Sensory differences mediate species variation in detour task performance

Santacà, Maria; Busatta, Melania; Lucon‐Xiccato, Tyrone; Bisazza, Angelo

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.05.022

Cited by 24 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The second possibility is that the two species belong to two clades that have taken two different evolutionary paths, as happened, for example, for the different orders of mammals. In the study of Santacà et al (2019), Xenotoca eiseni (same order, namely Cyprinodontiformes, of guppy) and Oryzias sarasinorum (belonging to the closely related order Beloniformes) tended to be similar to guppies in detouring a transparent barrier. The authors suggested that there may be differences in sensory ecology between the two largest clades of teleosts, Ostariophysi (to which zebrafish belong) and Acanthopterygii (to which guppies belong) which diverged about 220 million years ago.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…A recent study examined the efficiency of four teleost species in detouring a transparent barrier to reach a goal (a group of conspecifics) placed behind it (Santacà, Busatta, Lucon-Xiccato, & Bisazza, 2019). While the performance of three species (Poecilia reticulata, Xenotoca eiseni, Oryzias sarasinorum) was comparable to that shown on average by mammals and birds, one species, the zebrafish (Danio rerio), showed a proficiency level in this test that was previously observed only in corvids and apes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The role of visual and olfactory cues in social decisions of guppies and zebrafish

Santacà

Dadda

Bisazza

2021

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Vision and olfaction are expensive to maintain, and in many taxa there appears to be a trade-off in investment between the two sensory systems. Previous work has suggested that guppies (Poecilia reticulata) and zebrafish (Danio rerio) may differ in the relative importance they place on these two senses in social interactions. In this study, we directly examined this issue by experimentally contrasting olfactory and visual information in social situations. In the first experiment, we found that guppies spent more time where conspecifics were visible than where they could smell them. On the contrary, zebrafish spent significantly more time in an empty compartment containing smell of conspecifics than in a compartment in which they only saw them. The difference was not large, suggesting that both species integrate various types of information to locate a nearby shoal. In two subsequent experiments, we studied the role of vision and smell in the discrimination of the quality of the social group, namely the number and the familiarity of its members. Zebrafish and guppies were confirmed to rely on different senses to estimate the size of a social group, whereas they did not differ in the discrimination of familiar and non-familiar conspecifics which appears to be based equally on the two senses. Similarly to what happens in other vertebrate clades, we suggest that, among teleosts, there are large differences in the relative importance of the different senses in the perception of the external world.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

The role of visual and olfactory cues in social decisions of guppies and zebrafish

Santacà

Dadda

Bisazza

2021

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Another difference between species that can confound comparisons is their dependence on chemical sensation or olfaction. Species for which olfaction is less important are termed microsmatic , while those that depend to a large degree on olfaction are termed macrosmatic (Santacà et al, 2019a , b ). Mice, dogs, and wolves are, hence macrosmatic, while e.g., guppies are considered microsmatic (Santacà et al, 2019a ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct Approach or Detour: A Comparative Model of Inhibition and Neural Ensemble Size in Behavior Selection

Tjøstheim

Johansson

Balkenius

2021

Front. Syst. Neurosci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Organisms must cope with different risk/reward landscapes in their ecological niche. Hence, species have evolved behavior and cognitive processes to optimally balance approach and avoidance. Navigation through space, including taking detours, appears also to be an essential element of consciousness. Such processes allow organisms to negotiate predation risk and natural geometry that obstruct foraging. One aspect of this is the ability to inhibit a direct approach toward a reward. Using an adaptation of the well-known detour paradigm in comparative psychology, but in a virtual world, we simulate how different neural configurations of inhibitive processes can yield behavior that approximates characteristics of different species. Results from simulations may help elucidate how evolutionary adaptation can shape inhibitive processing in particular and behavioral selection in general. More specifically, results indicate that both the level of inhibition that an organism can exert and the size of neural populations dedicated to inhibition contribute to successful detour navigation. According to our results, both factors help to facilitate detour behavior, but the latter (i.e., larger neural populations) appears to specifically reduce behavioral variation.

show abstract

“…For example, zebrafish (Danio rerio) outperformed three other fish species in a cylinder task although additional tests showed that zebrafish used odor cues to their advantage to solve the task. When such odor cues were eliminated, the species difference in performance disappeared (Santacà et al 2019a). Guppies, however, do not rely on olfactory cues to solve cylinder detour tasks (Santacà et al 2019b).…”

Section: Differences Between Species In the Cylinder Taskmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are lizards capable of inhibitory control? Performance on a semi-transparent version of the cylinder task in five species of Australian skinks

Szabo

Hoefer

Whiting

2020

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Inhibitory control, the inhibition of prepotent actions, is essential for higher-order cognitive processes such as planning, reasoning, and self-regulation. Individuals and species differ in inhibitory control. Identifying what influences inhibitory control ability within and between species is key to understanding how it evolved. We compared performance in the cylinder task across five lizard species: tree skinks (Egernia striolata), gidgee skinks (Egernia stokesii), eastern blue-tongue skinks (Tiliqua s. scincoides), sleepy lizards (Tiliqua r. asper), and eastern water skinks (Eulamprus quoyii). In our task, animals had to inhibit the prepotent motor response of directly approaching a reward placed within a semi-transparent mesh cylinder and instead reach in through the side openings. Additionally, in three lizard species, we compared performance in the cylinder task to reversal learning to determine the task specificity of inhibitory ability. Within species, neither sex, origin, body condition, neophobia, nor pre-experience with other cognitive tests affected individual performance. Species differed in motor response inhibition: Blue-tongue skinks made fewer contacts with the semi-transparent cylinder wall than all other species. Blue-tongue skinks also had lower body condition than the other species which suggest motivation as the underlying cause for species differences in task performance. Moreover, we found no correlation between inhibitory ability across different experiments. This is the first study comparing cylinder task performance among lizard species. Given that inhibitory control is probably widespread in lizards, motor response inhibition as exercised in the cylinder task appears to have a long evolutionary history and is likely fundamental to survival and fitness. Significance The study of lizard cognition is receiving increasing attention. Lizards are a diverse group with a wide range of ecological attributes and represent a model system through which we can test a wide range of hypotheses relating to cognitive evolution. Furthermore, considering their evolutionary history, studying non-avian reptile cognition can help understand the evolution of different cognitive abilities including inhibitory control. Here, we provide a comparison of inhibitory control ability in five lizard species. Consequently, we are able to, firstly, validate a method (the cylinder task) initially developed for the use in mammals and birds, for use in lizards, and secondly, collect valuable data on inhibitory control in a poorly studied group with respect to cognitive ability. Our study suggests non-cognitive factors as a major influence on cylinder task performance, which is in agreement with previous studies of other vertebrates.

show abstract

Sensory differences mediate species variation in detour task performance

Cited by 24 publications

References 47 publications

The role of visual and olfactory cues in social decisions of guppies and zebrafish

The role of visual and olfactory cues in social decisions of guppies and zebrafish

Direct Approach or Detour: A Comparative Model of Inhibition and Neural Ensemble Size in Behavior Selection

Are lizards capable of inhibitory control? Performance on a semi-transparent version of the cylinder task in five species of Australian skinks

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About