The avoidance response of fathead minnows to chemical alarm cues: understanding the effects of donor gender and breeding condition |
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Authors: | M S Pollock R G Friesen R J Pollock R C Kusch D P Chivers |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada |
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Abstract: | Summary. All animals are vulnerable to predation at some point in their lives and consequently prey organisms often develop effective
risk assessment systems. For many aquatic species predation risk assessment occurs through the use of olfactory cues, including
predator odours and alarm cues from damaged or disturbed conspecifics. When aquatic species encounter conspecific alarm cues
they may respond, or not, based on specific information including cue concentration, health and size of the conspecific donor
and potentially the gender and breeding condition of the donor. Previous laboratory studies have demonstrated that fathead
minnows (Pimephales promelas) fail to respond to the skin extracts of breeding male minnows. The purpose of the current study was to verify these early
laboratory findings in the field as well as to further investigate the effect of female reproductive state and donor gender
on the response of minnows to damage-release alarm cues. Our results indicate that male breeding condition has a significant
effect on how minnows will respond to conspecific cues. Minnows showed avoidance of cues of female minnows and male minnows
not in breeding condition, in comparison to cues of breeding male minnows and cues of male and female swordtails. Neither
the gender of non-breeding minnows nor the reproductive state of female minnows influenced the avoidance of minnows to alarm
cues. |
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Keywords: | Alarm cue trap experiment damage-release cue Pimephales promelas cyprinidae Ostariophysan actinopterygian |
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