Siddiqui Munir, Chiang Austin, Lac Ethan, Kern Jesse, Wilkinson Gerald, Jungwirth Arne, Allen James, Riley Riva J
Department of Biology University of Maryland College Park Maryland USA.
Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Wien Austria.
Ecol Evol. 2024 Oct 11;14(10):e70391. doi: 10.1002/ece3.70391. eCollection 2024 Oct.
Coordinated responses to threats are important for predator evasion in many species. This study examines the effect of developmental social experience on antipredator behavior and group cohesion in a highly gregarious catfish that communicates via tactile interaction, We reared fish either in a mixed-age group of age-matched peers and adult (mixed-age condition, or MAC), or with age-matched peers only (same-age condition, or SAC). A startle test was conducted with small groups of subadults from either social rearing condition. Prior to any startle events, SAC subadults had increased tactile communication compared to MAC subadults, but SAC individuals were overall less active. SAC fish exhibited a stronger antipredator response to startles, and were more likely to freeze or take refuge in cover in response to a startle than MAC fish. MAC fish tended to respond to startle events by maintaining or decreasing their cohesion, whereas SAC fish tended to maintain or increase their cohesion. These behavioral differences are attributed to MAC fish developing with group protection as a result of shoaling with adults, resulting in reduced antipredator responses when reared with adults. This study underscores how social context during development can be critical in shaping how individuals perceive and respond to potential threats in their environment.
对许多物种来说，对威胁做出协调反应对于躲避捕食者很重要。本研究考察了发育过程中的社会经历对一种高度群居的鲶鱼的反捕食行为和群体凝聚力的影响，这种鲶鱼通过触觉互动进行交流。我们将鱼饲养在由年龄匹配的同龄鱼和成年鱼组成的混合年龄组中（混合年龄条件，或MAC），或者只与年龄匹配的同龄鱼一起饲养（同龄条件，或SAC）。对来自这两种社会饲养条件的亚成年小鱼群体进行了惊吓测试。在任何惊吓事件发生之前，与MAC亚成年鱼相比，SAC亚成年鱼的触觉交流增加，但SAC个体总体上活跃度较低。SAC鱼对惊吓表现出更强的反捕食反应，并且比MAC鱼更有可能在受到惊吓时静止不动或躲到掩体中。MAC鱼倾向于通过维持或降低它们的凝聚力来应对惊吓事件，而SAC鱼倾向于维持或增加它们的凝聚力。这些行为差异归因于MAC鱼在与成年鱼群居的过程中随着群体保护而发育，导致与成年鱼一起饲养时反捕食反应降低。这项研究强调了发育过程中的社会环境在塑造个体如何感知和应对其环境中的潜在威胁方面可能至关重要。
