Cardiac Responses to a Natural Odorant as Evidence of a Sensitive Period for Olfactory Imprinting in Young Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar

Olfactory imprinting was assessed in young Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, undergoing smoltification (parr–smolt transition) by measuring their cardiac responses to a natural odorant, L-cysteine. Condition factor and body coloration were used for characterizing the degree of smoltification. In Experiment 1, heart rate conditioning to L-cysteine was used to compare olfactory learning between fish from different age groups of smoltification. In Experiments 2 and 3, other fish from the same age groups of smoltification were exposed to L-cysteine and their long-term olfactory memory was assessed by measuring their unconditioned cardiac responses to L-cysteine after smoltification. In Experiment 2, the time from the end of odor exposure to testing for olfactory recognition was kept constant for ail age groups of smoltification whereas in Experiment 3, the age of fish tested for olfactory recognition was kept constant. Greater conditioning (heart rate reduction) to L-cysteine occurred in age-groups 3 (612–619 d since birth) and 6 (642–649 d) as compared with any other age group of smoltification. Fish tested for odor recognition exhibited a greater unconditioned response (cardiac deceleration) to L-cysteine if they belonged to age-group 3 than to any other age group of smoltification. Our results demonstrated the existence of a sensitive period for olfactory imprinting in Atlantic salmon that occurred between 21 and 28 d after the onset of smoltification induced in the laboratory.