Chemical Alarm Signals: Predator Deterrents or Predator Attractants?

Mathis, Alicia; Chivers, Douglas P.; Smith, R. J. F.

doi:10.1086/285780

Cited by 130 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…During Expt 1, food-scented water (30 µm filtered rotifer culture water) was used as an olfactory stimulant. A different olfactory stimulant was used during Expt 2: chemical alarm cues, which are known to be released by a diversity of fish taxa upon damage to the skin (Mathis et al 1995, Brown 2003, Holmes & McCormick 2010. Prior to behavioral observations, a single 2.5 cm juvenile mahimahi was anesthetized with 10% quinaldine, euthanized by immersion in MS-222, and rinsed with seawater.…”

Section: Swimming Activity and Abilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of ocean acidification on the larvae of a high-value pelagic fisheries species, mahi-mahi Coryphaena hippurus

Bignami¹,

Sponaugle²,

Cowen³

2014

Aquat. Biol.

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Negative impacts of CO 2 -induced ocean acidification on marine organisms have proven to be variable both among and within taxa. For fishes, inconsistency confounds our ability to draw conclusions that apply across taxonomic groups and highlights the limitations of a nascent field with a narrow scope of study species. Here, we present data from a series of 3 experiments on the larvae of mahi-mahi Coryphaena hippurus, a large pelagic tropical fish species of high economic value. Mahi-mahi larvae were raised for up to 21 d under either ambient seawater conditions (350 to 490 µatm pCO 2 ) or projected scenarios of ocean acidification (770 to 2170 µatm pCO 2 ). Evaluation of hatch rate, larval size, development, swimming activity, swimming ability (U crit ), and otolith (ear stone) formation produced few significant effects. However, larvae unexpectedly exhibited significantly larger size-at-age and faster developmental rate during 1 out of 3 experiments, possibly driven by metabolic compensation to elevated pCO 2 via a corresponding decrease in routine swimming velocity. Furthermore, larvae had significantly larger otoliths at 2170 µatm pCO 2 , and a similar but non-significant trend also occurred at 1200 µatm pCO 2 , suggesting potential implications for hearing sensitivity. The lack of effect on most variables measured in this study provides an optimistic indication that this large tropical species, which inhabits the offshore pelagic environment, may not be overly susceptible to ocean acidification. However, the presence of some treatment effects on growth, swimming activity, and otolith formation suggests the presence of subtle, but possibly widespread, effects of acidification on larval mahi-mahi, the cumulative consequences of which are still unknown.KEY WORDS: Ocean acidification · Larval fish · Otolith · Mahi-mahi · CO 2 · U crit · Behavior OPEN PEN ACCESS CCESSAquat Biol 21: 249-260, 2014 250 cope with increased environmental partial pressure of carbon dioxide ( pCO 2 ). Embryonic and larval fishes are not equip ped with the same physiological mechanisms as juveniles and adults, but are capable of some internal pH regulation (Brauner 2008). Nonetheless, existing literature indicates that early life stages of fishes are more susceptible to elevated pCO 2 relative to adults (reviewed by Pörtner et al. 2005). As the primary period of dispersal for many marine fishes, the larval stage is critical to population replenishment and connectivity (Cowen & Sponaugle 2009); therefore, our understanding of the broader population-and ecosystem-level impacts of ocean acidification requires consid eration of this life stage.The impact of ocean acidification on larval fishes is highly variable among studies and taxa. The range of effects include reduced growth and survival (Baumann et al. 2011), skeletal deformation (Pimentel et al. 2014a), altered neurological function (Nilsson et al. 2012), and disrupted behavior (Munday et al. 2010, Ferrari et al. 2012, Hamilton et al. 2014. Some species have experienced m...

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Section: Swimming Activity and Abilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of ocean acidification on the larvae of a high-value pelagic fisheries species, mahi-mahi Coryphaena hippurus

Bignami¹,

Sponaugle²,

Cowen³

2014

Aquat. Biol.

