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Stein W, DeMaegd ML, Benson AM, Roy RS, Vidal-Gadea AG. Combining Old and New Tricks: The Study of Genes, Neurons, and Behavior in Crayfish. Front Physiol 2022; 13:947598. [PMID: 35874546 PMCID: PMC9297122 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.947598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
For over a century the nervous system of decapod crustaceans has been a workhorse for the neurobiology community. Many fundamental discoveries including the identification of electrical and inhibitory synapses, lateral and pre-synaptic inhibition, and the Na+/K+-pump were made using lobsters, crabs, or crayfish. Key among many advantages of crustaceans for neurobiological research is the unique access to large, accessible, and identifiable neurons, and the many distinct and complex behaviors that can be observed in lab settings. Despite these advantages, recent decades have seen work on crustaceans hindered by the lack of molecular and genetic tools required for unveiling the cellular processes contributing to neurophysiology and behavior. In this perspective paper, we argue that the recently sequenced marbled crayfish, Procambarus virginalis, is suited to become a genetic model system for crustacean neuroscience. P. virginalis are parthenogenetic and produce genetically identical offspring, suggesting that germline transformation creates transgenic animal strains that are easy to maintain across generations. Like other decapod crustaceans, marbled crayfish possess large neurons in well-studied circuits such as the giant tail flip neurons and central pattern generating neurons in the stomatogastric ganglion. We provide initial data demonstrating that marbled crayfish neurons are accessible through standard physiological and molecular techniques, including single-cell electrophysiology, gene expression measurements, and RNA-interference. We discuss progress in CRISPR-mediated manipulations of the germline to knock-out target genes using the ‘Receptor-mediated ovary transduction of cargo’ (ReMOT) method. Finally, we consider the impact these approaches will have for neurophysiology research in decapod crustaceans and more broadly across invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Stein
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, United States
- Stiftung Alfried Krupp Kolleg Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- *Correspondence: Wolfgang Stein, ; Andrés G. Vidal-Gadea,
| | - Margaret L. DeMaegd
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, United States
- Center for Neural Sciences, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Abigail M. Benson
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, United States
| | - Rajit S. Roy
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, United States
| | - Andrés G. Vidal-Gadea
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, United States
- *Correspondence: Wolfgang Stein, ; Andrés G. Vidal-Gadea,
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2
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Fouilloux CA, Fromhage L, Valkonen JK, Rojas B. OUP accepted manuscript. Behav Ecol 2022; 33:582-591. [PMID: 35592877 PMCID: PMC9113263 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In juveniles extreme intraspecies aggression can seem counter-intuitive, as it might endanger their developmental goal of surviving until reproductive stage. Ultimately, aggression can be vital for survival, although the factors (e.g., genetic or environmental) leading to the expression and intensity of this behavior vary across taxa. Attacking (and sometimes killing) related individuals may reduce inclusive fitness; as a solution to this problem, some species exhibit kin discrimination and preferentially attack unrelated individuals. Here, we used both experimental and modeling approaches to consider how physical traits (e.g., size in relation to opponent) and genetic relatedness mediate aggression in dyads of cannibalistic Dendrobates tinctorius tadpoles. We paired full-sibling, half-sibling, and non-sibling tadpoles of different sizes together in an arena and recorded their aggression and activity. We found that the interaction between relative size and relatedness predicts aggressive behavior: large individuals in non-sibling dyads are significantly more aggressive than large individuals in sibling dyads. Unexpectedly, although siblings tended to attack less overall, in size-mismatched pairs they attacked faster than in non-sibling treatments. Using a theoretical model to complement these empirical findings, we propose that larval aggression reflects a balance between relatedness and size where individuals trade-off their own fitness with that of their relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe A Fouilloux
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
- Address correspondence to C.A. Fouilloux. E-mail:
| | - Lutz Fromhage
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Janne K Valkonen
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria
- B. Rojas. E-mail:
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3
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Rappaport SD, Lord JP. Linear Dominance Hierarchies in Female Grass Shrimp Palaemon pugio. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2021; 241:208-216. [PMID: 34706204 DOI: 10.1086/716227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe grass shrimp Palaemon pugio is an abundant and ecologically important species in estuarine habitats in the northwest Atlantic and is commonly used as an indicator species for environmental contamination, but little is known about its behavior. We examined aggression and dominance in P. pugio by using experimental arenas and groups of five shrimp that were observed an hour at a time for three days in the laboratory. Female shrimp showed high levels of initial aggression that quickly decreased over time, suggesting the formation of a dominance hierarchy. The dominance hierarchy between groups of females appeared linear, with shrimp at five distinct ranks in most replicates and higher-ranked individuals dominating lower-ranked ones. Dominance was significantly correlated with cheliped size but not body size, suggesting that larger chelipeds in female P. pugio may have evolved as a tool to establish dominance, perhaps to gain access to shelter in salt marshes, seagrass beds, or oyster reefs. Grass shrimp are preyed upon by a wide range of estuarine fish, and females are especially vulnerable; so securing access to shelter may provide a major selective advantage, with the dominance hierarchy evolving to save energy through a long-term reduction in fighting over resources.
