The effects of population density on fecundity and fertility in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata (Peters)

Experiments were performed to examine the influence of population density on the fecundity and fertility in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata . The frequency of females with only ova or with different combinations of reproductive units and developmental stages in the ovary was significantly different between different densities but not between females with one and two gestations from the same population density. The ovarian width of females with one gestation from the lowest density was significantly larger than in the highest population density. Gonad length and height and ovarian volume of females with two gestation periods were larger in the lowest compared with the highest density. After one gestation, females at the lowest population level had greater ovarian length, height, gonad weight, width and volume compared with those from the higher density. Ovarian length, height and volume and gonad weight were also significantly greater among females of two gestation periods in the lowest than in the second lowest density. The average gonadosomatic ratio was highest in the lowest population density. A significant correlation was found between gonad volume and total body weight and between gonad volume and ovarian weight of females at every population level. This was also the case when ovarian weight vs. total body weight was examined in each population density. Only at the lowest population level was there a significant correlation between fecundity and total body length and between fertility and body length. A significant relationship was also found between gonad volume and total body length and between gonad weight and body length at the same population level. No significant difference of fecundity and ovum size was found between females of one and two gestation periods from the same density. Fecundity and fertility were significantly higher among females of one and two gestation periods from the lowest than from the highest density.     

Myopathy and steatitis in the common guppy, Poecilia (Lebistes) reticulata (Peters)

There was 1% mortality among female guppies just imported from Southeast Asia. Moribund fish showed discoloration, lethargy and kyphosis. Microscopically, myopathy and steatitis were observed, together with an extensive ceroid storage. These findings are indicative of vitamin E deficiency, and illustrate the risk of using fish of unknown origin in toxicological studies.     

Influence of water-borne iron on the liver of Poecilia reticulata (Peters 1859)

The influence of water-borne iron (500 μg × 1^-1 and 2 mg × 1^-1) on the liver of Poecilia reticulata is studied by means of electron microscopy. The uptake and effect of iron is affected by a. the chemical speciation of the metal: Iron complexed with tri-polyphosphates is more deleterious than inorganic Fe³⁺; b. the nutritional status of the fish: In food-deprived Poecilia reticulata iron is absorbed and enhances starvation-induced liver damage. In fed animals, there is no uptake at all. Mild alterations of hepatocyte ultrastructure are attributed to an unspecific stress response.     

The effects of relative density upon some aspects of the behaviour of the guppy—Poecilia reticulata (Peters)

Guppy populations were established as one sex or mixed sex groupings, relative degrees of population density were obtained by manipulating the numbers of fish or the volume of the living compartments. Relatively high densities resulted in a reduction in the males courtship behaviour, affecting the number of dorsal fin erections, gonopodial swings, numbers of black spots, number of sigmoid reactions and courtship chases. These measures reached a peak at populations of 12–16 fish/1, falling off both below and above these densities. Associated with a rising fish density was an increase in agonistic behaviour. Activity was not affected by increasing density. Increasing fish density was associated with a drop in the numbers of young fish born and the number of stages occurring within the ovaries. These numbers were greatest at a lower fish density than the behavioural measures.     

Individual differences in response to an open field test by the guppy—Poecilia reticulata (Peters)

Guppies Poecilia reticulata (Peters) were subjected to repeated measures of 5 min duration, on an open field test. The major measures were the number of times a fish changed sections, the number of different sections entered regardless of how many times they entered a section and the ratio of inner to outer sections entered. The activity scores were on a continuous distribution from fish to fish and for the males correlated highly with the ratio of inner to outer movements, but not so for the females. All fish showed a preference for the outer rings compared to the inner rings. There was a non–significant tendency for the male activity to increase during each test, but to wane as the number of tests increased. The females showed a variation of activity which may be associated with their ovarian cycle, but the various activity measures tended not to correlate with each other during the cycle and also failed to correlate with various published cycles of physiological ovarian activity.     

Modification of the response to high density conditions in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata (Peters)

An examination was made of some of the factors which influence the response to density in the guppy. Water from high density fish was given to fish populations kept at high and low densities. This induced high density behaviour in low density fish by increasing aggression and decreasing courtship. But giving 'fresh' water to high density fish failed to alleviate the response to density. 'High density water' slightly reduced the numbers of young found in low density groups. High density fish kept in the dark had more young than high density groups in the light; and the number of young found was decreased when 'high density water' was given to low density fish. The number of ovarian stages was decreased in the dark in high density and was not overridden by the type of water. Giving 'high density water' to low density fish decreased the number of oocytes stage III, but the interaction between water and 'light' was confounded by the total numbers of ovarian stages. Increasing the 'visual space' of high density fish with mirrors partially decreased aggression and increased courtship and number of young found; but had little affect upon the number of ovarian stages. Decreasing the number of physical contacts by keeping the fish chronically tranquillized reduced the activity of the fish. This reduced the aggression of the high density fish and also reduced the differences between the high and low density fish on the basis of their courtship scores, number of young found and number of stages in the ovary. Fish from differing population sizes were given a choice between varying fish densities. The fish from a 'normal' sized population and with an extended visual field, tended to make a choice conforming to the overall selections compared with fish from populations of extreme size and with a reduced visual field.     

