Shelton Delia S, Suriyampola Piyumika S, Dinges Zoe M, Glaholt Stephen P, Shaw Joseph R, Martins Emília P
Department of Biology, University of Miami, 1301 Memorial Dr., Coral Gables FL 33134, USA.
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 427 East Tyler Hall, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA.
bioRxiv. 2023 Nov 13:2023.11.09.566440. doi: 10.1101/2023.11.09.566440.
Some individuals have a disproportionate effect on group responses. These individuals may possess distinct attributes that differentiate them from others. These characteristics may include susceptibility to contaminant exposure such as cadmium, a potent trace metal present in water and food. Here, we tested whether a pair of cadmium-exposed individuals could exert an impact on the behavior of the unexposed majority. We used behavioral assessments to characterize the extent of the effects of the cadmium-exposed pair on group boldness, cohesion, activity and responses to landmarks. We found that groups with a pair of cadmium-exposed fish approached and remained closer to novel stimuli and landmarks than did groups with pairs of fish treated with uncontaminated water (control). Shoals with cadmium and water treated fish exhibited similar levels of cohesion and activity. The results suggest that fish acutely exposed to environmentally-relevant cadmium concentrations can have profound effects on the un-exposed majority.
一些个体对群体反应有着不成比例的影响。这些个体可能拥有使其与其他个体区分开来的独特属性。这些特征可能包括对污染物暴露的易感性，例如镉，一种存在于水和食物中的强效痕量金属。在此，我们测试了一对暴露于镉的个体是否会对未暴露的大多数个体的行为产生影响。我们使用行为评估来表征暴露于镉的这一对个体对群体大胆程度、凝聚力、活动以及对地标反应的影响程度。我们发现，与用未受污染水（对照）处理的鱼对组成的群体相比，有一对暴露于镉的鱼的群体更接近并更靠近新刺激物和地标。暴露于镉和水处理的鱼的鱼群表现出相似水平的凝聚力和活动。结果表明，急性暴露于与环境相关镉浓度的鱼会对未暴露的大多数个体产生深远影响。
