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Behavioral Variation Drives Mixed-Species Grouping in an Asexual-Sexual Fish Species Complex
Behavioral Variation Drives Mixed-Species Grouping in an Asexual-Sexual Fish Species Complex
상세정보
- 자료유형
- 학위논문 서양
- 최종처리일시
- 20260202104647
- ISBN
- 9798290614441
- DDC
- 574.5
- 서명/저자
- Behavioral Variation Drives Mixed-Species Grouping in an Asexual-Sexual Fish Species Complex
- 발행사항
- [Sl] : University of California, Davis, 2025
- 발행사항
- Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2025
- 형태사항
- 148 p
- 주기사항
- Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 87-01, Section: B.
- 주기사항
- Advisor: Laskowski, Kate.
- 학위논문주기
- Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of California, Davis, 2025.
- 초록/해제
- 요약Predation threat is a major driver of behavior in many prey species. Animals can recognize their relative risk of predation based on cues in the environment, including visual and/or chemical cues released by a predator or from its prey. Predator naive fish often exhibit appropriate anti-predator responses when faced with these chemical cues. This suggests that the ability to recognize and appropriately respond to chemical cues is genetically conserved. When threat of predation is high, prey often respond by altering their behavior to reduce their probability of detection and/or capture. But not all species within a community exhibit the same type of behavioral responses. This suggests that species that form mixed-species groups may provide different types of social information when responding to risky conditions. The ability to collect and use social information produced by the actions of conspecifics and heterospecifics may be a critical driver to the formation and maintenance of mixed-species grouping. To explain why mixed-species groups are so common in nature, researchers often credit improved foraging and anti-predator behaviors as the main driver. But, I argue that improved social information produced by behavioral variation at the within- and between-species axes may mechanistically explain these improved group-level behaviors. Broadly, my dissertation evaluates whether two species of fish that naturally form mixed-species shoals in the wild exhibit similar or distinct behavioral responses to varying levels of ecological risk at the individual-level and at the shoal level using automated tracking pipelines and computer vision. Its generally assumed that small prey fish retain an innate ability to respond to chemical cues from a predator and damaged conspecifics. This is important to verify, especially in fish that have been reared in lab conditions without exposure to predation risk for multiple generations. Here, I test how a clonal fish, the Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa), behaviorally responds to predation cues. I measured aggressive and social behaviors both under 'risk', where chemical cues from predatory fish and injured conspecifics were present, and control contexts (no risk cues present). I predicted that mollies would exhibit reduced aggression towards a simulated intruder and increased sociability under risk contexts as aggression might increase their visibility to a predator and shoaling should decrease their chance of capture through the dilution effect. As predicted, I found that Amazon mollies spent more time with a conspecific when risk cues were present, however they did not reduce their aggression. This highlights the general result of the 'safety in numbers' behavioral response that many small shoaling species exhibit, including these clonal fish, which suggests that mollies may view this response as a more effective anti-predator response compared to limiting their detectability by reducing aggressive conspecific interactions. In my second chapter, I explore whether individual Amazon and Atlantic mollies (which naturally form mixed-species shoals in the wild) exhibit distinct or similar behavioral responses under varying levels of ecologically relevant risk. Animals experience varying levels of risk throughout their lives, and how individuals trade off between risk and reward has critical ecological and evolutionary consequences. However, behavioral responses to risk can differ not only between species within a community, but also among individuals of the same species. Whether species-level differences in risk sensitivity promote distinct or similar responses to variable threat can help explain why certain species coexist in a community. In this chapter, I examine the individual behavioral responses of two closely related fish species: the unisexual Amazon (Poecilia formosa) and Atlantic molly (Poecilia mexicana) which form a unique asexual-sexual species complex and naturally co-occur in the wild. I repeatedly measure individual fish in repeated trials of an open-space novel foraging task while in the presence of low, medium, and high environmental risk. For each individual, I leverage high-resolution automated tracking to measure fine-scale behavioral differences, including swimming velocity, cover use, sociability, predator inspection behaviors and overall foraging success. I find that for some behaviors, whether Amazon and Atlantic mollies exhibit distinct responses depends on the level of environmental threat. In general, Amazon mollies are more active and exploratory, can find foraging opportunities more quickly, but investigate conspecifics and predators less often than Atlantics. These species also align in behavior, expressing similar amounts of cover use and inspection of novel stimuli under different risk contexts. Overall, these results suggest that these species may have different tolerances to risk. That