scholarly journals Experimental evidence that habitat-specific chemical cues influence fish preference patterns

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles W Martin
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Hydrilla Verticillata ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Sediment Runoff ◽  
Specific Chemical ◽  
Anthropogenic Inputs ◽  
Sailfin Molly ◽  
Plant Chemical ◽  
Preference Patterns

Vegetated habitats provide numerous benefits to nekton, including structural refuge from predators and food sources. However, the sensory mechanisms by which fishes locate these habitats remain unclear for many species, especially when environmental conditions (such as increased turbidity) are unfavorable for visual identification of habitats. Here, a series of laboratory experiments test whether three species of adult fish (golden topminnow Fundulus chrysotus Günther 1866, sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna Lesueur 1821, and western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis Baird and Girard 1853) use plant chemical cues to orient to one of two habitats (hydrilla Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle or water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms). First, experiments in aquaria were conducted offering fish a choice of the two habitats to determine preference patterns. Next, a two-channel flume, with each side containing flow originating in one of the two habitats, was used to determine if preferences were still exhibited when fish could only detect habitats through olfactory means. While patterns among the three fish species tested here were variable, results did indicate consistent habitat preferences despite the lack of cues other than olfactory, suggesting that these organisms are capable of discriminating habitats via chemical exudates from plants. As such, olfactory mechanisms likely provide vital information about the surrounding environment and future work should be directed at determining how anthropogenic inputs such as eutrophication and sediment runoff affect the physiology of these sensory capabilities.

scholarly journals Experimental evidence that habitat-specific chemical cues influence fish preference patterns

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles W Martin
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Hydrilla Verticillata ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Sediment Runoff ◽  
Specific Chemical ◽  
Anthropogenic Inputs ◽  
Sailfin Molly ◽  
Plant Chemical ◽  
Preference Patterns

Vegetated habitats provide numerous benefits to nekton, including structural refuge from predators and food sources. However, the sensory mechanisms by which fishes locate these habitats remain unclear for many species, especially when environmental conditions (such as increased turbidity) are unfavorable for visual identification of habitats. Here, a series of laboratory experiments test whether three species of adult fish (golden topminnow Fundulus chrysotus Günther 1866, sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna Lesueur 1821, and western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis Baird and Girard 1853) use plant chemical cues to orient to one of two habitats (hydrilla Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle or water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms). First, experiments in aquaria were conducted offering fish a choice of the two habitats to determine preference patterns. Next, a two-channel flume, with each side containing flow originating in one of the two habitats, was used to determine if preferences were still exhibited when fish could only detect habitats through olfactory means. While patterns among the three fish species tested here were variable, results did indicate consistent habitat preferences despite the lack of cues other than olfactory, suggesting that these organisms are capable of discriminating habitats via chemical exudates from plants. As such, olfactory mechanisms likely provide vital information about the surrounding environment and future work should be directed at determining how anthropogenic inputs such as eutrophication and sediment runoff affect the physiology of these sensory capabilities.

scholarly journals Drosophila adult and larval pheromones modulate larval food choice

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1784) ◽  
pp. 20140043 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Pierre Farine ◽  
Jérôme Cortot ◽  
Jean-François Ferveur
Keyword(s):  
Food Choice ◽  
Food Preference ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Natural Food ◽  
Larval Food ◽  
Specific Chemical ◽  
Drosophila Buzzatii ◽  
Adult Conspecific ◽  
Species Specific

Insects use chemosensory cues to feed and mate. In Drosophila , the effect of pheromones has been extensively investigated in adults, but rarely in larvae. The colonization of natural food sources by Drosophila buzzatii and Drosophila simulans species may depend on species-specific chemical cues left in the food by larvae and adults. We identified such chemicals in both species and measured their influence on larval food preference and puparation behaviour. We also tested compounds that varied between these species: (i) two larval volatile compounds: hydroxy-3-butanone-2 and phenol (predominant in D. simulans and D. buzzatii , respectively), and (ii) adult cuticular hydrocarbons (CHs). Drosophila buzzatii larvae were rapidly attracted to non-CH adult conspecific cues, whereas D. simulans larvae were strongly repulsed by CHs of the two species and also by phenol. Larval cues from both species generally reduced larval attraction and pupariation on food, which was generally—but not always—low, and rarely reflected larval response. As these larval and adult pheromones specifically influence larval food search and the choice of a pupariation site, they may greatly affect the dispersion and survival of Drosophila species in nature.

