Kin recognition in zebrafish: a 24-hour window for olfactory imprinting

Abstract

Distinguishing kin from non-kin profoundly impacts the evolution of social behaviour. Individuals able to assess the genetic relatedness of conspecifics can preferentially allocate resources towards related individuals and avoid inbreeding. We have addressed the question of how animals acquire the ability to recognize kin by studying the development of olfactory kin preference in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Previously, we showed that zebrafish use an olfactory template to recognize even unfamiliar kin through phenotype matching. Here, we show for the first time that this phenotype matching is based on a learned olfactory imprinting process in which exposure to kin individuals on day 6 post fertilization (pf ) is necessary and sufficient for imprinting. Larvae that were exposed to kin before or after but not on day 6 pf did not recognize kin. Larvae isolated from all contact with conspecifics did not imprint on their own chemical cues; therefore, we see no evidence for kin recognition through self-matching in this species. Surprisingly, exposure to non-kin odour during the sensitive phase of development did not result in imprinting on the odour cues of unrelated individuals, suggesting a genetic predisposition to kin odour. Urine-born peptides expressed by genes of the immune system (MHC) are important messengers carrying information about 'self' and 'other'. We suggest that phenotype matching is acquired through a time-sensitive learning process that, in zebrafish, includes a genetic predisposition potentially involving MHC genes expressed in the olfactory receptor neurons.

Brain levels of arginine–vasotocin and isotocin in dominant and subordinate males of a cichlid fish

“…In fish olfaction also plays a major role in intra-specific communication (Stacey and Sorensen, 2002), including social recognition (Gerlach et al, 2008). Although an AVT neuronal population has never been described in the olfactory bulbs of teleosts, V1a receptors have been identified in this area (Kline et al, 2011), which together with the high AVT peptide levels reported here, suggest a role for AVT in the processing of olfactory stimuli in fish.…”

Towards a Comprehensive Catalog of Zebrafish Behavior 1.0 and Beyond

“…Chemically-mediated attraction behaviors are diverse and include appetitive olfactory behavior (elicited by L-alanine, food extract and others), chemically mediated kin recognition and sexual aggregating behavior (elicited by sex pheromones). [73][74][75]96,97 Usually characterized by higher speed as fish follow the increasing concentrations of chemoattractants and by slower speed when fish locate the signal source. 1.31.…”

Cerebellar-Dependent Learning in Larval Zebrafish

“…Namely, zebrafish can learn (Darland and Dowling, 2001;Sison and Gerlai, 2010) and are amenable to neurodevelopmental and neurogenetic analysis and manipulation (Asakawa et al, 2008;Baier and Scott, 2009). Even in an early stage of development zebrafish larvae possess a wide spectrum of innate and experience-dependent behaviors (Burgess and Granato, 2007;Gerlach et al, 2008). Importantly, their relatively small size, manageable number of neurons, and optical accessibility make them attractive for studying the neural mechanisms of behavior (Friedrich et al, 2010).…”