The influence of visual pollution on navigation mechanisms in the damselfish (Chrysiptera cyanea)

Abstract

Here, we investigate whether visual pollution has an effect on navigation in coral reef damselfish (Chrysiptera cyanea). Turbidity had no significant influence on the individual fish's preference between egocentric and visual cues in a simple navigation task, with all individuals exhibiting a striking egocentric preference across all turbidity levels under testing. However, an alteration of cue preference may have occurred on a fine scale. Turbidity had profound effects on fish movement and decision-making behaviour, which has substantial implications for the behaviour of fishes on the ecological scale of a coral reef.

Vision in the Vertical Axis: How Important Are Visual Cues in Foraging and Navigation?

“…Odling-Smee [ 20 ] similarly found that sticklebacks from pond habitats favored landmarks, though those from river habitats were more likely to use egocentric cues. In contrast, damselfish strongly favored egocentric rather than visual cues in a range of turbidities, surprisingly including in clear water [ 21 ]. Regarding differences between axes, both banded tetras and bronze Corydoras ( C. aeneus ) have been shown to prefer vertical information and disregard visual landmarks and horizontal information, respectively, in Y-maze tasks [ 22 , 23 ].…”