The effects of three different dietary protein levels on the fecundity in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata (Peters)

Experiments were performed to investigate the influences of dietary protein on fecundity in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata . No significant differences in total body length and standard length were found between females given food with different protein levels. A significantly higher total body weight was found both in females fed on 47% and 31% protein compared with females given 15% protein. The frequencies of females with only intrafollicular embryos or with only ova or both embryos and ova in the ovary were not significantly different between populations given different protein amounts. There was a significantly lower frequency of females without embryos and ova but with previtellogenic oocytes in the group given highest protein (47%) compared with the group fed on 31%. Significantly higher values of ovarian length, width and gonad weight were found among females given 47% protein compared with females fed on 15% protein. The ovarian height was significantly higher only in females given the highest protein amount when compared with the group fed on 31% protein. No significant difference of ovarian volume was found between groups given different protein contents. The average gonadosomatic ratio was highest in the groups fed on 47% protein. Significant correlations were found between gonad weight and total body weight of females in each group. Ovarian volume versus total body weight as well as versus gonad weight also yielded significant correlations in all groups. No significant differences of fecundity were found either between females given 47% and 31% protein or between females fed on 47% and 15% protein. A somewhat higher number of ova per individual fish was, however, observed among females given 31% when compared with females fed on 15% protein. The ovum size remained the same between groups given different protein contents. No significant correlation was found between fecundity and ovum diameter in the groups.     

Brain size affects the behavioural response to predators in female guppies (Poecilia reticulata)

Large brains are thought to result from selection for cognitive benefits, but how enhanced cognition leads to increased fitness remains poorly understood. One explanation is that increased cognitive ability results in improved monitoring and assessment of predator threats. Here, we use male and female guppies (Poecilia reticulata), artificially selected for large and small brain size, to provide an experimental evaluation of this hypothesis. We examined their behavioural response as singletons, pairs or shoals of four towards a model predator. Large-brained females, but not males, spent less time performing predator inspections, an inherently risky behaviour. Video analysis revealed that large-brained females were further away from the model predator when in pairs but that they habituated quickly towards the model when in shoals of four. Males stayed further away from the predator model than females but again we found no brain size effect in males. We conclude that differences in brain size affect the female predator response. Large-brained females might be able to assess risk better or need less sensory information to reach an accurate conclusion. Our results provide experimental support for the general idea that predation pressure is likely to be important for the evolution of brain size in prey species.     

Reasons for the invasive success of a guppy (Poecilia reticulata) population in Trinidad

The introduction of non-native species into new habitats poses a major threat to native populations. Of particular interest, though often overlooked, are introductions of populations that are not fully reproductively isolated from native individuals and can hybridize with them. To address this important topic we used different approaches in a multi-pronged study, combining the effects of mate choice, shoaling behaviour and genetics. Here we present evidence that behavioural traits such as shoaling and mate choice can promote population mixing if individuals do not distinguish between native and foreign conspecifics. We examined this in the context of two guppy (Poecilia reticulata) populations that have been subject to an introduction and subsequent population mixing event in Trinidad. The introduction of Guanapo River guppies into the Turure River more than 50 years ago led to a marked reduction of the original genotype. In our experiments, female guppies did not distinguish between shoaling partners when given the choice between native and foreign individuals. Introduced fish are therefore likely to benefit from the protection of a shoal and will improve their survival chances as a result. The additional finding that male guppies do not discriminate between females on the basis of origin will further increase the process of population mixing, especially if males encounter mixed shoals. In a mesocosm experiment, in which the native and foreign populations were allowed to mate freely, we found, as expected on the basis of these behavioural interactions, that the distribution of offspring genotypes could be predicted from the proportions of the two types of founding fish. This result suggests that stochastic and environmental processes have reinforced the biological ones to bring about the genetic dominance of the invading population in the Turure River. Re-sampling the Turure for genetic analysis using SNP markers confirmed the population mixing process and showed that it is an on-going process in this river and has led to the nearly complete disappearance of the original genotype.     

