Fathead Minnows, Pimephales promelas, Learn to Recognize Chemical Alarm Cues of Introduced Brook Stickleback, Culaea inconstans |
| |
Authors: | Michael S. Pollock Douglas P. Chivers Reehan S. Mirza Brian D. Wisenden |
| |
Affiliation: | (1) Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2, Canada;(2) Biology Department, Minnesota State University, Moorhead, MN, 56563, U.S.A |
| |
Abstract: | In four experiments conducted over a 6-year period, we investigated whether fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas, could acquire the ability to recognize chemical alarm cues of introduced brook stickleback, Culaea inconstans. A laboratory experiment documented that stickleback-naïve minnows did not exhibit an anti-predator response when exposed to the chemical alarm cues of stickleback. In a laboratory experiment conducted 5 years after the introduction of stickleback to the pond, minnows exhibited an antipredator response to stickleback cues. Moreover, in a field experiment the minnows exhibited avoidance of areas labelled with stickleback alarm cues. Minnows raised from eggs taken from the test pond did not exhibit an anti-predator response to stickleback cues while minnows from the test pond that had experience with stickleback cues did respond to stickleback cues. Our results provide clear evidence that cross-species responses to chemical alarm cues of fishes can be learned. Learned recognition of alarm cues has important implications for predator/prey interactions. |
| |
Keywords: | cross-species responses antipredator behaviour predation |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|