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4
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Curti JN, Fergus CE, De Palma-Dow AA. State of the ART: Using artificial refuge traps to control invasive crayfish in southern California streams. FRESHWATER SCIENCE (PRINT) 2021; 40:429-565. [PMID: 36582981 PMCID: PMC9797035 DOI: 10.1086/716185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Invasive species are a widespread threat to stream ecosystems across the planet. In Southern California, USA, the invasive red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852) poses a significant threat to native aquatic fauna. Studies have suggested that artificial refuge traps (ARTs) resembling crayfish burrows can be used to remove invasive crayfish, but, to date, no studies have focused on optimizing ART design and deployment to maximize crayfish catch. This month-long study tested the effect of modifications on ART diameter, color, and soak time on P. clarkii catch effectiveness across 160 traps. We evaluated catch data by creating multiple candidate generalized linear mixed models predicting P. clarkii catches with different modeling parameterizations and a priori hypothesized predictor variables. During the study period, ARTs removed a total of 240 red swamp crayfish with no incidental bycatch. Larger P. clarkii (2-6-cm carapace length) were found more frequently in 5.1-cm-diameter traps, and smaller P. clarkii (1-4 cm) were found more frequently in 2.5-cm-diameter traps. Catch numbers varied between trap types, with black-colored 5.1-cm-diameter traps removing the greatest amount of the total P. clarkii caught in the study (mean = 0.27, SD = 0.29; 35% of the total caught) and black-colored 2.5-cm-diameter traps removing the least amount (mean = 0.09, SD = 0.55; 12% of the total). Further, ART deployment duration was an important predictor variable for candidate models, where ARTs with 4-d and 7-d deployment durations had lower catch/unit effort than traps with 1-d and 2-d deployments. This factorial experiment is the 1st study to suggest specific design modifications to ARTs that optimize invasive red swamp crayfish removal without incurring non-target incidental bycatch. This study demonstrates that ARTs can be a valuable tool for conservation managers interested in restoring streams through invasive crayfish removal, especially where there are sensitive biological resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph N Curti
- University of California, Los Angeles, 610 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, California 90095 USA
| | - C Emi Fergus
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, c/o USEPA Pacific Ecological Systems Division, 200 Southwest 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 USA
| | - Angela A De Palma-Dow
- Lake County Water Resources Department, 255 North Forbes Street, Lakeport, California 95453 USA
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5
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Lord JP, Moser RM, Buonocore EM, Sylvester EE, Morales MJ, Granitz AP, Disipio A, Blakely E, O'Sullivan-Evangelista SL, Mateo TF, Chlebove GJ, Carey CM, Lucas O. Dominance Hierarchies in Marine Invertebrates. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2021; 240:2-15. [PMID: 33730537 DOI: 10.1086/712973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
AbstractDominance hierarchies have been well studied in myriad terrestrial animals, but surprisingly little is known about hierarchies in marine invertebrates; examples are limited to a few species of decapod crustaceans and cephalopods. Is the marine environment less conducive to the establishment of dominance hierarchy structures, or does this just underline the lack of detailed behavioral information about most marine invertebrates? In this review, we highlight the published information about marine invertebrate dominance hierarchies, which involve ranks established through fights or displays. We focus on the method of hierarchy formation, examine the ecological implications of this population structure, and compare the habitat and behavioral characteristics of species that exhibit this behavior. Because dominance hierarchies can influence habitat use, population distributions, energetics, mating, resource exploitation, and population genetic structure, it is crucial to understand how this trait evolves and which species are likely to exhibit it. A better understanding of marine invertebrate hierarchies could change the way we think about population dynamics of some species and could have important implications for fisheries, conservation, or even modeling of social and economic inequality.
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6
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Venuti LS, Pena-Flores NL, Herberholz J. Cellular interactions between social experience, alcohol sensitivity, and GABAergic inhibition in a crayfish neural circuit. J Neurophysiol 2020; 125:256-272. [PMID: 33174493 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00519.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
We report here that prior social experience modified the behavioral responses of adult crayfish to acute alcohol exposure. Animals housed individually for 1 wk before alcohol exposure were less sensitive to the intoxicating effects of alcohol than animals housed in groups, and these differences are based on changes in the nervous system rather than differences in alcohol uptake. To elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms, we investigated the neurophysiological responses of the lateral giant (LG) interneurons after alcohol exposure. Specifically, we measured the interactions between alcohol and different GABAA-receptor antagonists and agonists in reduced crayfish preparations devoid of brain-derived tonic GABAergic inhibition. We found that alcohol significantly increased the postsynaptic potential of the LG neurons, but contrary to our behavioral observations, the results were similar for isolated and communal animals. The GABAA-receptor antagonist picrotoxin, however, facilitated LG postsynaptic potentials more strongly in communal crayfish, which altered the neurocellular interactions with alcohol, whereas TPMPA [(1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridin-4-yl)methylphosphinic acid], an antagonist directed against GABAA-receptors with ρ subunits, did not produce any effects. Muscimol, an agonist for GABAA-receptors, blocked the stimulating effects of alcohol, but this was independent of prior social history. THIP [4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo(5,4-c)pyridin-3-ol], an agonist directed against GABAA-receptors with δ subunits, which were not previously known to exist in the LG circuit, replicated the suppressing effects of muscimol. Together, our findings provide strong evidence that alcohol interacts with the crayfish GABAergic system, and the interplay between prior social experience and acute alcohol intoxication might be linked to changes in the expression and function of specific GABAA-receptor subtypes.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The complex interactions between alcohol and prior social experience are still poorly understood. Our work demonstrates that socially isolated crayfish exhibit lower neurobehavioral sensitivity to acute ethanol compared with communally housed animals, and this socially mediated effect is based on changes in the nervous systems rather than on differences in uptake or metabolism. By combining intracellular neurophysiology and neuropharmacology, we investigated the role of the main inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, and its receptor subtypes, in shaping this process.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jens Herberholz
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program.,Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
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7