Genetic variance for behavioural ‘predictability’ of stress response

Genetic factors underpinning phenotypic variation are required if natural selection is to result in adaptive evolution. However, evolutionary and behavioural ecologists typically focus on variation among individuals in their average trait values and seek to characterize genetic contributions to this. As a result, less attention has been paid to if and how genes could contribute towards within‐individual variance or trait ‘predictability’. In fact, phenotypic ‘predictability’ can vary among individuals, and emerging evidence from livestock genetics suggests this can be due to genetic factors. Here, we test this empirically using repeated measures of a behavioural stress response trait in a pedigreed population of wild‐type guppies. We ask (a) whether individuals differ in behavioural predictability and (b) whether this variation is heritable and so evolvable under selection. Using statistical methodology from the field of quantitative genetics, we find support for both hypotheses and also show evidence of a genetic correlation structure between the behavioural trait mean and individual predictability. We show that investigating sources of variability in trait predictability is statistically tractable and can yield useful biological interpretation. We conclude that, if widespread, genetic variance for ‘predictability’ will have major implications for the evolutionary causes and consequences of phenotypic variation.     

The Altyerre Story—‘Suffering Badly by Translation’

In culture‐contact situations, it is commonplace for words to be borrowed from other unrelated vernaculars, for their pronunciations to be changed, and their meanings modified to fit new contexts. The Arandic word altyerre is a rather extreme example of this, and at the end of the nineteenth century, the ‘translation’ of the related word Alcheringa as ‘dream‐times’ sparked a debate that, in some forms, continues to this day. In this article, I discuss some of the reasons why this particular word struck such a controversial chord. I give an updated semantic perspective on the word altyerre , drawing on evidence from Arandic languages and from other languages in Central Australia. Then I examine some of the consequences of both religious and secular interpretations of altyerre and show how the popularisation of this word and its translations has impacted on its meanings in current usage.     

The role of the signal significance of the stimulus in the manifestation of behavioral acts in a group of Poecilia reticulata Peters

On example of guppy Poecilia reticulata Peters interrelation was examined of novelty and significance of chemical stimulus for manifestation of fish behavioural reactions. Imparting of significance to the stimulus influences not only goal-directed orienting-searching acts appearing after stimulus recognition and due to the notion of its significance but also previous orienting-exploring behaviour, directed to recognition and revealing of its significance.     

The phylogeny of a reduced ‘sand goby’ group based on behavioural and life history characters

Phylogenetic analysis of 27 behavioural and life history traits for five Mediterranean sand goby species (Perciformes, Gobiidae) produced one tree with a consistency index (excluding uninformative characters) of 0.756. This tree agreed with previous molecular analyses in providing strong support for the monophyly of the sand gobies, indicating that Pomatoschistus and Knipowitschia are paraphyletic and helping to resolve the ambiguous position of Economidichthys pygmaeus, placing it as the basal member of the reduced data set. Although the tree was completely resolved, the branches above E. pygmaeus were only moderately supported in the bootstrap analysis. Overall, the behavioural data provide information that may eventually help clarify the speciation bursts within the Mediterranean sand goby clade as much as is possible. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 165 , 916–924.     

Examining the link between personality and laterality in a feral guppy Poecilia reticulata population

This study examined whether variation in the strength and direction of lateralization in a detour task was linked with variation in three common personality measurements: boldness, activity and sociability, in a population of wild guppies Poecilia reticulata. Additionally, the aim was to determine whether any consistent correlations between these behavioural traits, known as behavioural syndromes, were present in the study population. The results revealed that all three personality traits were highly repeatable over time in both sexes. Evidence of a complex syndrome in the form of a correlation between boldness, sociability and activity was found; however, this relationship was only present in males. Males that were more active in a familiar environment emerged more quickly from shelter into a novel environment and were more social. In general, male P. reticulata were bold, active and antisocial compared to females, with these differences probably a reflection of opposing life‐history strategies. Only a weak link between the strength of cerebral lateralisation and personality was discovered and this was mediated by sex.     

The production of ‘Orogo's’ — low alcoholic beverages from plantain (musa paradisica)

A laboratory version of orgoro; a low alcohol plantain beverage was found to possess a better odour, taste and colour after 7 days of fermentation compared with a native brew. The pH of the native brew decreased from 3.90 to 1.93 after 21 days of fermentation while the filterable acidity increased from 0.100 to 0.157%. The laboratory brew showed a decrease of pH from 4.60 to 2.72 and an increase in filterable acidity from 0.250 to 0.485%. Both brews had alcohol contents of 0.109 and 0.197% (v/v) respectively after this period. The total sugars content, soluble protein and total nitrogen contents of the native brew were 2.0 mg/ml, 1.3 mg/ml and 2.05 mg/ml respectively while values for the laboratory brew were 5.0 mg/ml, 2.2 mg/ml and 4.0 mg/ml respectively.