Insect–Plant Interactions: A Multilayered Relationship

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garima Sharma ◽  
Praful Ashokrao Malthankar ◽  
Vartika Mathur
Keyword(s):  
Plant Resistance ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Defense Responses ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Plant Interactions ◽  
Plant Metabolites ◽  
Specific Chemical ◽  
Plant Interaction ◽  
Morphological Defense

Abstract During herbivory, insects recognize their host plant based on specific chemical cues, whereas the plants induce various chemical and morphological defense responses to resist this attack. However, the seemingly bidirectional insect–plant interaction involves various confounding aspects that influence the performance and fitness of the two participants. These interactions are often mediated by associated microbiota, competitors, predators, and parasitoids that interact in either obligate or facultative manner. Insect endosymbionts play a crucial role in the perception, nutrition, metabolism as well as reproduction of their host, which together determine its survival and fitness on the plant. Endosymbionts also help their host to overcome plant defenses by detoxifying plant metabolites. On the contrary, plant-associated microbes contribute in induced systemic plant resistance by enhancing chemical and morphological defense. These interactions determine the association of insect and plant, not only with the high trophic levels but also with the ecosystem as a whole. Thus, insect–plant interaction is a multilayered relationship extending to various micro- and macro-organisms associated either temporally or spatially. All these relationships may be considered to obtain a wholesome perspective of the natural environment.

scholarly journals Ocean acidification disrupts the orientation of postlarval Caribbean spiny lobsters

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip M. Gravinese ◽  
Heather N. Page ◽  
Casey B. Butler ◽  
Angelo Jason Spadaro ◽  
Clay Hewett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Spiny Lobster ◽  
Episodic Acidification ◽  
Anthropogenic Inputs ◽  
Seawater Ph ◽  
Y Maze ◽  
The Caribbean

Abstract Anthropogenic inputs into coastal ecosystems are causing more frequent environmental fluctuations and reducing seawater pH. One such ecosystem is Florida Bay, an important nursery for the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus. Although adult crustaceans are often resilient to reduced seawater pH, earlier ontogenetic stages can be physiologically limited in their tolerance to ocean acidification on shorter time scales. We used a Y-maze chamber to test whether reduced-pH seawater altered the orientation of spiny lobster pueruli toward chemical cues produced by Laurencia spp. macroalgae, a known settlement cue for the species. We tested the hypothesis that pueruli conditioned in reduced-pH seawater would be less responsive to Laurencia spp. chemical cues than pueruli in ambient-pH seawater by comparing the proportion of individuals that moved to the cue side of the chamber with the proportion that moved to the side with no cue. We also recorded the amount of time (sec) before a response was observed. Pueruli conditioned in reduced-pH seawater were less responsive and failed to select the Laurencia cue. Our results suggest that episodic acidification of coastal waters might limit the ability of pueruli to locate settlement habitats, increasing postsettlement mortality.

Can chemical cues act as landmarks in the orientation of the cave fish Phreatichthys andruzzii?

2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (9) ◽  
pp. 884-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Ceccolini ◽  
A. Paglianti ◽  
C. Streitenberger ◽  
R. Berti
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Neutral Stimulus ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Constant Darkness ◽  
Locomotory Activity ◽  
Fish Locomotion ◽  
Trophic Resources ◽  
Acclimation Period ◽  
Short Time

In the constant darkness of cave environments fish locomotion has to be directed by nonvisual spatial information. Four series of tests were done to determine the ability of the hypogean cyprinid Phreatichthys andruzzii Vinciguerra, 1924 to memorize a synthetic chemical cue (morpholine, C4H9NO), to associate it with an area, to utilize such information for direct locomotory activity, and to determine how long that association is retained in fish memory. Although morpholine acts as neutral stimulus for P. andruzzii, after acclimation in morpholine-scented areas devoid of food resources specimens showed a clear tendency to avoid waters characterized by the odour of that chemical. We hypothesize that an association between odours and trophic characteristics of an area allows the fish to optimize their exploratory activity, as it allows them to recognize areas already experienced to be devoid of trophic resources and to avoid these as unprofitable places. The above association seems to be memorized for a short time; the behavioural response vanishing between 6 and 18 h after the end of the acclimation period. After a certain time has elapsed, it could be profitable to visit the same areas again to verify the incidental availability of new food sources.

