to explore whether this altered behavioural responses commonly used to describe animal personality. Previous work has shown that both serotonin and dopamine manipulations can alter cricket behaviour, although results differ depending on the drug in focus. Here, we investigate the effect of Fluphenazine, a dopamine antagonist which also interacts with serotonin receptors, on activity, exploration, boldness, and aggression. These results are compared with those of our earlier work that investigated the effect of drugs that more specifically target serotonin or dopamine systems (Fluoxetine and Ropinirole, respectively). Due to limited research on dose-effects of Fluphenazine, we created dose-response curves with concentrations ranging from those measured in surface waters up to human therapeutic doses. We show that compared to control animals, Fluphenazine manipulation resulted in lower levels of both exploration and boldness, but did not affect activity nor aggression. The effect on explorative behaviour contradicts our previous results of serotonin and dopamine manipulations. These results together confirm the causal role of monoamines in explaining variation in behaviour often used to describe animal personality, effects that can be both dose- and behaviour-dependent. Further, our results suggest that previous results assigned specifically to the dopaminergic system, may at least partly be explained by effects of the serotonergic system. Thus, future studies should continue to investigate the explicit underlying roles of specific monoamines in explaining behavioural variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristoffer A Lundgren
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 58381 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Robin N Abbey-Lee
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 58381 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Laura C Garnham
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 58381 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Anastasia Kreshchenko
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 58381 Linköping, Sweden; School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, M13 9PL Manchester, UK
| | - Sara Ryding
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 58381 Linköping, Sweden; School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, M13 9PL Manchester, UK
| | - Hanne Løvlie
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 58381 Linköping, Sweden.
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Kellner M, Olsén KH. Divergent Response to the SSRI Citalopram in Male and Female Three-Spine Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2020; 79:478-487. [PMID: 33151376 PMCID: PMC7688600 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-020-00776-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are psychotropic pharmaceuticals used as antidepressants. SSRIs are commonly found in surface waters in populated areas across the globe. They exert their effect by blocking the serotonin re-uptake transporter in the presynaptic nerve ending. The present study examined whether behavioural effects to exposure to SSRI citalopram depend on personality and sex in the stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Three aspects of stickleback behaviour are examined: feeding behaviour, aggression, and boldness. We exposed sticklebacks to 350-380 ng/l citalopram for 3 weeks. Feeding and aggressive behaviour were recorded before and after exposure, whereas scototaxis behaviour was tested after exposure. The results show treatment effects in feeding and aggressive behaviour. Feeding is suppressed only in the male group (χ2 = 20.4, P < 0.001) but not in the females (χ2 = 0.91, P = 0.339). Aggressive behaviour was significantly affected by treatment (χ2 = 161.9, P < 0.001), sex (χ2 = 86.3, P < 0.001), and baseline value (χ2 = 58.8, P < 0.001). Aggressiveness was suppressed by citalopram treatment. In addition, the fish showed no change in aggression and feeding behaviour over time regardless of sex and treatment, which indicate personality traits. Only females are affected by treatment in the scototaxis test. The exposed females spent significantly (χ2 = 5.02, P = 0.050) less time in the white zone than the female controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kellner
- School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies, Södertörn University, Alfred Nobels allé 7, 141 89, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - K Håkan Olsén
- School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies, Södertörn University, Alfred Nobels allé 7, 141 89, Huddinge, Sweden.
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