Detection of conspecific and heterospecific alarm signals by juvenile pumpkinseed under weak acidic conditions

Leduc, Antoine O. H. C.; Noseworthy, M. K.; Adrian, James C.; Brown, Grant E.

doi:10.1046/j.1095-8649.2003.00230.x

Cited by 27 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A similar loss of chemical alarm cue function has been demonstrated in a non-ostariophysan species, pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus; Leduc et al 2003). Juvenile sunfish were exposed to the skin extracts of conspecifics, green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), an allopatric congener, and H3NO under neutral (pH 7.5) and weakly acidic (pH 6.0) conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Under neutral conditions, pumpkinseed sunfish exhibited strong antipredator behaviour in response to all three experimental stimuli (compared to distilled water controls). However, the response to conspecific and congener skin extracts was significantly reduced and completely absent for H3NO under weakly acidic conditions (Leduc et al 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Detection of conspecific alarm cues by juvenile salmonids under neutral and weakly acidic conditions: laboratory and field tests

2004

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A variety of fishes possess damage-released chemical alarm cues, which play a critical role in the detection and avoidance of potential predation threats. Recently, we have demonstrated that the ability of fathead minnows ( Pimephales promelas) and finescale dace ( Phoxinus neogaeus) to detect and respond to conspecific alarm cues is significantly reduced under weakly acidic conditions (pH 6.0). Rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss) and brook charr ( Salvelinus fontinalis) possess an analogous alarm cue system. However, it is unknown if the trout alarm cue system is likewise affected by relatively small changes in pH. In addition, previous studies have not verified this phenomenon under natural conditions. We conducted laboratory and field trials to examine the potential effects of acute exposure to weakly acidic (pH 6.0) conditions on the detection and response of conspecific alarm cues by juvenile trout. Our laboratory results demonstrate that while juvenile rainbow trout exhibit significant increases in antipredator behaviour under normal pH conditions (pH 7.0-7.2), they do not respond to the presence of conspecific chemical alarm cues (i.e. response is not different from controls) under weakly acidic conditions. Similarly, a wild strain of brook charr in their natural streams near Sudbury, Ontario, failed to detect conspecific alarm cues in a weakly acidic stream (mean pH 6.11) while they responded to these cues in a neutral stream (mean pH of 6.88). This is the first demonstration that relatively small changes in ambient pH can influence alarm responses under natural conditions. These data suggest significant, sub-lethal effects of acid precipitation on natural waterways.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of conspecific alarm cues by juvenile salmonids under neutral and weakly acidic conditions: laboratory and field tests

2004

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several authors have demonstrated that within taxonomically related groups, the response to heterospecific chemical alarm cues can be evolutionarily conserved (Brown et al 2001a, 2003, Mirza & Chivers 2001b, Mirza et al 2001, Leduc et al, 2003. The general trend, however, is that the intensity of behavioural response to heterospecific alarm cues decreases as the phylogenetic distance between donor and receiver species increases (Shutz 1956, Mirza & Chivers 2001b, Mirza et al 2001.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can the ratio of aromatic skeletons explain cross-species responses within evolutionarily conserved Ostariophysan alarm cues?: testing the purine-ratio hypothesis

Kelly¹,

Adrian

Brown³

2006

Chemoecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

While the response to damage-released chemical alarm cues within the superorder Ostariophysi appears to be highly conserved across species, it is generally observed that the intensity of response to heterospecific alarm cues decreases with increasing phylogenetic distance. Recent studies have demonstrated that purine-N-oxides function as chemical alarm cues within Ostariophyian fishes and that the nitrogen-oxide functional group is conserved as the chief molecular trigger. According to the purine-ratio hypothesis, these cross-species differences may be due to the relative proportion of different carrier compounds associated with the nitrogen-oxide molecular trigger. To test this hypothesis, we exposed glowlight tetras (Hemigrammus erythrozonus, Characidae, Ostariophysi) to one of five synthetic stimuli (hypoxanthine-3-N-oxide (H3NO), pyridine-N-oxide (PNO) or mixed stimuli of 75 % H3NO-25 % PNO, 50 % H3NO-50 % PNO, or 25 % H3NO-75 % PNO), natural conspecific chemical alarm cue or a distilled water control. We quantified changes in shoal cohesion and vertical area use as species typical indicators of an antipredator response. As predicted, response intensity decreased as the ratio of hypoxanthine-3-N-oxide to pyridine-N-oxide decreased and the strongest response was to natural alarm cue. These results suggest that species-specific carrier compounds may account for the well-documented cross-species differences in the response to heterospecific alarm cues within phylogenetically related taxa.

show abstract

“…Exposure to alarm cues can elicit adaptive predator avoidance behaviour, such as reduced activity levels and increased hiding or tighter group cohesion [43]. These behavioural responses to alarm cues have been observed in a range of freshwater fishes, including fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), finescale dace (Phoxinus neogaeus), pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) [20,37,44]. However, predator avoidance behaviour was diminished or absent when these alarm cues were presented in experimental treatments acidified using a minute amount of sulfuric acid (often a major contributor to freshwater acidification) [20,38,45].…”

Section: Ecological Effects Of Acidification On Olfaction (A) Freshwamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, under acidic condition, the alarm cues appear to undergo molecular changes and become either completely degraded (i.e. non-functional) and unrecognizable, or the concentration of its active component is reduced below a threshold necessary to trigger an adaptive alarm response [44].…”

Section: (A) Freshwater Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of acidification on olfactory-mediated behaviour in freshwater and marine ecosystems: a synthesis

Leduc

Munday

Brown

et al. 2013

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

111

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

For many aquatic organisms, olfactory-mediated behaviour is essential to the maintenance of numerous fitness-enhancing activities, including foraging, reproduction and predator avoidance. Studies in both freshwater and marine ecosystems have demonstrated significant impacts of anthropogenic acidification on olfactory abilities of fish and macroinvertebrates, leading to impaired behavioural responses, with potentially far-reaching consequences to population dynamics and community structure. Whereas the ecological impacts of impaired olfactory-mediated behaviour may be similar between freshwater and marine ecosystems, the underlying mechanisms are quite distinct. In acidified freshwater, molecular change to chemical cues along with reduced olfaction sensitivity appear to be the primary causes of olfactory-mediated behavioural impairment. By contrast, experiments simulating future ocean acidification suggest that interference of high CO 2 with brain neurotransmitter function is the primary cause for olfactory-mediated behavioural impairment in fish. Different physico-chemical characteristics between marine and freshwater systems are probably responsible for these distinct mechanisms of impairment, which, under globally rising CO 2 levels, may lead to strikingly different consequences to olfaction. While fluctuations in pH may occur in both freshwater and marine ecosystems, marine habitat will remain alkaline despite future ocean acidification caused by globally rising CO 2 levels. In this synthesis, we argue that ecosystem-specific mechanisms affecting olfaction need to be considered for effective management and conservation practices.

show abstract

Detection of conspecific and heterospecific alarm signals by juvenile pumpkinseed under weak acidic conditions

Cited by 27 publications

References 14 publications

Detection of conspecific alarm cues by juvenile salmonids under neutral and weakly acidic conditions: laboratory and field tests

Detection of conspecific alarm cues by juvenile salmonids under neutral and weakly acidic conditions: laboratory and field tests

Can the ratio of aromatic skeletons explain cross-species responses within evolutionarily conserved Ostariophysan alarm cues?: testing the purine-ratio hypothesis

Effects of acidification on olfactory-mediated behaviour in freshwater and marine ecosystems: a synthesis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About