the Amazon and Atlantic mollies exhibit both similar and distinct responses to risk could enable the asexual and gynogenetic Amazon to persist in nature by exploiting complementary ecological niches which may facilitate their continued coexistence in the wild. In my final chapter, I assess whether the behavioral responses exhibited in asocial contexts extend to social contexts. More specifically, I evaluate whether mixed-species shoals outperform single-species shoals regarding foraging performance, and if increased behavioral variation may contribute to this pattern. Mixed-species groups exhibit behavioral variation in two different axes: within- and between species. This increased behavioral variation may enhance the availability of social information to all group members about resource abundance or potential risks in the environment. That species differ in behavior suggests that social information regarding foraging opportunities may travel faster in mixed-species groups compared to single-species groups. Here, I use the Amazon (Poecilia formosa) and Atlantic (Poecilia mexicana) mollies, who naturally co-occur and form mixed-species shoals in the wild, to investigate to what extent species-level differences in risk-taking behavior influences group foraging performance for mixed-species shoals. Do mixed-species shoals outperform single-species shoals? To test this, I assay single- and mixed-species group compositions in a novel open-space foraging task under different levels of threat. I find that single-species Amazon shoals take more risks than Atlantic shoals, while mixed-species shoals often behave differently from both, but not always. In general, mixed-species shoals show higher movement speeds, more time inspecting a threat, and increased foraging performance. However, these improved feeding rates are not experienced equally by all group members. In trials involving mixed-species shoals, Amazon mollies tend to emerge as leaders and drive improved group foraging performance, often arriving at the patch faster than Atlantic mollies. These results suggest that both species mutually benefit by forming mixed-species shoals: the gynogenetic Amazon gains reproductive benefits by parasitizing sperm, while Atlantics gain valuable social information generated via the actions of risk-prone Amazon mollies, while both continue to retain 'safety in numbers' and reduced predation risk. Altogether, the within- and between-species behavioral variation may give mixed-species shoals an edge over single-species compositions.
- 일반주제명
- Ecology
- 일반주제명
- Biology
- 일반주제명
- Behavioral sciences
- 키워드
- Animal behavior
- 키워드
- Heterospecifics
- 키워드
- Fish
- 키워드
- Predation risk
- 기타저자
- University of California, Davis Population Biology
- 기본자료저록
- Dissertations Abstracts International. 87-01B.
- 전자적 위치 및 접속
- 로그인 후 원문을 볼 수 있습니다.
MARC
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■040 ▼aMiAaPQ▼cMiAaPQ
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■1001 ▼aAguinaga, Jonathan.
■24510▼aBehavioral Variation Drives Mixed-Species Grouping in an Asexual-Sexual Fish Species Complex
■260 ▼a[Sl]▼bUniversity of California, Davis▼c2025
■260 1▼aAnn Arbor▼bProQuest Dissertations & Theses▼c2025
■300 ▼a148 p
■500 ▼aSource: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 87-01, Section: B.
■500 ▼aAdvisor: Laskowski, Kate.
■5021 ▼aThesis (Ph.D.)--University of California, Davis, 2025.
■520 ▼aPredation threat is a major driver of behavior in many prey species. Animals can recognize their relative risk of predation based on cues in the environment, including visual and/or chemical cues released by a predator or from its prey. Predator naive fish often exhibit appropriate anti-predator responses when faced with these chemical cues. This suggests that the ability to recognize and appropriately respond to chemical cues is genetically conserved. When threat of predation is high, prey often respond by altering their behavior to reduce their probability of detection and/or capture. But not all species within a community exhibit the same type of behavioral responses. This suggests that species that form mixed-species groups may provide different types of social information when responding to risky conditions. The ability to collect and use social information produced by the actions of conspecifics and heterospecifics may be a critical driver to the formation and maintenance of mixed-species grouping. To explain why mixed-species groups are so common in nature, researchers often credit improved foraging and anti-predator behaviors as the main driver. But, I argue that improved social information produced by behavioral variation at the within- and between-species axes may mechanistically explain these improved group-level behaviors. Broadly, my dissertation evaluates whether two species of fish that naturally form mixed-species shoals in the wild exhibit similar or distinct behavioral responses to varying levels of ecological risk at the individual-level and at the shoal level using automated tracking pipelines and computer vision. Its generally assumed that small prey fish retain an innate ability to respond to chemical cues from a predator and damaged conspecifics. This is important to verify, especially in fish that have been reared in lab conditions without exposure to predation risk for multiple generations. Here, I test how a clonal fish, the Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa), behaviorally responds to predation cues. I measured aggressive and social behaviors both under 'risk', where chemical cues from predatory fish and injured conspecifics were present, and control contexts (no risk cues present). I predicted that mollies would