Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, 509-3 2-chome, Hirano, Otsu, Shiga, Japan.
Anim Cogn. 2010 Mar;13(2):385-9. doi: 10.1007/s10071-009-0285-1. Epub 2009 Sep 27.
The ability to orient and navigate within a certain environment is essential for all animals, and spatial memory enables animals to remember the locations of such markers as predators, home, and food. Here we report that the migratory marine cardinalfish Apogon notatus has the potential to retain long-term spatial memory comparable to that of other animals. Female A. notatus establish a small territory on a shallow boulder bottom to pair and spawn with males. We carried out field research in two consecutive breeding seasons on territory settlement by individually marked females. Females maintained a territory at the same site throughout one breeding season. After overwintering in deep water, many of them (82.1%) returned to their breeding ground next spring and most occupied the same site as in the previous season, with only a 0.56 m shift on average. Our results suggest that female A. notatus have long-distance homing ability to pinpoint the exact location of their previous territory, and retain spatial memory for as long as 6 months.
在特定环境中定向和导航的能力对所有动物来说都是至关重要的，而空间记忆使动物能够记住诸如捕食者、家、食物等标记的位置。在这里，我们报告说，迁徙性的海洋天竺鲷 Apogon notatus 具有保留与其他动物相当的长期空间记忆的潜力。雌性 A. notatus 在浅卵石底部建立一个小领地，与雄性配对并产卵。我们在两个连续的繁殖季节对个体标记的雌性的领地定居进行了实地研究。雌性在一个繁殖季节内一直保持在同一个地点的领地。经过在深水中越冬后，其中许多（82.1%）在次年春天回到了它们的繁殖地，大多数都占据了与上一季相同的地点，平均只有 0.56 米的偏移。我们的结果表明，雌性 A. notatus 具有长途归巢能力，可以准确找到它们以前领地的位置，并能保持长达 6 个月的空间记忆。