Reproductive strategies of Dicrostonyx groenlandicus and Lemmus sibiricus in high-arctic tundra

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 390-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman C Negus ◽  
Patricia J Berger
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Strategy ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Arctic Tundra ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Yearly Variation ◽  
Plant Chemical ◽  
Dicrostonyx Groenlandicus

From 1981 to 1984, a field study of reproductive strategies of Lemmus sibiricus and Dicrostonyx groenlandicus in high-arctic tundra was undertaken at Igloolik Island and the Melville Peninsula, Northwest Territories. Both species of lemmings were scarce in 1981 and 1982 and increased rapidly in abundance in 1983 and 1984. In 1983, D. groenlandicus began breeding in March under the snow, whereas L. sibiricus did not commence breeding until meltoff in early June. Breeding in L. sibiricus was coincident with the appearance of the first sprouts of Dupontia fisheri and Carex stans, two of its preferred monocotyledonous food plants. A survey of tundra plants revealed that 6-methoxybenzoxlazolinone (6-MBOA) was present in the monocotyledons that are the preferred food plants of L. sibiricus, but not in those that are not preferred. With one exception, stoloniferous species contained 6-MBOA but caespitose species did not. Dupontia fisheri showed considerable yearly variation in 6-MBOA content, consistent with low and high population years for L. sibiricus. None of the dicotyledons preferred by D. groenlandicus contained 6-MBOA. Laboratory assays demonstrated that L. sibiricus responds reproductively (increased uterine mass) to 6-MBOA, but D. groenlandicus does not. We conclude that D. groenlandicus uses photoperiod to cue its reproductive effort, while plant chemical cues are an important component of the reproductive strategy of L. sibiricus.

scholarly journals Cross-Linking Optimization for Electrospun Gelatin: Challenge of Preserving Fiber Topography

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 2472
Author(s):  
Chiara Emma Campiglio ◽  
Selene Ponzini ◽  
Paola De Stefano ◽  
Giulia Ortoleva ◽  
Lorenzo Vignati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Cross Linking ◽  
Fiber Morphology ◽  
Fiber Network ◽  
Specific Chemical ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Effective Combination ◽  
Significant Impairment ◽  
Fibrous Morphology ◽  
Electrospun Gelatin

Opportunely arranged micro/nano-scaled fibers represent an extremely attractive architecture for tissue engineering, as they offer an intrinsically porous structure, a high available surface, and an ideal microtopography for guiding cell migration. When fibers are made with naturally occurring polymers, matrices that closely mimic the architecture of the native extra-cellular matrix and offer specific chemical cues can be obtained. Along this track, electrospinning of collagen or gelatin is a typical and effective combination to easily prepare fibrous scaffolds with excellent properties in terms of biocompatibility and biomimicry, but an appropriate cross-linking strategy is required. Many common protocols involve the use of swelling solvents and can result in significant impairment of fibrous morphology and porosity. As a consequence, the efforts for processing gelatin into a fiber network can be vain, as a film-like morphology will be eventually presented to cells. However, this appears to be a frequently overlooked aspect. Here, the effect on fiber morphology of common cross-linking protocols was analyzed, and different strategies to improve the final morphology were evaluated (including alternative solvents, cross-linker concentration, mechanical constraint, and evaporation conditions). Finally, an optimized, fiber-preserving protocol based on carbodiimide (EDC) chemistry was defined.

scholarly journals The plant pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi influences habitat use by the obligate nectarivore honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus)

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon J. Dundas ◽  
Giles E. St J. Hardy ◽  
Patricia A. Fleming
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Phytophthora Cinnamomi ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Vegetation Communities ◽  
Vegetation Surveys ◽  
Honey Possum

Introduced plant pathogens can devastate susceptible plant communities, and consequently impact on animal communities reliant on plants for food and habitat. Specifically, plant pathogens change the floristic diversity of vegetation communities, thereby reducing availability of food sources for fauna (e.g. pollen and nectar) and result in major changes to habitat structure when canopy and understorey plant species succumb to disease. Phytophthora cinnamomi poses a threat to flowering plant species (e.g. Banksia species) which are important food sources for nectarivorous fauna. The honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus) is the only obligate nectarivorous non-flying mammal living on a restrictive diet of nectar and pollen; consequently, these tiny mammals are likely to be particularly vulnerable to the landscape-wide devastation caused by P. cinnamomi. We investigated habitat selection by honey possums in a vegetation community infested with P. cinnamomi to determine how these mammals respond to habitat affected by this pathogen. Over four seasons, 18 honey possums were fitted with radio-transmitters and tracked to identify habitat preferences. Vegetation surveys were compared for locations selected by honey possums (as determined from tracking) and randomly selected sites. Radio-tracking revealed that sites selected by honey possums were significantly taller, denser, and more floristically diverse than their paired random locations. The presence of P. cinnamomi influences habitat use by honey possums, but animals show resilience in terms of using the best of what is available in both P. cinnamomi–affected and unaffected locations. Habitat patches comprising less susceptible species, or plants that have yet to succumb to infection, provide refuge and food resources for honey possums. Management to reduce the spread of existing P. cinnamomi infestations and prevent contamination of new locations will benefit vegetation communities and associated faunal communities, while identifying honey possum food plant species that are resilient to the pathogen may support revegetation attempts.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document