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Exum AC, Sun LM, Herberholz J. Discrete modulation of anti-predatory and agonistic behaviors by sensory communication signals in juvenile crayfish. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 223:jeb.226704. [PMID: 32457062 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.226704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
We investigated how the exchange of sensory signals modulates the individual behaviors of juvenile crayfish in an anti-predatory context as well as during intraspecific agonistic encounters. We first compared crayfish housed in total sensory isolation or in pairs with access to chemical and visual cues. After 1 week of housing, we analysed their individual responses to a visual danger signal while they were foraging. We found that crayfish previously housed in pairs with exchange of sensory signals responded to a simulated predator attack predominantly with freezing behavior, whereas animals deprived of all sensory communication mostly responded by performing escape tail-flips. Next, we used the same housing conditions in between repeated fights in pairs of crayfish. Aggressive and submissive behaviors increased in subsequent fights both after total isolation and after exchange of olfactory and visual signals. Thus, unlike responses to simulated predator attacks, intraspecific agonistic behavior was not modulated by exposure to the same sensory signals. However, when we tested the effects of olfactory or visual communication independently, aggression increased dramatically after the exchange of olfactory signals, which also led to a high number of rank reversals in second fights, suggesting a destabilization of the original dominance relationship. Exposure to visual cues during the 1-week separation, however, produced the opposite effect, reducing agonistic behaviors and rank reversals. These findings demonstrate that exchange of sensory signals modulates future anti-predatory decision-making and intraspecific agonistic behaviors discretely, suggesting that the effect of these signals on shared neural circuitry is context dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis C Exum
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Lucky M Sun
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Jens Herberholz
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA .,Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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8
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Yan Z, Kamiguri N, Isobe N, Kawakami SI. Blood Testosterone Concentration and Testosterone-induced Aggressive Behavior in Male Layer Chicks: Comparison between Isolated- and Grouped-Raising. J Poult Sci 2019; 56:290-297. [PMID: 32055227 PMCID: PMC7005400 DOI: 10.2141/jpsa.0180135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Testosterone (T) is known to induce aggressive behavior, mainly in male animals. Subcutaneous implantation of T-filled silastic tubes, rather than intramuscular injection of T, is generally recommended for long-term treatment using exogenous T. However, the effect of T implantation on chicken aggressive behavior has not been investigated. In addition, the concentration of T required to induce aggressive behavior or whether rearing conditions such as isolated- or grouped-raising affect T-induced aggressive behavior in chickens is not known. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between the lengths of T-filled tubes, blood T concentration, and aggressive behavior in group- and isolation-raised male layer chicks. The testes were bilaterally removed and silactic tubes of various lengths filled with crystalline T were subcutaneously implanted at 14 days of age. A social interaction test was performed to quantitatively assess chick aggressive behavior at 32 days of age. Comb weight and size were used to assess the activation of endogenous androgen receptors. Total aggression frequencies (TAF) and aggression establishment rate (AER) were used to evaluate aggressiveness. Significant positive correlations (P<0.001) were observed between the comb parameters and plasma T concentration. In the isolation-raised chicks, the TAF and AER were high irrespective of the lengths of the implanted T tubes or the corresponding plasma T concentrations. However, in the group-raised chicks, the AER tended to differ between the T-implanted aggressors (P=0.0902), and the AER significantly increased with implantation of 1.0-cm-long T-filled tubes (P<0.05), which corresponded to approximately 47 pg/mL plasma T concentration. These results suggest that both grouped raising and approximately 47 pg/mL plasma T concentration are required for the induction of T-dependent aggressive behavior, and that isolation-induced aggressive behavior is T-independent in male layer chicks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqun Yan
- Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan
| | - Naomasa Kamiguri
- Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan
| | - Naoki Isobe
- Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan
- The Research Center for Animal Science, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichi Kawakami
- Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan
- Japanese Avian Bioresource Project Research Center, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan
- The Research Center for Animal Science, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan
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9
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O’Shaughnessey EM, Keller RP. When invaders collide: competition, aggression, and predators affect outcomes in overlapping populations of red swamp (Procambarus clarkii) and rusty (Faxonius rusticus) crayfishes. Biol Invasions 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-019-02079-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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10
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Clements KN, Miller TH, Keever JM, Hall AM, Issa FA. Social Status-Related Differences in Motor Activity Between Wild-Type and Mutant Zebrafish. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2018; 235:71-82. [PMID: 30358446 DOI: 10.1086/699514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Use of zebrafish as a model organism in biomedical research has led to the generation of many genetically modified mutant lines to investigate various aspects of developmental and cellular processes. However, the broader effects of the underlying mutations on social and motor behavior remain poorly examined. Here, we compared the dynamics of social interactions in the Tüpfel long-fin nacre mutant line, which lacks skin pigmentation, to wild-type zebrafish; and we determined whether status-dependent differences in escape and swimming behavior existed within each strain. We show that despite similarities in aggressive activity, Tüpfel long-fin nacre pairs exhibit unstable social relationships characterized by frequent reversals in social dominance compared to wild-type pairs. The lack of strong dominance relationships in Tüpfel long-fin nacre pairs correlates with weak territoriality and overlapping spatial distribution of dominants and subordinates. Conversely, wild-type dominants displayed strong territoriality that severely limited the movement of subordinates. Additionally, the sensitivity of the startle escape response was significantly higher in wild-type subordinates compared to dominants. However, status-related differences in sensitivity of escape response in Tüpfel long-fin nacre pairs were absent. Finally, we present evidence suggesting that these differences could be a consequence of a disruption of proper visual social signals. We show that in wild-type pairs dominants are more conspicuous, and that in wild-type and Tüpfel long-fin nacre pairings wild-type fish are more likely to dominate Tüpfel long-fin nacres. Our results serve as a cautionary note in research design when morphologically engineered zebrafish for color differences are utilized in the study of social behavior and central nervous system function.
