Social Status and Arginine Vasotocin Neuronal Phenotypes in a Cichlid Fish

2015 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olinda Almeida ◽  
Rui F. Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cell Number ◽  
Arginine Vasotocin ◽  
Cichlid Species ◽  
Neuronal Populations ◽  
Soma Size ◽  
Species Specific

The nonapeptide arginine vasotocin (AVT) and its mammalian homologue arginine vasopressin play a key role in the regulation of social behaviour across vertebrates. In teleost fishes, three AVT neuronal populations have been described in the preoptic area (POA): the parvocellular (pPOA), the magnocellular (mPOA) and the gigantocellular (gPOA). Neurons from each of these areas project both to the pituitary and to other brain regions, where AVT is supposed to regulate neural circuits underlying social behaviour. However, in the fish species studied so far, there is considerable variation in which AVT neuronal populations are involved in behavioural modulation and in the direction of the effect. In this study, the association between AVT neuronal phenotypes and social status was investigated in the Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). This species is an African female mouth-brooding cichlid fish in which males form breeding aggregations in which dominant males establish territories and subordinate males to act as floaters. With respect to sex differences in AVT neuronal phenotypes, females have a larger number of AVT neurons in the pPOA and mPOA. Within males, AVT appeared associated with social subordination, as indicated by the larger cell body areas of AVT neurons in mPOA and gPOA nuclei of non-territorial males. There were also positive correlations between submissive behaviour and the soma size of AVT cells in all three nuclei and AVT cell number in the mPOA. In summary, the results provide evidence for an involvement of AVT in the modulation of social behaviour in tilapia, but it was not possible to identify specific roles for specific AVT neuronal populations. The results presented here also contrast with those previously published for another cichlid species with a similar mating system, which highlights the species-specific nature of the pattern of association between AVT and social behaviour even within the same taxonomic family.

scholarly journals Brain nonapeptide levels are related to social status and affiliative behaviour in a cooperatively breeding cichlid fish

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 140072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam R. Reddon ◽  
Constance M. O'Connor ◽  
Susan E. Marsh-Rollo ◽  
Sigal Balshine ◽  
Magdalena Gozdowska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Behaviour ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Arginine Vasotocin ◽  
Test Bed ◽  
Dominance Status ◽  
Cooperatively Breeding ◽  
The Brain

The mammalian nonapeptide hormones, vasopressin and oxytocin, are known to be potent regulators of social behaviour. Teleost fishes possess vasopressin and oxytocin homologues known as arginine vasotocin (AVT) and isotocin (IT), respectively. The role of these homologous nonapeptides in mediating social behaviour in fishes has received far less attention. The extraordinarily large number of teleost fish species and the impressive diversity of their social systems provide us with a rich test bed for investigating the role of nonapeptides in regulating social behaviour. Existing studies, mostly focused on AVT, have revealed relationships between the nonapeptides, and both social behaviour and dominance status in fishes. To date, much of the work on endogenous nonapeptides in fish brains has measured genomic or neuroanatomical proxies of nonapeptide production rather than the levels of these molecules in the brain. In this study, we measure biologically available AVT and IT levels in the brains of Neolamprologus pulcher , a cooperatively breeding cichlid fish, using high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. We found that brain AVT levels were higher in the subordinate than in dominant animals, and levels of IT correlated negatively with the expression of affiliative behaviour. We contrast these results with previous studies, and we discuss the role the nonapeptide hormones may play in the regulation of social behaviour in this highly social animal.

Social status, breeding state, and GnRH soma size in convict cichlids (Cryptoheros nigrofasciatus)

2013 ◽  
Vol 237 ◽  
pp. 318-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
San-San Amy Chee ◽  
Walter A.S. Espinoza ◽  
Andrew N. Iwaniuk ◽  
Janelle M.P. Pakan ◽  
Cristian Gutiérrez-Ibáñez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Convict Cichlids ◽  
Soma Size

Are aggressiveness and social status of group housed sows predictable from observations of earlier behaviour?

1993 ◽  
Vol 1993 ◽  
pp. 87-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mendl
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Time Consistency ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Individual Characteristic ◽  
Group Housing ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
Induced Stress ◽  
General Decrease ◽  
Fundamental Understanding

The forthcoming UK ban on stall and tether housing for sows will result in an increase in the use of group housing for these animals. In group housing systems, certain individuals may be particularly aggressive or bullied by others, and this may result in injury or socially induced stress. To attempt to overcome these problems we need to know the answers to questions such as whether removal of a particularly aggressive animal from a group will result in a general decrease in aggression, or whether it will simply result in other animals becoming more aggressive. Answers to these sorts of question require a fundamental understanding of pig social behaviour and individual characteristics. For example, is aggressivness a stable individual characteristic across time and situation? This research addressed these issues by examining the cross-time consistency of individual aggressiveness and social status in groups of pigs.

