Effects of the 5‐HT_1A receptor agonist 8‐OH‐DPAT on aggressive behavior in juvenile pufferfish, Takifugu rubripes

Abstract

Severe aggressive behavior of juvenile pufferfish affects economic efficiency and fish welfare in aquaculture. 5‐HT plays an important role in regulating the aggressive behavior of fish in aquaculture environment. This study examined the effects of different concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1 mg/kg) of 8‐OH‐DPAT, a selective 5‐HT1A receptor agonist, on the aggressive behavior of juvenile pufferfish. Forty‐five minutes after drug injection, the aggressive behavior of juvenile fish was recorded for 20 min, including the latency to the first attack and the frequency of aggressive behaviors. The results showed no significant differences in the latency to the first attack of juvenile fish among treatment groups. During the first 10 min of the observation period, there was no significant difference in the total aggressive acts and locomotor activity among treatment groups. Total aggressive acts and locomotor activity were the least in the 1 mg/kg 8‐OH‐DPAT‐treated during the 20 min observation period. Both aggressive behavior and locomotor activity were negatively correlated with 8‐OH‐DPAT treatment overall, respectively. The above results suggested that the serotonergic system activation had suppressive effects on aggressive behavior and locomotor activity in juvenile pufferfish.

Impact of Short-Term Total Dissolved Gas Supersaturation on Cognitive Functions and Swimming Performance in Medaka (Oryzias latipes)

“…Aggressive behavior in sh is generally associated with competition for resources such as food, mates, and habitats, while memory is essential for activities like foraging, migration, and reproduction. Environmental changes can in uence both aggression and memory (Echevarria et al, 2016;Hu et al, 2022), and researchers often use these behaviors to assess the impact of environmental stress on sh survival rates. As a natural behavior, aggression is linked to the perception of frustration, threats, and negative emotions such as anger and fear (Palma et al, 2020).…”