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11
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Sbragaglia V, Leiva D, Arias A, Antonio García J, Aguzzi J, Breithaupt T. Fighting over burrows: the emergence of dominance hierarchies in the Norway lobster ( Nephrops norvegicus). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:4624-4633. [PMID: 29051227 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.165969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2017] [Accepted: 10/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Animals fight over resources such as mating partners, territory, food or shelter and repeated contests lead to stable social hierarchies in different phyla. The group dynamics of hierarchy formation are not characterized in the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus). Lobsters spend most of the day in burrows and forage outside of them according to a diel (i.e. 24 h-based) activity rhythm. Here, we use a linear and generalized mixed model approach to analyse, in seven groups of four male lobsters, the formation of dominance hierarchies and rank-related changes in burrowing behaviour. We show that hierarchies emerge within 1-3 days and increase in steepness over a period of 5 days, while rank changes and number of fights gradually decrease over a 5-day period. The rank position determined by open area fights predicts the outcome of fights over burrows, the time spent in burrows, and the locomotor activity levels. Dominant lobsters are more likely to evict subordinate lobsters from their burrows and are more successful in defending their own burrows. They spend more time in burrows and display lower levels of locomotor activity outside the burrow. Lobsters do not change their diel activity rhythms as a result of a change in rank, and all tested individuals showed higher activity at night and dusk compared with dawn and daytime. We discuss how behavioural changes in burrowing behaviour could lead to rank-related benefits such as reduced exposure to predators and energy savings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Sbragaglia
- Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin 12587, Germany
| | - David Leiva
- Department of Social Psychology and Quantitative Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 171, Barcelona 08035, Spain
| | - Anna Arias
- Department of Renewable Marine Resources, Marine Science Institute (CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Jose Antonio García
- Department of Renewable Marine Resources, Marine Science Institute (CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Jacopo Aguzzi
- Department of Renewable Marine Resources, Marine Science Institute (CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Thomas Breithaupt
- School of Biological, Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UK
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12
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Takahashi N, Takahata M. Food-rewarded conditioning and neurophysiological analysis of cheliped gripping behavior in crayfish. Physiol Behav 2017; 180:159-169. [PMID: 28851648 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.08.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Revised: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Animals act on their environment to intentionally manipulate it with a defined purpose. This behavior generally needs a special organ suited for the purpose and a highly complex neural mechanism to perform voluntary motor control. Crustaceans with a pair of chelipeds show various manipulative behavior for dietary, exploratory, and reproductive purposes, but the neuronal mechanism underlying the cheliped manipulative behavior has not been clarified yet. In the present study, we trained crayfish Procambarus clarkii to perform a cheliped manipulative task by a newly developed operant paradigm in which animals gripped a specific object for food reward when a visual cue was presented. Animals were then tethered in an operant chamber during the task to enable reliable physiological recordings from the central nervous system. Neural activities descending from the brain were recorded extracellularly from the connective nerves between the brain and the subesophageal ganglion in the trained animals. We found those units showing spike activities that were significantly correlated with cheliped muscle activities, but not with strict timing of visual cue presentation. Although we could not test if those descending activities were necessary or sufficient for initiating the cheliped action by their selective stimulation, the present findings suggest that neural activities for controlling operant gripping behavior are formulated in the brain rather than in the subesophageal ganglion where cheliped motoneurons are present and visual information is transmitted through the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Takahashi
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan.
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13
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Swierzbinski ME, Lazarchik AR, Herberholz J. Prior social experience affects the behavioral and neural responses to acute alcohol in juvenile crayfish. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:1516-1523. [PMID: 28424315 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.154419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The effects of alcohol on society can be devastating, both as an immediate consequence of acute intoxication and as a powerful drug of abuse. However, the neurocellular mechanisms of alcohol intoxication are still elusive, partly because of the complex interactions between alcohol and nervous system function. We found that juvenile crayfish are behaviorally sensitive to acute alcohol exposure and progress through stages that are strikingly similar to those of most other intoxicated organisms. Most surprisingly, we found that the social history of the animals significantly modified the acute effects of alcohol. Crayfish taken from a rich social environment became intoxicated more rapidly than animals that were socially isolated before alcohol exposure. In addition, we found that the modulation of intoxicated behaviors by prior social experience was paralleled on the level of individual neurons. These results significantly improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the interplay between social experience, alcohol intoxication and nervous system function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew E Swierzbinski
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.,Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Andrew R Lazarchik
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Jens Herberholz
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA .,Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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14
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Predicting the effects of manual crayfish removal on California newt persistence in Santa Monica Mountain streams. Ecol Modell 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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15
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Williamson CM, Romeo RD, Curley JP. Dynamic changes in social dominance and mPOA GnRH expression in male mice following social opportunity. Horm Behav 2017; 87:80-88. [PMID: 27826060 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Revised: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 11/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Social competence - the ability of animals to dynamically adjust their social behavior dependent on the current social context - is fundamental to the successful establishment and maintenance of social relationships in group-living species. The social opportunity paradigm, where animals rapidly ascend a social hierarchy following the removal of more dominant individuals, is a well-established approach for studying the neural and neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying socially competent behavior. In the current study, we demonstrate that this paradigm can be successfully adapted for studying socially competent behavior in laboratory mice. Replicating our previous reports, we show that male laboratory mice housed in a semi-natural environment form stable linear social hierarchies. Novel to the current study, we find that subdominant male mice immediately respond to the removal of the alpha male from a hierarchy by initiating a dramatic increase in aggressive behavior towards more subordinate individuals. Consequently, subdominants assume the role of the alpha male. Analysis of brain gene expression in individuals 1h following social ascent indicates elevated gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) mRNA levels in the medial preoptic area (mPOA) of the hypothalamus compared to individuals that do not experience a social opportunity. Moreover, hormonal analyses indicate that subdominant individuals have increased circulating plasma testosterone levels compared to subordinate individuals. Our findings demonstrate that male mice are able to dynamically and rapidly adjust both behavior and neuroendocrine function in response to changes in social context. Further, we establish the social opportunity paradigm as an ethologically relevant approach for studying social competence and behavioral plasticity in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cait M Williamson
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Russell D Romeo
- Department of Psychology, Barnard College, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - James P Curley
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Center for Integrative Animal Behavior, Columbia University, New York 10027, USA.