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“…These chemical cues are located in the epidermal layer and are only released upon mechanical damage (for review, see [2]). Con-and heterospecifics that detect and respond to the alarm cue benefit by obtaining an early warning of an active predator; however, it is difficult to see any direct advantage for the captured individual that releases the semiochemical [3,4]. This poses interesting questions about the evolutionary origin of chemical alarm cue systems in aquatic vertebrates [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If the alarm cue evolved as an altruistic act aimed at warning closely related individuals (kin selection [2]), then a voluntary release mechanism would be more efficient. Instead, it has been suggested that the involuntary release of chemical alarm cues in fish may have evolved analogously to the actively released distress vocalizations made by many terrestrial animals following capture (secondary predator hypothesis [4,5]). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here, prey who emit chemical alarm cues may attract predators that, in their attempt to steal prey, inadvertently assist in the escape of captured individuals [5,19]. In this study, we used field and laboratory experiments to examine if chemical alarm cues released from injured damselfish prey may have evolved in accordance with the secondary predator hypothesis [4][5][6]. First, we tested whether secondary predators were attracted to damage-released chemical alarm cues from prey injected into territories of primary predators in the wild.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Damsel in distress: captured damselfish prey emit chemical cues that attract secondary predators and improve escape chances

Lönnstedt

McCormick

2015

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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In aquatic environments, many prey animals possess damage-released chemical alarm cues that elicit antipredator behaviours in responsive conand heterospecifics. Despite considerable study, the selective advantage of alarm cues remains unclear. In an attempt to investigate one of the more promising hypotheses concerning the evolution of alarm cues, we examined whether the cue functions in a fashion analogous to the distress vocalizations emitted by many terrestrial animals. Our results suggest that chemical alarm cues in damselfish (Pomacentridae) may have evolved to benefit the cue sender by attracting secondary predators who disrupt the predation event, allowing the prey a greater chance to escape. The coral reef piscivore, the dusky dottyback (Pseudochromis fuscus), chemically eavesdrops on predation events and uses chemical alarm cues from fish prey (lemon damselfish; Pomacentrus moluccensis) in an attempt to find and steal prey from primary predators. Field studies showed that Ps. fuscus aggregate at sites where prey alarm cue has been experimentally released. Furthermore, secondary predators attempted to steal captured prey of primary predators in laboratory trials and enhanced prey escape chances by 35-40%. These results are the first, to the best of our knowledge, to demonstrate a mechanism by which marine fish may benefit from the production and release of alarm cues, and highlight the complex and important role that semiochemicals play in marine predator -prey interactions.

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“…CAS produced from fathead minnows attracted both predatory 201 fish (Esox lucius) and diving beetles (Colymbetes sculptilis) (Mathis et al, 1995). Predator 202 attraction to fathead minnow CAS has also been verified in the field, where predators were 7 times 203 more likely to strike a lure that was baited with minnow CAS than with water or with skin extract 204 from convict cichlid (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) (Wiseden & Thiel, 2002), which presumably do not 205 produce CAS.…”

Section: Adaptive and Evolutionary Issues For Alarm Signals 151mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensory Ecology of Ostariophysan Alarm Substances

Maximino¹,

Silva²,

Campos³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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21Chemical communication of predation risk has evolved multiple times in fish species, with the 22 conspecific alarm substance (CAS) contemporaneously being the most well understood mechanism. 23 CAS is released after epithelial damage, usually when prey fish is captured by a predator, and elicits 24 neurobehavioral adjustments in conspecifics which increase the probability of avoiding predation. 25As such, CAS is a partial predator stimulus, eliciting risk assessment-like and avoidance behaviors, 26 and disrupting the predator sequence. The present paper reviews the distribution and putative 27 composition of CAS in fish, and presents a model for the neural processing of these structures by 28 the olfactory and the brain aversive systems. Applications of CAS in the behavioral neurosciences 29 and neuropharmacology are also presented, exploiting the potential of model fish (e.g., zebrafish, 30 guppies, minnows) on neurobehavioral research. 31

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Chemical Alarm Signals: Predator Deterrents or Predator Attractants?

Cited by 130 publications

References 39 publications

Effects of ocean acidification on the larvae of a high-value pelagic fisheries species, mahi-mahi Coryphaena hippurus

Effects of ocean acidification on the larvae of a high-value pelagic fisheries species, mahi-mahi Coryphaena hippurus

Damsel in distress: captured damselfish prey emit chemical cues that attract secondary predators and improve escape chances

Sensory Ecology of Ostariophysan Alarm Substances

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