Discrimination reversal learning reveals greater female behavioural flexibility in guppies

Lucon‐Xiccato, Tyrone; Bisazza, Angelo

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2014.0206

Cited by 121 publications

(175 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

152

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This confirms indirect evidence obtained comparing previous studies performed in our laboratory (Lucon-Xiccato & Bisazza, 2014. This confirms indirect evidence obtained comparing previous studies performed in our laboratory (Lucon-Xiccato & Bisazza, 2014.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…The final accuracy observed in this experiment (>90% correct responses in colour discrimination and around 80% correct responses in shape discrimination) was higher than that previously reported for guppies (Lucon-Xiccato & Bisazza, 2014 and other fish species in similar tasks (Hemmings & Matthews, 1963;Parker et al, 2012). Guppies trained to discriminate between red and yellow learned the task much faster than those trained to discriminate between shapes; they chose the correct stimulus in more than 75% of the trials already in the second training session and reached 90% accuracy in the 6th session.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 64%

“…For example, with a discrimination learning procedure based on training, males and females learned to discriminate between a square and a triangle, between a bar and a S-shaped figure and between red and yellow with the same rate (Lucon-Xiccato & Bisazza, 2014. This effect was modulated by the type of stimuli (shapes or colours), although this last finding should be further investigated using larger sample sizes per condition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The population was the same as that previously used to study colour and shape discrimination independently (Lucon-Xiccato & Bisazza, 2014. The population was the same as that previously used to study colour and shape discrimination independently (Lucon-Xiccato & Bisazza, 2014.…”

Section: Experimental Subjectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The guppies used in the experiments derived from a domestic strain bred in our laboratory since 2012. The population was the same as that previously used to study colour and shape discrimination independently (Lucon-Xiccato & Bisazza, 2014. Before the start of the experiments, guppies were maintained in 15 groups formed by 20 individuals in 75-l aquaria.…”

Section: Experimental Subjectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Guppies learn faster to discriminate between red and yellow than between two shapes

2018

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Animal species are expected to evolve specialised cognitive abilities to solve the tasks that are critical for their fitness. The literature contains several examples of specialised cognitive abilities, but few regard fish. The guppy, Poecilia reticulata, is a freshwater fish in which females choose their mates based on colouration, and orange‐coloured fruits are important diet enrichments for both sexes. For these reasons, we expect that this species has evolved enhanced learning abilities in colour discrimination compared to other types of discrimination. The comparison between studies in which guppies were tested for colour discrimination and studies in which guppies were tested for shape discrimination seems to support this hypothesis, but direct testing is still lacking. We experimentally compared the learning performance of guppies trained in a red–yellow colour discrimination learning task and that of guppies trained in a shape discrimination learning task using the same, automated conditioning procedure. Guppies trained in the colour discrimination showed greater learning performance, which provides support to the hypothesis that guppies possess enhanced colour discrimination abilities. Moreover, we found that male guppies performed better than females in both shape and colour discrimination learning.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 64%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Experimental Subjectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Experimental Subjectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Guppies learn faster to discriminate between red and yellow than between two shapes

2018

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Habitats: Occupation, Protection and Exploitation

2020

Fish Behavior 1

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Individual guppies differ in quantity discrimination performance across antipredator and foraging contexts

Lucon‐Xiccato

Dadda

2016

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The ability to discriminate between different quantities is useful to an animal since it allows adaptive decisions in several contexts. In humans, some individuals are generally better at solving different numerical and mathematical problems, but we currently ignore whether other species also show individual differences in quantitative abilities across different contexts. Aiming to investigate this possibility, we observed the performances of individual guppies (Poecilia reticulata) in an antipredator task that required the discrimination between shoals made of a different number of conspecifics (4 versus 6 fish) and, successively, in two foraging tasks that required the discrimination between different numbers of food items (4 versus 6 items) and food items with different sizes (0.67 ratio between the two surface areas). Overall, guppies achieved comparable performances in the discrimination of shoal size and food item size, but showed reduced accuracy in the discrimination between different numbers of food items. Performances of guppies were correlated between the discrimination of shoal size and food item size, suggesting the existence of individual differences in quantity discrimination abilities in different contexts in this species. Unexpectedly, this relationship was negative, and some guppies were better in the antipredator task, while others were better in the foraging task. Our results agree with the general trend of the literature on animals that suggests the existence of multiple cognitive functions whose activation are task specific, and also introduce the possibility that some of these functions are subject to constraints. Significance statementIn this work, we provided the first clear evidence of individual differences in the ability to solve quantity discriminations in a fish. Guppies were observed in three quantity discrimination tasks: recognising and joining the larger shoal of conspecifics among two options, a behaviour that confers protection from predators; selecting the larger number of food items between two sets; and selecting the food item with larger size. Guppies that were more accurate in the shoal size discrimination achieved lower scores in the food item size discrimination. Some individuals gain advantage from cognitive abilities that confer defence against predators, while other individuals from those abilities that improve foraging success.

show abstract

Discrimination reversal learning reveals greater female behavioural flexibility in guppies

Cited by 121 publications

References 27 publications

Guppies learn faster to discriminate between red and yellow than between two shapes

Guppies learn faster to discriminate between red and yellow than between two shapes

Habitats: Occupation, Protection and Exploitation

Individual guppies differ in quantity discrimination performance across antipredator and foraging contexts

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About