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16
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Resource availability and predation risk influence contest behavior and dominance hierarchies in crayfish. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2139-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Herberholz J, Swierzbinski ME, Birke JM. Effects of Different Social and Environmental Conditions on Established Dominance Relationships in Crayfish. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2016; 230:152-164. [PMID: 27132137 DOI: 10.1086/bblv230n2p152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Like most social animals, crayfish readily form dominance relationships and linear social hierarchies when competing for limited resources. Competition often entails dyadic aggressive interactions, from which one animal emerges as the dominant and one as the subordinate. Once dominance relationships are formed, they typically remain stable for extended periods of time; thus, access to future resources is divided unequally among conspecifics. We previously showed that firmly established dominance relationships in juvenile crayfish can be disrupted by briefly adding a larger conspecific to the original pair. This finding suggested that the stability of social relationships in crayfish was highly context-dependent and more transient than previously assumed. We now report results that further identify the mechanisms underlying the destabilization of crayfish dominance relationships. We found that rank orders remained stable when conspecifics of smaller or equal size were added to the original pair, suggesting that both dominant and subordinate must be defeated by a larger crayfish in order to destabilize dominance relationships. We also found that dominance relationships remained stable when both members of the original pair were defeated by larger conspecifics in the absence of their original opponent. This showed that dominance relationships are not destabilized unless both animals experience defeat together. Lastly, we found that dominance relationships of pairs were successfully disrupted by larger intruders, although with reduced magnitude, after all chemical cues associated with earlier agonistic experiences were eliminated. These findings provide important new insights into the contextual features that regulate the stability of social dominance relationships in crayfish and probably in other species as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Herberholz
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Matthew E Swierzbinski
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
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Thomas JR, James J, Newman RC, Riley WD, Griffiths SW, Cable J. The impact of streetlights on an aquatic invasive species: Artificial light at night alters signal crayfish behaviour. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2015.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Momohara Y, Yoshida M, Nagayama T. Serotonergic modulation of social status-dependent behavioural plasticity of the crayfish avoidance reaction. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2015; 201:1063-74. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-015-1038-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Revised: 08/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Peay S, Dunn A. The behavioural response of the invasive signal crayfishPacifastacus leniusculusto experimental dewatering of burrows and its implications for eradication treatment and management of ponds with crayfish. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2014.903379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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22
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Bonoan R, Clodius F, Dawson A, Caetano S, Yeung E, Paz-y-Miño-C. G. Dominance hierarchy formation in a model organism, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), and its potential application to laboratory research. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1893/0005-3155-84.4.201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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23
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Momohara Y, Kanai A, Nagayama T. Aminergic control of social status in crayfish agonistic encounters. PLoS One 2013; 8:e74489. [PMID: 24058575 PMCID: PMC3776855 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2013] [Accepted: 08/02/2013] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Using pairings of male crayfish Procambarus clarkii with a 3–7% difference in size, we confirmed that physically larger crayfish were more likely to win encounters (winning probability of over 80%). Despite a physical disadvantage, small winners of the first pairings were more likely to win their subsequent conflicts with larger naive animals (winning probability was about 70%). By contrast, the losers of the first pairings rarely won their subsequent conflicts with smaller naive animals (winning probability of 6%). These winner and loser effects were mimicked by injection of serotonin and octopamine. Serotonin-injected naive small crayfish were more likely to win in pairings with untreated larger naive crayfish (winning probability of over 60%), while octopamine-injected naive large animals were beaten by untreated smaller naive animals (winning probability of 20%). Furthermore, the winner effects of dominant crayfish were cancelled by the injection of mianserin, an antagonist of serotonin receptors and were reinforced by the injection of fluoxetin, serotonin reuptake inhibitor, just after the establishment of social order of the first pairings. Injection of octopamine channel blockers, phentolamine and epinastine, by contrast, cancelled the loser effects. These results strongly suggested that serotonin and octopamine were responsible for winner and loser effects, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuto Momohara
- Division of Biology, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamagata University, Yamagata, Japan
| | - Akihiro Kanai
- Division of Biology, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamagata University, Yamagata, Japan
| | - Toshiki Nagayama
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Yamagata University, Yamagata, Japan
- * E-mail:
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24
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Stevenson PA, Rillich J. Isolation associated aggression--a consequence of recovery from defeat in a territorial animal. PLoS One 2013; 8:e74965. [PMID: 24040368 PMCID: PMC3765410 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2013] [Accepted: 08/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Population density has profound influences on the physiology and behaviour of many animal species. Social isolation is generally reported to lead to increased aggressiveness, while grouping lowers it. We evaluated the effects of varying degrees of isolation and grouping on aggression in a territorial insect, the Mediterranean field cricket, Gryllusbimaculatus. Substantiating early observations, we show that dyadic contests between weight-matched, adult male crickets taken from groups rarely escalate beyond threat displays, whereas interactions between pairs of previously isolated crickets typically escalate to physical fights lasting several seconds. No significant differences were found between 1, 2 and 6-day isolates, or between individuals grouped for a few hours or lifelong. Unexpectedly, crickets grouped in immediate proximity within individual mesh cages that precluded fighting while permitting visual, olfactory and mechanical, antennal contact, were as aggressive as free isolates. This suggests that reduced aggression of grouped animals may be an acquired result of fighting. Supporting this notion, isolated crickets initially engage in vigorous fights when first grouped, but fighting intensity and duration rapidly decline to the level of life-long grouped crickets within only 10 min. Furthermore, grouped crickets become as aggressive as life-long isolates after only 3 hours of isolation, and on the same time course required for crickets to regain their aggressiveness after social defeat. We conclude that the reduced aggressiveness of grouped crickets is a manifestation of the loser effect resulting from social subjugation, while isolation allows recovery to a state of heightened aggressiveness, which in crickets can be considered as the default condition. Given the widespread occurrence of the loser effect in the Animal Kingdom, many effects generally attributed to social isolation are likely to be a consequence of recovery from social subjugation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A. Stevenson
- Institute for Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Jan Rillich