exhibit reduced aggression towards a simulated intruder and increased sociability under risk contexts as aggression might increase their visibility to a predator and shoaling should decrease their chance of capture through the dilution effect. As predicted, I found that Amazon mollies spent more time with a conspecific when risk cues were present, however they did not reduce their aggression. This highlights the general result of the 'safety in numbers' behavioral response that many small shoaling species exhibit, including these clonal fish, which suggests that mollies may view this response as a more effective anti-predator response compared to limiting their detectability by reducing aggressive conspecific interactions. In my second chapter, I explore whether individual Amazon and Atlantic mollies (which naturally form mixed-species shoals in the wild) exhibit distinct or similar behavioral responses under varying levels of ecologically relevant risk. Animals experience varying levels of risk throughout their lives, and how individuals trade off between risk and reward has critical ecological and evolutionary consequences. However, behavioral responses to risk can differ not only between species within a community, but also among individuals of the same species. Whether species-level differences in risk sensitivity promote distinct or similar responses to variable threat can help explain why certain species coexist in a community. In this chapter, I examine the individual behavioral responses of two closely related fish species: the unisexual Amazon (Poecilia formosa) and Atlantic molly (Poecilia mexicana) which form a unique asexual-sexual species complex and naturally co-occur in the wild. I repeatedly measure individual fish in repeated trials of an open-space novel foraging task while in the presence of low, medium, and high environmental risk. For each individual, I leverage high-resolution automated tracking to measure fine-scale behavioral differences, including swimming velocity, cover use, sociability, predator inspection behaviors and overall foraging success. I find that for some behaviors, whether Amazon and Atlantic mollies exhibit distinct responses depends on the level of environmental threat. In general, Amazon mollies are more active and exploratory, can find foraging opportunities more quickly, but investigate conspecifics and predators less often than Atlantics. These species also align in behavior, expressing similar amounts of cover use and inspection of novel stimuli under different risk contexts. Overall, these results suggest that these species may have different tolerances to risk. That the Amazon and Atlantic mollies exhibit both similar and distinct responses to risk could enable the asexual and gynogenetic Amazon to persist in nature by exploiting complementary ecological niches which may facilitate their continued coexistence in the wild. In my final chapter, I assess whether the behavioral responses exhibited in asocial contexts extend to social contexts. More specifically, I evaluate whether mixed-species shoals outperform single-species shoals regarding foraging performance, and if increased behavioral variation may contribute to this pattern. Mixed-species groups exhibit behavioral variation in two different axes: within- and between species. This increased behavioral variation may enhance the availability of social information to all group members about resource abundance or potential risks in the environment. That species differ in behavior suggests that social information regarding foraging opportunities may travel faster in mixed-species groups compared to single-species groups. Here, I use the Amazon (Poecilia formosa) and Atlantic (Poecilia mexicana) mollies, who naturally co-occur and form mixed-species shoals in the wild, to investigate to what extent species-level differences in risk-taking behavior influences group foraging performance for mixed-species shoals. Do mixed-species shoals outperform single-species shoals? To test this, I assay single- and mixed-species group compositions in a novel open-space foraging task under different levels of threat. I find that single-species Amazon shoals take more risks than Atlantic shoals, while mixed-species shoals often behave differently from both, but not always. In general, mixed-species shoals show higher movement speeds, more time inspecting a threat, and increased foraging performance. However, these improved feeding rates are not experienced equally by all group members. In trials involving mixed-species shoals, Amazon mollies tend to emerge as leaders and drive improved group foraging performance, often arriving at the patch faster than Atlantic mollies. These results suggest that both species mutually benefit by forming mixed-species shoals: the gynogenetic Amazon gains reproductive benefits by parasitizing sperm, while Atlantics gain valuable social information generated via the actions of risk-prone Amazon mollies, while both continue to retain 'safety in numbers' and reduced predation risk. Altogether, the within- and between-species behavioral variation may give mixed-species shoals an edge over single-species compositions.
■590 ▼aSchool code: 0029.
■650 4▼aEcology
■650 4▼aBiology
■650 4▼aBehavioral sciences
■653 ▼aAnimal behavior
■653 ▼aHeterospecifics
■653 ▼aAutomated tracking
■653 ▼aFish
■653 ▼aMixed-species shoal
■653 ▼aPredation risk
■690 ▼a0329
■690 ▼a0306
■690 ▼a0602
■71020▼aUniversity of California, Davis▼bPopulation Biology.
■7730 ▼tDissertations Abstracts International▼g87-01B.
■790 ▼a0029
■791 ▼aPh.D.
■792 ▼a2025
■793 ▼aEnglish
■85640▼uhttp://www.riss.kr/pdu/ddodLink.do?id=T17358346▼nKERIS▼z이 자료의 원문은 한국교육학술정보원에서 제공합니다.


