The use of visual and automatized behavioral markers to assess methodologies: a study case on PIT-tagging in the Alpine newt

Winandy, Laurane; Denoël, Mathieu

doi:10.3758/s13428-011-0058-z

Cited by 26 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…The experimental unit was based on the 24 tanks ( N = 12 for experimental and control tanks) (Figure 2). We used a scan sampling method [57], based on previous Alpine newt research [28,58]. Scans were replicated twenty times for each of the ten weeks and throughout 24 aquariums (i.e.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduced Goldfish Affect Amphibians through Inhibition of Sexual Behaviour in Risky Habitats: an Experimental Approach

Winandy

Denoël

2013

PLoS ONE

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The introduction of alien species is one of the major causes of current and global biodiversity loss. The introduction of fish can be a particular threat to native amphibian populations, which are declining worldwide. One way for amphibians to persist in such altered environments is to adopt anti-predator strategies especially at the behavioural level. However, although it has been shown that avoidance behaviour may decrease the probability of being detected by a potential predator, little is known on the consequences on sexual behaviour. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that adult Alpine newts (Ichthyosaura alpestris) use shelters more often and exhibit less sexual activity in the presence of goldfish (Carassius auratus) and that they reduce sexual activity more in risky micro-habitats than in safe environments. To this end, we assessed behavioural patterns of adult newts in a replicated laboratory design. Goldfish were present in direct contact with newts in half of the tanks. Consistently throughout the study period, significantly more newts used shelter in the presence of fish than in their absence. Newts also significantly decreased their sexual activity level overall, but specially outside the shelter when they were in direct contact with fish. These results show that fish presence can affect newts in complex ways, such as through inhibition of their reproduction. Our work highlights that integrating behaviour in conservation studies is essential to understanding the patterns of coexistence and exclusion between introduced fish and amphibians.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduced Goldfish Affect Amphibians through Inhibition of Sexual Behaviour in Risky Habitats: an Experimental Approach

Winandy

Denoël

2013

PLoS ONE

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“…Behavioral markers can now be rigorously quantified in experiments that can be replicated and thus are powerful tools to complement other traditional survival analyses. New developments of analytical methods of behaviors, such as image analysis (Friberg-Jensen et al 2010) and video-tracking of locomotor patterns (Denoël et al 2010;Winandy and Denoël 2011), but also analyses of more complex aspects of behaviors such as sensory perception (Mandrillon and Saglio 2007) and learning processes (Eddins et al 2010), are encouraged because of the complex and often overlooked actions of chemicals. Going in-depth with such techniques would also put behavioral assessment closer to physiological, histological and molecular studies in explaining the mechanisms of toxicity and the action of chemicals at very low concentrations.…”

Section: Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using sets of behavioral biomarkers to assess short-term effects of pesticide: a study case with endosulfan on frog tadpoles

Denoël¹,

D’Hooghe²,

Ficetola

et al. 2012

Ecotoxicology

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Pesticides and other chemicals often have detrimental effects at environmental concentrations. Many amphibian species are particularly threatened because of their susceptibility but also because wetlands are often polluted. Behavioral assessments of toxicity have the advantage of showing sublethal effects but quantitative measures at varied scales of integrations are rarely considered together. In this study, we aimed at showing that these behavioral endpoints could be differently affected across time and concentrations, and be biomarkers of toxicity. To this end, we tested the effects of an organochlorine pesticide (endosulfan) on amphibians during a standard 96 h test. We evaluated possible lag effects in continuing the analyses after removal of the pesticide. The study was based on 240 tadpoles (4 pesticide treatments: 0.4, 3, 22, and 282 μg/l, 1 control and 1 solvent-control). Abnormal behaviors such as lying and swirling rapidly were exhibited only in the presence of the pesticide. Essential functions such as breathing and feeding were deeply affected by the pesticide: contaminated tadpoles breathed and fed less than control tadpoles. They also moved less and occupied a more central position in the aquariums in the presence of the pesticide. A higher mortality was only found at the highest concentration. These results suggest that endosulfan is toxic to amphibians at environmental concentrations. Behavioral markers showed potential as early warning systems. They should thus be used in complement to other markers to detect sublethal effects only a few days after application of the pesticide and at concentrations where mortality does not occur.

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“…Immediately after capture, newts were placed in a 1-l anesthetic bath (phenoxyethanol, 0.7%) the time to get asleep, subsequently measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the cloaca to determine the snout-vent-length (SVL), and at their first capture tagged with glass-encapsulated passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags (1.4  9 mm) using a needle inserted under the skin at the margin of the belly. This marking system remains in the body and does not affect growth, survival, reproduction, or feeding in newts (Winandy and Denoël 2011). After marking and before release, the newts were placed in a tank filled with fresh water from their pond until they wake up.…”

Section: Study Species Sampling Site and Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersal and alternative breeding site fidelity strategies in an amphibian

et al. 2018

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Dispersal (i.e. movement from a natal or breeding site to another breeding site) is a central process in ecology and evolution as it affects the eco‐evolutionary dynamics of spatially structured populations. Dispersal evolution is regulated by the balance between costs and benefits, which is influenced by the individual phenotype (i.e. phenotype‐dependent dispersal) and environmental factors (i.e. condition‐dependent dispersal). Even though these processes have been extensively studied in species with simple life cycles, our knowledge about these mechanisms in organisms displaying complex life cycles remains fragmentary. In fact, little is specifically known about how the interplay between individual and environmental factors may lead to alternative dispersal strategies that, in turn, lead to the coexistence of contrasted site fidelity phenotypes. In this paper, we examined breeding dispersal in a pond‐breeding amphibian, the great crested newt Triturus cristatus, within usual walking distances for a newt. We took advantage of recent developments in multi‐event capture–recapture models and used capture–recapture data (946 newts marked) collected in a spatially structured population occupying a large pond network (73 ponds). We showed a high rate of breeding site infidelity (i.e. pond use) and the coexistence of two dispersal phenotypes, namely, a highly pond faithful phenotype and a dispersing phenotype. Individuals that were site faithful at time t – 1 were therefore more likely to remain site faithful at time t. Our results also demonstrated that the probability that individuals belong to one or the other dispersal phenotypes depended on environmental and individual factors. In particular, we highlighted the existence of a dispersal syndrome implying a covariation pattern among dispersal behavior, body size, and survival. Our work opens new research prospects in the evolution of dispersal in organisms displaying complex life cycles and raises interesting questions about the evolutionary pathways that contribute to the diversification of movement strategies in the wild.

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The use of visual and automatized behavioral markers to assess methodologies: a study case on PIT-tagging in the Alpine newt

Cited by 26 publications

References 64 publications

Introduced Goldfish Affect Amphibians through Inhibition of Sexual Behaviour in Risky Habitats: an Experimental Approach

Introduced Goldfish Affect Amphibians through Inhibition of Sexual Behaviour in Risky Habitats: an Experimental Approach

Using sets of behavioral biomarkers to assess short-term effects of pesticide: a study case with endosulfan on frog tadpoles

Dispersal and alternative breeding site fidelity strategies in an amphibian

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