- Institute for Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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25
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Bierbower SM, Shuranova ZP, Viele K, Cooper RL. Comparative study of environmental factors influencing motor task learning and memory retention in sighted and blind crayfish. Brain Behav 2013; 3:4-13. [PMID: 23408733 PMCID: PMC3568783 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2012] [Revised: 10/07/2012] [Accepted: 10/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In classical conditioning, an alteration in response occurs when two stimuli are regularly paired in close succession. An area of particular research interest is classical conditioning with a chemical signal and visual and/or tactile stimuli as the unconditional stimuli, to test manipulative and motor behaviors in a learning paradigm. A classical learning task chamber was developed to examine learning trends in a sighted surface-dwelling crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, and in a blind cave-dwelling crayfish, Orconectes australis packardi. We examined whether learning is influenced by environmental factors and/or reliance on different primary sensory modalities. Crayfish were trained to manipulate a large, cumbersome cheliped through a small access point to obtain a food reward. In both species, acquisition of the learning task was rapid when they were in nonstressed conditions. The blind crayfish tested in low white light did not successfully complete the task, suggesting a stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonya M Bierbower
- Department of Biology and Center for Muscle Biology, University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky, 40506-0225, Russia
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26
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Tattersall GJ, Luebbert JP, LePine OK, Ormerod KG, Mercier AJ. Thermal games in crayfish depend on establishment of social hierarchies. J Exp Biol 2012; 215:1892-904. [PMID: 22573768 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.065946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
An unequal resource distribution is commonly seen in dominance hierarchies, in which the individual with the higher status is more successful in obtaining the resource. One possible resource is preferred temperature. When situations allow, ectotherms regulate their body temperature by behaviourally selecting different environmental conditions, achieving, when possible, a preferred temperature. Using a shuttlebox, the preferred temperature for Procambarus clarkii was determined to be 23.9°C with upper and lower voluntary escape temperatures of 25.9 and 21.8°C, respectively. If this preferred temperature zone (21.8–25.9°C) was valued as a resource, given the choice between a preferred temperature and a non-preferred temperature, crayfish should compete over the preferred temperature, with the dominant individual of dyadic pairs achieving the preferred temperature more often than the subordinate. Using a dual-choice experimental tank, competition over a binary temperature choice between rank-established paired crayfish was determined under both warm and cold challenge conditions (warm vs preferred temperature and cold vs preferred temperature, respectively). In naive pairings, similar levels of competition over the preferred temperature occurred in both warm and cold challenge trials, as predicted by game theory. In established pairings, however, dominant crayfish gained significantly greater access to preferred temperature in both warm and cold challenge conditions. These results demonstrate that crayfish engage in a cost–benefit assessment during their initial agonistic contests over temperature, but as hierarchies mature, these thermal games are decided by the dominant animal gaining primary access to the temperature resource.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenn J. Tattersall
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glendridge Avenue, St Catharines, ON, Canada, L2S 3A1
| | - Joshua P. Luebbert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glendridge Avenue, St Catharines, ON, Canada, L2S 3A1
| | - Olivia K. LePine
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glendridge Avenue, St Catharines, ON, Canada, L2S 3A1
| | - Kiel G. Ormerod
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glendridge Avenue, St Catharines, ON, Canada, L2S 3A1
| | - A. Joffre Mercier
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glendridge Avenue, St Catharines, ON, Canada, L2S 3A1
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27
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Sato D, Nagayama T. Development of agonistic encounters in dominance hierarchy formation in juvenile crayfish. J Exp Biol 2012; 215:1210-7. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.066191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
We have characterized the behavioural patterns of crayfish during agonistic bouts between groups of crayfish of four different body lengths (9–19, 20–32, 41–48 and 69–75 mm) to characterize changes in the patterns of agonistic encounter during development. The behaviour of both dominant and subordinate animals was analysed by single frame measurement of video recordings. Behavioural acts that occurred during agonistic bouts were categorized as one of seven types: capture, fight, contact, approach, retreat, tailflip and neutral. Dominant–subordinate relationships were formed between juvenile crayfish as early as the third stage of development. Patterns of agonistic bouts to determine social hierarchy became more aggressive during development. The dominant–subordinate relationship was usually determined after contact in crayfish of less than 20 mm and 20–32 mm in length, while several bouts of fights were necessary for crayfish of 41–48 and 69–75 mm in length. Furthermore, social hierarchy was formed more rapidly in small crayfish. In larger animals, the number of approaches by dominant animals that promoted retreat in subordinate animals increased after the establishment of the winner–loser relationship. In smaller crayfish, in contrast, no measurable changes in these behaviour patterns were observed before and after the establishment of the winner–loser relationship. With increasing body size, the probability of tailflips decreased while that of retreats increased as the submissive behavioural act of subordinate animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Sato
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-8560, Japan
| | - Toshiki Nagayama
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-8560, Japan
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28
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Fujimoto S, Hirata B, Nagayama T. Dominance hierarchy-dependent behavioural plasticity of crayfish avoidance reactions. J Exp Biol 2011; 214:2718-23. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.057752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
Crayfish showed avoidance reactions when mechanical stimulation was applied to their tailfan. The response pattern of the avoidance reaction was dependent on crayfish size. Small crayfish showed an escape-like dart response while larger crayfish displayed a defensive-like turn response. We show that the response pattern to the same sensory stimulus changed with social status in the small crayfish. Crayfish are territorial animals and a dominant–subordinate relationship was determined when two previously unacquainted animals were paired. This winner–loser hierarchy was observed in pairs of small crayfish. Before fighting, all crayfish showed a dart response following mechanical stimulation of the tailfan. However, the probability of occurrence of a turn response increased significantly in the crayfish that won a fight. This behavioural transition from dart to turn response occurred immediately and was maintained for at least 3 days even if a dominant crayfish was isolated again with no opponent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sawako Fujimoto
- Division of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Bunpei Hirata
- Division of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Toshiki Nagayama
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-8560, Japan
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29