Species-specific real-time PCR cell number quantification of the bloom-forming cyanobacterium Planktothrix agardhii

2012 ◽  
Vol 194 (9) ◽  
pp. 749-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catarina Churro ◽  
Paulo Pereira ◽  
Vitor Vasconcelos ◽  
Elisabete Valério
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Cell Number ◽  
Planktothrix Agardhii ◽  
Species Specific

scholarly journals Repeatability and Heritability of Behavioural Types in a Social Cichlid

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noémie Chervet ◽  
Markus Zöttl ◽  
Roger Schürch ◽  
Michael Taborsky ◽  
Dik Heg
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Quantitative Genetics ◽  
Variance Components ◽  
Significant Variation ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Animal Personality ◽  
Cichlid Species ◽  
Behavioural Type ◽  
Variance Components Estimation ◽  
Behavioural Types

Aim. The quantitative genetics underlying correlated behavioural traits (‘‘animal personality’’) have hitherto been studied mainly in domesticated animals. Here we report the repeatability () and heritability () of behavioural types in the highly social cichlid fish Neolamprologus pulcher. Methods. We tested 1779 individuals repeatedly and calculated the of behavioural types by variance components estimation (GLMM REML), using 1327 offspring from 162 broods from 74 pairs. Results. Repeatability of behavioural types was significant and considerable (0.546), but declined from 0.83 between tests conducted on the same day, to 0.19 on tests conducted up to 1201 days apart. All estimates were significant but low (e.g., pair identity SE). Additionally, we found significant variation between broods nested within the parent(s), but these were not related to several environmental factors tested. Conclusions. We conclude that despite a considerable , in this cichlid species is low, and variability in behavioural type appears to be strongly affected by other (non)genetic effects.

scholarly journals Interspecific hybridization can generate functional novelty in cichlid fish

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1913) ◽  
pp. 20191621 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. M. Selz ◽  
O. Seehausen
Keyword(s):  
Interspecific Hybridization ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Parental Species ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Context Dependency ◽  
Functional Variation ◽  
Generate Functional ◽  
Cichlid Species ◽  
Evolutionary Consequences ◽  
African Cichlids

The role of interspecific hybridization in evolution is still being debated. Interspecific hybridization has been suggested to facilitate the evolution of ecological novelty, and hence the invasion of new niches and adaptive radiation when ecological opportunity is present beyond the parental species niches. On the other hand, hybrids between two ecologically divergent species may perform less well than parental species in their respective niches because hybrids would be intermediate in performance in both niches. The evolutionary consequences of hybridization may hence be context-dependent, depending on whether ecological opportunities, beyond those of the parental species, do or do not exist. Surprisingly, these complementary predictions may never have been tested in the same experiment in animals. To do so, we investigate if hybrids between ecologically distinct cichlid species perform less well than the parental species when feeding on food either parent is adapted to, and if the same hybrids perform better than their parents when feeding on food none of the species are adapted to. We generated two first-generation hybrid crosses between species of African cichlids. In feeding efficiency experiments we measured the performance of hybrids and parental species on food types representing both parental species niches and additional ‘novel’ niches, not used by either of the parental species but by other species in the African cichlid radiations. We found that hybrids can have higher feeding efficiencies on the ‘novel’ food types but typically have lower efficiencies on parental food types when compared to parental species. This suggests that hybridization can generate functional variation that can be of ecological relevance allowing the access to resources outside of either parental species niche. Hence, we provide support for the hypothesis of ecological context-dependency of the evolutionary impact of interspecific hybridization.

scholarly journals The Adaptive Radiation of Cichlid Fish in Lake Tanganyika: A Morphological Perspective

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsumi Takahashi ◽  
Stephan Koblmüller
Keyword(s):  
East Africa ◽  
Adaptive Radiation ◽  
Lake Tanganyika ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Ancient Lakes ◽  
Species Assemblage ◽  
Cichlid Species ◽  
Morphological Studies ◽  
Rapid Speciation ◽  
Explosive Speciation

