ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and Department of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia.
Sci Rep. 2017 Mar 27;7(1):426. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-00521-0.
Degradation of habitats is widespread and a leading cause of extinctions. Our study determined whether the change in the chemical landscape associated with coral degradation affected the way three fish species use olfactory information to optimize their fast-start escape response. Water from degraded coral habitats affected the fast-start response of the three closely-related damselfishes, but its effect differed markedly among species. The Ward's damselfish (Pomacentrus wardi) was most affected by water from degraded coral, and displayed shorter distances covered in the fast-start and slower escape speeds compared to fish in water from healthy coral. In the presence of alarm odours, which indicate an imminent threat, the Ambon damsel (P. amboinensis) displayed enhanced fast-start performance in water from healthy coral, but not when in water from degraded coral. In contrast, while the white-tailed damsel (P. chrysurus) was similarly primed by its alarm odour, the elevation of fast start performance was not altered by water from degraded coral. These species-specific responses to the chemistry of degraded water and alarm odours suggest differences in the way alarm odours interact with the chemical landscape, and differences in the way species balance information about threats, with likely impacts on the survival of affected species in degraded habitats.
生境退化广泛存在，并成为物种灭绝的主要原因之一。本研究旨在确定与珊瑚退化相关的化学环境变化是否会影响三种鱼类利用嗅觉信息优化快速启动逃避反应的方式。退化珊瑚栖息地的水会影响三种亲缘关系密切的雀鲷的快速启动反应，但对不同物种的影响明显不同。沃氏雀鲷（Pomacentrus wardi）受退化珊瑚水的影响最大，与来自健康珊瑚水的鱼相比，其快速启动的距离更短，逃离速度更慢。在存在警戒气味（表明即将受到威胁）的情况下，来自健康珊瑚的水中，安汶雀鲷（P. amboinensis）的快速启动性能增强，但来自退化珊瑚的水中则没有。相比之下，虽然白色尾雀鲷（P. chrysurus）也被其警戒气味激发，但快速启动性能的提高不受退化珊瑚水的影响。这些对退化水和警戒气味化学特性的特定物种反应表明，警戒气味与化学环境相互作用的方式存在差异，以及物种平衡有关威胁的信息的方式存在差异，这可能对受影响物种在退化栖息地的生存产生影响。