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High-quality habitat and facilitation ameliorate competitive effects of prior residents on new settlers. Oecologia 2010; 166:121-30. [PMID: 21049298 PMCID: PMC3074066 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-010-1826-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2009] [Accepted: 10/13/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Many species disperse during their lifetime. Two factors that can affect the performance of individuals following dispersal are the presence of conspecifics and intrinsic habitat quality at the settlement site. Detecting the influence of these factors can be difficult for at least two reasons: (1) the outcomes of interactions with conspecifics are often variable including both competition and facilitation, and (2) selection of high quality habitats often leads to positive covariance between habitat quality and density. In this study, I investigate positive and negative effects of resident blue streak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) on the growth and survival of recently settled conspecifics while accounting for habitat quality. Juvenile L. dimidiatus settle near adult conspecifics, but likely have to compete with resident adults for access to food. However, field experiments indicate that settlers have access to more resources at occupied sites, and as a result, grow faster despite evidence for competition with residents. This result is a direct consequence of two factors: (1) resident conspecifics facilitate settlers by attracting client fish, and (2) resident conspecifics are strongly associated with high quality habitat. These results highlight the need to simultaneously consider habitat quality and competitive and facilitative interactions between conspecifics when making inferences about ecological processes from spatial patterns of individual performance.
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30
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Individual aggressiveness in the crab Chasmagnathus: Influence in fight outcome and modulation by serotonin and octopamine. Physiol Behav 2010; 101:438-45. [PMID: 20670638 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2010] [Revised: 06/08/2010] [Accepted: 07/21/2010] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In a previous work we found that size-matched Chasmagnathus crabs establish winner-loser relationships that were stable over successive encounters but no evidence of escalation was revealed through fights. Here, we evaluated the hypothesis that size-matched fights between these crabs would be resolved according to the contestants' level of aggressiveness. Moreover, we aim at analysing the proximate roots of aggression, addressing the influence of the biogenic amines serotonin (5HT) and octopamine (OA) in crab's agonistic behaviour. To achieve these purposes, the following experiments were carried out. First, we performed successive fight encounters between the same opponents, varying the number of encounters and the interval between them, to assess the stability and progression of the winner-loser relationship. Then, we analysed dominance relationships in groups of three crabs, evaluating the emergence of linearity. Thirdly, we examined the effects of 5HT and OA injections over the fight dynamics and its result. Our findings show that contest outcome is persistent even through four encounters separated by 24h, but a comparison between encounters does not reveal any saving in fight time or increase in the opponent disparity. Within a group of crabs, a rank-order of dominance is revealed which is reflected in their fight dynamics. Interestingly, these results would not be due to winner or loser effects, suggesting that fight outcome could be mainly explained as resulting from differences in the level of aggressiveness of each opponent. Moreover, this individual aggressiveness can be modulated in opposite directions by the biogenic amines 5HT and OA, being increased by 5HT and decreased by OA.
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Stewart PM. Agonistic Interactions Among Size-Matched form I and form II Male Procambarus suttkusi (Choctawhatchee Crayfish). SOUTHEAST NAT 2010. [DOI: 10.1656/058.009.s312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paul M. Stewart
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Troy University, Troy, AL 36081
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Shabani S, Kamio M, Derby CD. Spiny lobsters use urine-borne olfactory signaling and physical aggressive behaviors to influence social status of conspecifics. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009; 212:2464-74. [PMID: 19617440 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.026492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Decapod crustaceans, like many other animals, engage in agonistic behaviors that enhance their ability to compete for resources with conspecifics. These agonistic behaviors include the release of chemical signals as well as physical aggressive and submissive behaviors. In this study, we report that Caribbean spiny lobsters, Panulirus argus, use both urine-borne chemical signaling and physical aggressive behaviors during interactions with conspecifics, and that these agonistic behaviors can influence the behavior and eventual social status of the interactants. Spiny lobsters that engaged primarily in physical aggressive behaviors became dominant, whereas spiny lobsters that received these physical aggressive behaviors responded with avoidance behaviors and became subordinates. Dominant animals frequently released urine during social interactions, more than when they were not in contact with subordinates and more than when they were not paired with another animal. Subordinates released urine significantly less often than dominants, and no more than when not paired. Preventing release of urine by catheterizing the animals resulted in an increase in the number and duration of physical interactions, and this increase was primarily driven by dominants initiating interactions through physical aggressive behaviors. Introducing urine from one of the catheterized animals into an aquarium reduced physical aggressive behavior by dominant animals to normal levels. Urine-borne signals alone were capable of inducing avoidance behaviors from solitary spiny lobsters in both laboratory and field conditions. We conclude that urine serves as a chemical signal that communicates social status to the interactants. Ablation experiments showed that that these urine signals are detected primarily by aesthetasc sensilla of the olfactory pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shkelzen Shabani
- Neuroscience Institute and Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
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33
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Patullo BW, Baird HP, Macmillan DL. Altered aggression in different sized groups of crayfish supports a dynamic social behaviour model. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2009.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Circadian Regulation of Agonistic Behavior in Groups of Parthenogenetic Marbled Crayfish, Procambarus sp. J Biol Rhythms 2009; 24:64-72. [DOI: 10.1177/0748730408328933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Crustaceans have frequently been used to study the neuroethology of both agonistic behavior and circadian rhythms, but whether their highly stereotyped and quantifiable agonistic activity is controlled by circadian pacemakers has, so far, not been investigated. Isolated marbled crayfish ( Procambarus spec.) displayed rhythmic locomotor activity under 12-h light:12-h darkness (LD12:12) and rhythmicity persisted after switching to constant darkness (DD) for 8 days, suggesting the presence of endogenous circadian pacemakers. Isogenetic females of parthenogenetic marbled crayfish displayed all behavioral elements known from agonistic interactions of previously studied decapod species including the formation of hierarchies. Groups of marbled crafish displayed high frequencies of agonistic encounters during the 1st hour of their cohabitation, but with the formation of hierarchies agonistic activities were subsequently reduced to low levels. Group agonistic activity was entrained to periods of exactly 24 h under LD12:12, and peaks of agonistic activity coincided with light-to-dark and dark-to-light transitions. After switching to DD, enhanced agonistic activity was dispersed over periods of 8-to 10-h duration that were centered around the times corresponding with light-to-dark transitions during the preceding 3 days in LD12:12. During 4 days under DD agonistic activity remained rhythmic with an average circadian period of 24.83 ± 1.22 h in all crayfish groups tested. Only the most dominant crayfish that participated in more than half of all agonistic encounters within the group revealed clear endogenous rhythmicity in their agonistic behavior, whereas subordinate individuals, depending on their social rank, initiated only between 19.4% and 0.03% of all encounters in constant darkness and displayed no statistically significant rhythmicity. The results indicate that both locomotion and agonistic social interactions are rhythmic behaviors of marbled crayfish that are controlled by light-entrained endogenous pacemakers.
