The effect of chemical stimuli from conspecifics on the behavior ofHaplochromis burtoni (Cichlidae, Pisces)

Caprona, M.-Dominique Crapon de

doi:10.1007/bf01919654

Cited by 35 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…In our study, rates of courtship behavior by A. burtoni males given visual cues alone, however, werẽ 10-fold lower than when gravid females were in the same compartment and males had access to full sensory information. Previous studies also showed increased courtship behavior in male A. burtoni exposed to water that had housed gravid females (Crapon de Caprona, 1974;Crapon de Caprona, 1980). Thus, it is possible that olfactory information from gravid females is required to prime the male's reproductive system before he invests in potentially energetically demanding visual, and possibly acoustic, courtship displays.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Contextual chemosensory urine signaling in an African cichlid fish

Maruska

Fernald

2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

100

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SUMMARYChemosensory signaling is crucial for communication in many fish species, but little is known about how signalers modulate chemical output in response to sensory information and social context. Here, we tested the hypothesis that dominant male African cichlid fish (Astatotilapia burtoni) use urine signals during social interactions, and demonstrate that this signaling depends on social context (reproductive; territorial) and on available sensory information (visual cues; full interaction). We injected males with dye to visualize urine pulses and exposed them to full sensory information or visual cues alone of four types: (1) dominant male; (2) gravid (reproductively receptive) females; (3) mouth-brooding (non-receptive) females; or (4) control (no fish). We found that males released urine sooner and increased their urination frequency when visually exposed to gravid females as compared with mouth-brooding females and or no-fish controls. While males could distinguish female reproductive states using visual cues alone, courtship behavior rates were ~10-fold higher when they fully interacted with gravid females compared with receiving visual cues alone. Males also increased their urination and territorial behaviors when exposed to another male, suggesting that chemical signals may convey information on dominance status. These data support the hypothesis that dominant males use urine as a chemical signal and adjust the frequency of their urine output based on contextual information.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Contextual chemosensory urine signaling in an African cichlid fish

Maruska

Fernald

2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

100

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“…For example, GnRH-immunoreactive fibers project to the olfactory bulb, and GnRH-R2, the receptor type expressed by GnRH-releasing neurons in the brain, is also localized in the olfactory bulb (Chen and Fernald, 2006). Olfaction is thought to be important for reproduction in male A. burtoni , as their olfactory system responds to steroid cues in the water (Cole and Stacey, 2006; Robison et al, 1998), and they respond behaviorally to olfactory cues, increasing their courtship when chemicals from female conspecifics are present (Caprona, 1974). The high levels of kiss1r mRNA in the ICL suggest that kisspeptin could modulate responsiveness or precision of olfactory input by influencing granule cells' activity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social status regulates kisspeptin receptor mRNA in the brain of Astatotilapia burtoni

Grone

Maruska

Korzan

et al. 2010

General and Comparative Endocrinology

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“…Characteristics of their social environment also allowed us to establish paradigm with a biologically relevant reward, namely access to a shelter and close proximity to females. Male A. burtoni are very social and when reproductively mature are attracted to females by both visual and olfactory cues (Fernald and Hirata, 1977; de Caprona, 1974; Hofmann and Fernald, 2001). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of stress and motivation on performing a spatial task

Wood

Desjardins

Fernald

2011

Neurobiology of Learning and Memory

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Learning is ubiquitous in the animal kingdom but has been studied extensively in only a handful of species. Moreover, learning studied under laboratory conditions is typically unrelated to the animal's natural environment or life history. Here, we designed a task relevant to the natural behavior of male African cichlid fish (Astatotilapia burtoni), to determine if they could be trained on a spatial task to gain access to females and shelter. We measured both how successfully animals completed this task over time and whether and how immediate early gene and hormone expression profiles were related to success. While training fish in a maze, we measured time to task completion, circulating levels of three key hormones (cortisol, 11-ketotestosterone, and testosterone) and mRNA abundance of seven target genes including three immediate early genes (that served proxies for brain activity) in nine brain regions. Data from our subjects fell naturally into three phenotypes: fish that could be trained (learners), fish that could not be trained (nonlearners) and fish that never attempted the task (non-attempters). Learners and non-learners had lower levels of circulating cortisol compared to fish that never attempted the task. Learners had the highest immediate early gene mRNA levels in the homologue of the hippocampus (dorsolateral telencephalon; Dl), lower cortisol (stress) levels and were more motivated to accomplish the task as measured by behavioral observations. Fish that never attempted the task showed the lowest activity within the Dl, high stress levels and little to no apparent motivation. Data from nonlearners fell between these two extremes in behavior, stress, and motivation.

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The effect of chemical stimuli from conspecifics on the behavior ofHaplochromis burtoni (Cichlidae, Pisces)

Cited by 35 publications

References 6 publications

Contextual chemosensory urine signaling in an African cichlid fish

Contextual chemosensory urine signaling in an African cichlid fish

Social status regulates kisspeptin receptor mRNA in the brain of Astatotilapia burtoni

Effects of stress and motivation on performing a spatial task

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