Olfactory sensitivity and threat-sensitive responses to alarm cue in an invasive fish

Abstract

Establishing how invasive animals perceive and manage the threat of predation improves our understanding of why certain species rapidly invade unfamiliar environs where others do not. The threat-sensitive response hypothesis predicts that prey that modulate their antipredator behavior in response to the perceived intensity of the threat will have a selective advantage. We investigated the behavioral and olfactory antipredator responses of migrating invasive sea lamprey to varying concentrations of a conspecific alarm cue in the laboratory and field. We hypothesized the odor indicates the presence and location of predation risk on river shorelines, allowing sea lamprey to either alter their migratory path and/or movement timing to reduce exposure to the predator. Migratory sea lampreys exhibited threat-sensitivity in space-use both in the laboratory and nature by increasingly avoiding areas as the concentration of alarm cue increased when safe space was available (areas without the alarm cue). The intensity of the avoidance at higher concentrations was greater in the field. Electrophysiological recordings from the olfactory organ confirmed a concomitant increase in signal output to the olfactory bulb of the brain when exposed to increased alarm cue concentrations. However, increasing the alarm cue concentration did not alter the animal’s motivation to move upstream in either avoidable risk or unavoidable risk scenarios. Exposure to alarm cue affected decisions regarding how to move, but not whether to move. Knowledge of how the animal uses the cue in nature reveals ways to use the cue to manipulate movement and achieve conservation goals.

Study of species relationship analysis based on the CMFR model

“…This model's complexity and integrative nature could inspire methodologies for ecological modeling and prediction, especially in understanding multifaceted ecological interactions like those between sea lampreys and their prey. Wagner et al [5] explored how migratory sea lampreys adjust their behavior in response to olfactory cues indicating predation risk, demonstrating their ability to reduce exposure to predators through threat-sensitive responses. Cui et.al [6] focused on improving the adsorption capacity of molecular sieves for heavy metal ions, which pose significant threats to human health and ecosystems.…”

Structural and functional features of the olfactory epithelium in fish

“…The olfactory sensitivity of vertebrates, including fish, depends on their age and physiological state as well as ecology (Keller-Costa et al, 2014;Wakisaka et al, 2017;Doyle and Meeks, 2018;Li et al, 2023;Wagner et al, 2023).…”

“…To determine the various parameters of olfactory sensitivity in fish to biologically relevant signals, researchers apply both behavioral (Kasumyan and Marusov, 2018;Wagner et al, 2023) and electrophysiological approaches (Valdés et al, 2015;Sato and Sorensen, 2018). Fish demonstrate high sensitivity to chemical agents that shape complex forms of their feeding and reproductive behavior.…”

“…Обонятельная чувствительность позвоночных, включая рыб, зависит от их возраста, физиологического состояния и экологии (Keller-Costa et al, 2014;Wakisaka et al, 2017;Doyle and Meeks, 2018;Li et al, 2023;Wagner et al, 2023).…”

“…Для определения различных параметров ольфакторного восприятия рыбами биологически значимых сигналов используются как поведенческие (Kasumyan and Marusov, 2018;Wagner et al, 2023), так и электрофизиологические подходы (Valdés et al, 2015;Sato and Sorensen, 2018). Рыбы демонстрируют высокую чувствительность к химическим агентам, которые предопределяют сложные формы их пищевого и репродуктивного поведения.…”