Neuromorphological and behavioural effects of early developmental exposure to alarm cue on captive-reared Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar )

Behavioural plasticity plays an important role in an organism's ability to adapt to captive settings, but a lack of perceived predation risk during early development in captivity can lead to diminished anti-predator behaviours. Here, we used Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) to test whether early d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of fisheries and aquatic sciences 2023-01, Vol.80 (1), p.132-141
Main Authors: Mokdad, A.I, Elsheikh, M, Sulja, O.M, Pitcher, T.E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Anti-predator behavior
Atlantic salmon
Behavior
Captivity
Exposure
Fish
Olfactory bulb
Physiological aspects
Predation
Predators
Risk perception
Salmo salar
Salmon
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Summary:Behavioural plasticity plays an important role in an organism's ability to adapt to captive settings, but a lack of perceived predation risk during early development in captivity can lead to diminished anti-predator behaviours. Here, we used Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) to test whether early developmental exposure to alarm cues (pre-exposure) led to (1) a developmentally plastic response to alarm cue in yearling and (2) an observable change in neural investment. We exposed fry to either a conspecific alarm cue (pre-exposed fish) or control water (non-exposed fish) and measured activity related to anti- predator behaviour such as time spent motionless, number of aggressive acts, and time spent associated with shelter. We found no indication of a developmentally plastic response to early alarm cue exposure, but we found that pre-exposed fish developed relatively smaller olfactory bulbs compared to non-exposed fish. Our results demonstrate the importance of and ability to exploit plastic responses in captive-reared Atlantic salmon and highlight the need to link behaviour with neuromorphological changes.
ISSN:0706-652X
1205-7533
DOI:10.1139/cjfas-2022-0100