Behavioural consequences of sensory plasticity in guppies

Abstract

Sensory plasticity, whereby individuals compensate for sensory deprivation in one sense by an improvement in the performance of an alternative sense, is a well-documented phenomenon in nature. Despite this, the behavioural and ecological consequences of sensory plasticity have not been addressed. Here we show experimentally that some components (vision and chemoreception) of the sensory system of guppies are developmentally plastic, and that this plasticity has important consequences for foraging behaviour. Guppies reared under low light conditions had a significantly stronger response to chemical food cues encountered in isolation than fish reared at higher light levels. Conversely, they exhibited a weaker response to visual-only cues. When visual and olfactory/gustatory cues were presented together, no difference between the strength of response for fish reared at different light intensities was evident. Our data suggest that guppies can compensate for experience of a visually poor, low light environment via a sensory switch from vision to olfaction/ gustation. This switch from sight to chemoreception may allow individuals to carry out the foraging behaviour that is essential to their survival in a visually poor environment. These considerations are especially important given the increasing frequency of anthropogenic changes to ecosystems. Compensatory phenotypic plasticity as demonstrated by our study may provide a hitherto unconsidered buffer that could allow animals to perform fundamental behaviours in the face of considerable change to the sensory environment.

Developmental plasticity in vision and behavior may help guppies overcome increased turbidity

“…That is, fish behavior in turbid versus clear water depended on whether they were reared in turbid versus clear water. This result underscores the general importance of considering developmental rearing conditions in determining behavioral responses to changing environments (Chapman et al 2010). It is notable that fish decreased baseline activity in whichever environment was novel with respect to their developmental treatment condition.…”

Turbidity affects social dynamics in Trinidadian guppies

“…Many fish species rely on vision as their main source of Communicated by J. Lindström information, for example, with respect to foraging and antipredator behaviour (Guthrie and Muntz 1993). Therefore, changes in the natural environment that modify the optical properties of water or the visibility per se may have important consequences for the biology of fishes (Endler 1992;Utne-Palm 2002;Chapman et al 2009Chapman et al , 2010Sluijs et al 2010).…”

Habitat-dependent olfactory discrimination in three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

“…The ability to compensate for a restricted use of one sense, for example triggered by a limited visual environment, by the enhanced acuity in another sense (''compensatory plasticity hypothesis'': Rauschecker and Kniepert 1994), is known as ''sensory plasticity''. A study by Chapman et al (2010) on guppies, for example, showed a sensory switch from vision to chemoreception (smell/taste) as response to limited availability of light during rearing.…”