The influence of habitat stability on landmark use during spatial learning in the three-spined stickleback

Odling-Smee, Lucy; Braithwaite, Valerie

doi:10.1006/anbe.2003.2082

Cited by 121 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…It is well established that spatial complexity stimulates behavioural flexibility, as well as learning and memory in mammals and birds (Young 2003). Recent studies on fish suggest similar effects, where structural enrichment in hatchery tanks have been found to improve foraging performance (Brown et al 2003), stability of social hierarchies (Galhardo et al 2008), exploratory behaviour Lee & Berejikian 2008), learning (Odling-Smee & Braithwaite 2003;Odling-Smee et al 2006), memory (Brydges et al 2008) and neural development (Kihslinger & Nevitt 2006). However, it is still unclear to what extent structural complexity can help captive reared individuals to survive in the wild (Brockmark et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Less is more: density influences the development of behavioural life skills in trout

2010

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Theory suggests that habitat structure and population density profoundly influence the phenotypic development of animals. Here, we predicted that reduced rearing density and increased structural complexity promote food search ability, anti-predator response and the ability to forage on novel prey, all behavioural skills important for surviving in the wild. Brown trout were reared at three densities (conventional hatchery density, a fourth of conventional hatchery density and natural density) in tanks with or without structure. Treatment effects on behaviour were studied on trout fry and parr, whereupon 20 trout from each of the six treatment groups were released in an enclosed natural stream and recaptured after 36 days. Fry reared at natural density were faster to find prey in a maze. Moreover, parr reared at natural density were faster to eat novel prey, and showed more efficient anti-predator behaviour than fish reared at higher densities. Furthermore, parr reared at reduced densities were twice as likely to survive in the stream as trout reared at high density. In contrast, we found no clear treatment effects of structure. These novel results suggest that reduced rearing densities can facilitate the development of behavioural life skills in captive animals, thereby increasing their contribution to natural production.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Less is more: density influences the development of behavioural life skills in trout

2010

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“…Specific populations of adult Atlantic cod have been characterised as resident, homing, or dispersing (Robichaud & Rose 2004, Neat et al 2006. Site fidelity or homing patterns can vary across life stages in response to increased opportunity for spatial or social learning, depending on habitat stability (Dodson 1988, Odling-Smee & Braithwaite 2003 or body condition (Comeau et al 2002). These varying patterns affect the contributions of movements of individual fishes to population connectivity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Season and site fidelity determine home range of dispersing and resident juvenile Greenland cod Gadus ogac in a Newfoundland fjord

Shapiera¹,

Gregory²,

Morris³

et al. 2014

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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We used acoustic telemetry to track age 1 juvenile Greenland cod Gadus ogac in Newman Sound, Newfoundland, from October 2010 to November 2012, in 2 consecutive 1 yr experiments. Using single (Year 1) and reciprocal (Year 2) transplant study designs, we investigated seasonal dispersal, home range area, and potential homing behaviour between coves 3.5 km apart. We tracked individuals moving at metre to kilometre scales, using a network of 26 to 32 hydrophones. We converted tag detections to position estimates in order to calculate seasonal home ranges and individual movement patterns. Home range increased significantly with season (pre-winter, winter, and post-winter) in both study years. Mean seasonal home range area ranged from 0.29 to 3.47 km 2 in Year 1 and 0.43 to 1.72 km 2 in Year 2. In contrast, fish size-at-capture, capture location, and release location had no significant effect on seasonal home range. Increased movement distance during the winter and post-winter season suggests a reduction in predation pressure on age 1 juveniles at these times, challenging previous assumptions about their vulnerability. We observed variable behaviour spanning residency to kilometre-scale dispersal movements, which represent greater distances than previously assumed. Similar proportions of control and transplant fish visited the other cove, indicating an absence of homing behaviour among dispersing individuals. Juveniles of marine fishes are often characterized as key life history transition stages between vulnerable larvae and older, larger individuals which are less susceptible to predators. Our results indicate that early juvenile life stages may be substantially more mobile than presupposed and contribute to population connectivity in temperate fishes in ways not well described previously.

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“…Similarly, with fishes, resource predictability and distribution can influence behaviour and social interactions (McLaughlin et al 1992;Grand & Grant 1994;Ryer & Olla 1996. Furthermore, an ability to learn and generate adaptive behaviour is most apparent in species that experience environmental heterogeneity (Papaj 1986;Odling-Smee & Braithwaite 2003). We therefore hypothesized that providing hatchery fishes with a variable environment should promote an ability to learn and, ultimately, would produce fishes that are behaviourally more versatile and more likely to survive when released into the wild.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental variability in the early rearing environment generates behaviourally flexible cod: implications for rehabilitating wild populations

2005

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The release of hatchery-reared fishes for restoring threatened and endangered populations is one of the most controversial issues in applied ecology. A central issue has been to determine whether releases cause extinction of local wild populations. This may arise either through domesticated or non-local fishes hybridizing with wild fishes, or through inappropriate behavioural interactions; for example, many hatchery fishes show exaggerated aggressive and competitive behaviour and out-compete wild counterparts. The impact of the impoverished hatchery environment in shaping behaviour is only now receiving attention. Attempts to counteract hatchery-related behavioural deficiencies have utilized intensive training programmes shortly before the fishes are released. However, we show here that simple exposure to variable spatial and foraging cues in the standard hatchery environment generates fishes with enhanced behavioural traits that are probably associated with improved survival in the wild. It appears that fishes need to experience a varying and changeable environment to learn and develop flexible behaviour. Using variable hatchery rearing environments to generate suitable phenotypes in combination with a knowledge of appropriate local genotypes, rehabilitation of wild fishes is likely to succeed, where to date it has largely failed.

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The influence of habitat stability on landmark use during spatial learning in the three-spined stickleback

Cited by 121 publications

References 27 publications

Less is more: density influences the development of behavioural life skills in trout

Less is more: density influences the development of behavioural life skills in trout

Season and site fidelity determine home range of dispersing and resident juvenile Greenland cod Gadus ogac in a Newfoundland fjord

Environmental variability in the early rearing environment generates behaviourally flexible cod: implications for rehabilitating wild populations

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