The role of individual behavioral traits on fishway passage attempt behavior

Abstract

Variations in behavioral traits are widely recognized to drive animal behaviors exhibited within a population. However, information on how behavior traits influence behavior in anthropogenically modified habitats is lacking. Many habitats have become highly fragmented as a result of human processes. To mitigate this and improve habitat connectivity, wildlife passes are increasingly employed, with the aim of enabling animals to move freely between habitats. However, wildlife passes (e.g., fishways) are not always effective in achieving passage and it remains uncertain what factors play a role in an individual's likelihood of passing successfully. This study measured three behavioral traits (boldness, exploration, and activity) in juvenile brown trout (Salmo trutta; n = 78) under field conditions within a river and tested whether these behavior traits influenced both the passage success and the behaviors exhibited during upstream fishway passage attempts. Although behavioral traits were found and collapsed into two behavioral trait dimensions, behavioral traits had low repeatability and so did not contribute to a personality spectrum. Boldness was found to negatively influence the number of passage attempts carried out by an individual and to positively influence passage success, with bolder individuals carrying out fewer attempts and having an increased probability of passage success. No behavioral traits were found to be related to other passage metrics (passage success, Time until First Attempt, and Passage Duration) during the first passage. But all three behavioral traits were significantly negatively related to the changes in passage behaviors at consecutive, successful passage attempts, with bolder, more exploratory and more active individuals passing through a fishway quicker on the second passage than on the first. This study suggests that bolder and more active individuals may perform better during fishway passage attempts, particularly within rivers where multiple barriers to movement exist.

Impact of hydraulic forces on the passage of round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), gudgeon (Gobio gobio) and bullhead (Cottus gobio) in a vertical slot fish pass

“…Numerous parameters affect the swimming behaviour of fish (Cano‐Barbacil et al, 2020; Lothian & Lucas, 2021). Besides boldness, exploration or activity (Lothian & Lucas, 2021), such factors as fish condition, temperature or seasonality could affect the migration behaviour of fish.…”

“…Numerous parameters affect the swimming behaviour of fish (Cano‐Barbacil et al, 2020; Lothian & Lucas, 2021). Besides boldness, exploration or activity (Lothian & Lucas, 2021), such factors as fish condition, temperature or seasonality could affect the migration behaviour of fish. Nevertheless, the usability of the hydraulic characteristics of the flow field determines the effectiveness of the fish pass for the corresponding species (Katopodis & Williams, 2012).…”

Round goby [Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814)], gudgeon (Gobio gobio L.) and bullhead (Cottus gobio L.) show distinct swimming patterns in a vertical slot fish pass

“…The number of trajectories per species recorded at the different water discharges, the spatial position of the trajectories, and trajectory length made the most important difference in the swimming patterns among species. There might be various reasons why the fish displayed these different swimming patterns as the behaviour of fish is complex and depends on the individual species' biology (Cano-Barbacil et al, 2020;Lothian and Lucas, 2021). Flow regimes can have supportive, as well as disadvantageous energetic effects on the swimming fish (Liao, 2007) and we therefore assume that the fish chose the most advantageous swimming behaviour, corresponding to their individual requirements.…”

“…Swimming behaviour of fish differs among species and depends on the individual species biology (Cano-Barbacil et al, 2020;Lothian and Lucas, 2021). Whether fish can handle the complex flow conditions and have the capacity to overcome fish passes depends on swimming capacities (Tudorache et al, 2008), fish body shape, and fish size (Ohlberger et al, 2006).…”

“…Whether fish can handle the complex flow conditions and have the capacity to overcome fish passes depends on swimming capacities (Tudorache et al, 2008), fish body shape, and fish size (Ohlberger et al, 2006). In addition, personal traits, such as boldness and exploration activity can determine whether a fish passes a fish pass or not (Hirsch et al, 2017;Lothian and Lucas, 2021). Fish can prefer specific flow conditions (Liang et al, 2021) and assess flow fields for suitability prior deciding for or against passage (Williams et al, 2012).…”