Ring a bell? Variable recognition of a multicomponent auditory stimulus associated with predation risk by zebrafish responding to full and partial matches

Abstract

Many fishes learn to recognize correlates of predation risk by pairing novel stimuli with injury-released chemical cues released from damaged epidermal tissues. Here, zebrafish were conditioned to associate predation risk with a three-note auditory stimulus C5 (523.25 Hz) + E5 (659.25 Hz) + G5 (783.99 Hz), then tested for responses to either only one tone (C), two of the components (C + G) or the full three-note chord (C + E + G). Zebrafish conditioned with alarm cues and C + E + G responded significantly more intensely to the full C + E + G stimulus or to partial representation of the original mix (C + G) than they did to the single element (C) of the original C + E + G conditioning stimulus. The lack of a response to the single component alone may be a failure to recognize the stimulus or an interpretation that the partial component is an indicator of low risk.

Yellowtail damselfish Chrysiptera parasema can associate predation risk with the acoustic call of a heterospecific damselfish following pairing with conspecific alarm cues

“…Recently it has been demonstrated that some fish can associate risk with auditory stimuli when a novel auditory stimulus is paired with chemical alarm cues released from damaged epidermis (e.g., Johnson et al, 2023;Seigel et al, 2021Seigel et al, , 2022Wisenden et al, 2008). Fathead minnows Pimephales promelas and glowlight tetras Hemigrammus erythrozonus learn to associate risk with a tone when the tone and conspecific alarm cues from damaged skin of conspecifics are presented simultaneously (Wisenden et al, 2008).…”