Lake Tanganyika is the oldest of the Great Ancient Lakes in the East Africa. This lake harbours about 250 species of cichlid fish, which are highly diverse in terms of morphology, behaviour, and ecology. Lake Tanganyika's cichlid diversity has evolved through explosive speciation and is treated as a textbook example of adaptive radiation, the rapid differentiation of a single ancestor into an array of species that differ in traits used to exploit their environments and resources. To elucidate the processes and mechanisms underlying the rapid speciation and adaptive radiation of Lake Tanganyika's cichlid species assemblage it is important to integrate evidence from several lines of research. Great efforts have been, are, and certainly will be taken to solve the mystery of how so many cichlid species evolved in so little time. In the present review, we summarize morphological studies that relate to the adaptive radiation of Lake Tanganyika's cichlids and highlight their importance for understanding the process of adaptive radiation.

Arginine vasotocin regulates social ascent in the African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni

2015 ◽  
Vol 212 ◽  
pp. 106-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin S. Huffman ◽  
Flora I. Hinz ◽  
Sophie Wojcik ◽  
Nadia Aubin-Horth ◽  
Hans A. Hofmann
Keyword(s):  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Arginine Vasotocin ◽  
African Cichlid ◽  
Astatotilapia Burtoni

scholarly journals Visual adaptation and microhabitat choice in Lake Victoria cichlid fish

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 181876
Author(s):  
Daniel Mameri ◽  
Corina van Kammen ◽  
Ton G. G. Groothuis ◽  
Ole Seehausen ◽  
Martine E. Maan
Keyword(s):  
Broad Spectrum ◽  
Lake Victoria ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Visual Sensitivity ◽  
Visual Adaptation ◽  
Repeated Testing ◽  
Cichlid Species ◽  
Habitat Matching

When different genotypes choose different habitats to better match their phenotypes, genetic differentiation within a population may be promoted. Mating within those habitats may subsequently contribute to reproductive isolation. In cichlid fish, visual adaptation to alternative visual environments is hypothesized to contribute to speciation. Here, we investigated whether variation in visual sensitivity causes different visual habitat preferences, using two closely related cichlid species that occur at different but overlapping water depths in Lake Victoria and that differ in visual perception ( Pundamilia spp.). In addition to species differences, we explored potential effects of visual plasticity, by rearing fish in two different light conditions: broad-spectrum (mimicking shallow water) and red-shifted (mimicking deeper waters). Contrary to expectations, fish did not prefer the light environment that mimicked their typical natural habitat. Instead, we found an overall preference for the broad-spectrum environment. We also found a transient influence of the rearing condition, indicating that the assessment of microhabitat preference requires repeated testing to control for familiarity effects. Together, our results show that cichlid fish exert visual habitat preference but do not support straightforward visual habitat matching.

scholarly journals Suppression of Parvalbumin Interneuron Activity in the Prefrontal Cortex Recapitulates Features of Impaired Excitatory/Inhibitory Balance and Sensory Processing in Schizophrenia

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 981-989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oana Toader ◽  
Moritz von Heimendahl ◽  
Niklas Schuelert ◽  
Wiebke Nissen ◽  
Holger Rosenbrock
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Inhibitory Interneuron ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Neuronal Populations ◽  
Parvalbumin Interneuron ◽  
New Treatment

Abstract Accumulating evidence supports parvalbumin expressing inhibitory interneuron (PV IN) dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex as a cause for cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS). PV IN decreased activity is suggested to be the culprit for many of the EEG deficits measured in patients, which correlate with deficits in working memory (WM), cognitive flexibility and attention. In the last few decades, CIAS has been recognized as a heavy burden on the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia, but little progress has been made in finding new treatment options. An important limiting factor in this process is the lack of adequate preclinical models and an incomplete understanding of the circuits engaged in cognition. In this study, we back-translated an auditory stimulation protocol regularly used in human EEG studies into mice and combined it with optogenetics to investigate the role of prefrontal cortex PV INs in excitatory/inhibitory balance and cortical processing. We also assessed spatial WM and reversal learning (RL) during inhibition of prefrontal cortex PV INs. We found significant impairments in trial-to-trial reliability, increased basal network activity and increased oscillation power at 20–60 Hz, and a decreased signal-to-noise ratio, but no significant impairments in behavior. These changes reflect some but not all neurophysiological deficits seen in patients with schizophrenia, suggesting that other neuronal populations and possibly brain regions are involved as well. Our work supports and expands previous findings and highlights the versatility of an approach that combines innovative technologies with back-translated tools used in humans.

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