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35
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Graham ME, Herberholz J. Stability of dominance relationships in crayfish depends on social context. Anim Behav 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.09.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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May HY, Mercier AJ. Duration of socialization influences responses to a mirror: responses of dominant and subordinate crayfish diverge with time of pairing. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 210:4428-36. [PMID: 18055631 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.011288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Reflective surfaces have been shown previously to modify behaviour in socialized crayfish. Socializing crayfish by pairing them for two weeks established a hierarchy with one dominant and one subordinate crayfish per pair. Dominant crayfish exhibited specific behaviours, such as cornering, turning and crossing, more frequently in a reflective environment than in a non-reflective environment. After 2 weeks of pairing, subordinate crayfish did not respond in this manner but, instead, performed more reverse walking in a reflective environment. The present study investigated how the length of social pairing affects the response to mirrors. Crayfish from a communal tank were paired for 30 min or for 3 days, and their activity was videotaped for 20 min in a test aquarium lined with mirrors on one half and a non-reflective matte lining on the other half. Crayfish housed in the communal tank were used as a comparison group. After 30 min of pairing, dominant and subordinate crayfish responded similarly to the reflection, showing essentially the same pattern for seven of nine behaviours examined. After 3 days of pairing, dominant crayfish continued to respond to the reflection in essentially the same way, but subordinate crayfish behaved differently, showing differences in seven out of nine behaviours. Thus, the pattern of responses of dominant and subordinate crayfish to reflection diverged with time of pairing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Y May
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St Catharines, Ontario, Canada
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Fero K, Moore PA. Social spacing of crayfish in natural habitats: what role does dominance play? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-007-0540-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Song CK, Johnstone LM, Schmidt M, Derby CD, Edwards DH. Social domination increases neuronal survival in the brain of juvenile crayfish Procambarus clarkii. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 210:1311-24. [PMID: 17401115 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.02758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Olfactory cues are among the sensory inputs that crayfish use in establishing dominance hierarchies. Throughout their lives, new neurons are continuously added into brain cell clusters 9 and 10, which contain somata of olfactory local and projection interneurons, respectively. Using markers for DNA synthesis (bromodeoxyuridine) and mitosis (phospho-histone-3), we tested juvenile crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) to examine effects of pairwise social experience on proliferation and survival of cells in these brain regions. Proliferating and mitotic cells appeared within restricted neurogenic areas in both clusters and in ;tails' extending from them. These tails, embedded in tubulin-positive strands, are linked by a patch of cells. Neither cell proliferation nor mitotic activity was affected by social dominance. Cell survival of neuronal precursors was affected by dominance: compared to dominants, subordinates had fewer newborn cells surviving in cluster 9 after 14 days of social experience. Social experience also affected body growth rate, but the effect of social experience on neurogenesis remained when differences in body growth rate were statistically controlled. We conclude that social domination enhances survival of new olfactory interneuronal precursors compared to social subordination but not compared to social isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cha-Kyong Song
- Department of Biology, Program in Brains and Behavior, and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302-4010, USA.
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Horner AJ, Schmidt M, Edwards DH, Derby CD. Role of the olfactory pathway in agonistic behavior of crayfish, Procambarus clarkii. INVERTEBRATE NEUROSCIENCE 2007; 8:11-8. [PMID: 18030509 DOI: 10.1007/s10158-007-0063-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2007] [Accepted: 11/06/2007] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Crayfish establish social dominance hierarchies through agonistic interactions, and these hierarchies are maintained through assessment of social status. Chemical signals influence several aspects of fighting behavior, but the specific chemosensory sensilla involved in detecting these signals in crayfish are unknown. The goal of our study was to examine the importance of aesthetasc sensilla--olfactory sensors on the antennules of decapod crustaceans--in regulating changes in fighting behavior in crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, over the course of repeated pairings. We selectively ablated aesthetascs from pairs of crayfish after the first day of trials and compared the behavior of these ablated animals to that of pairs of intact controls. Results show that unablated crayfish significantly decreased the number and duration of fights over repeated pairings, whereas crayfish lacking aesthetascs continued to engage in similar amounts of fighting across all three trial days. This difference shows that aesthetascs regulate fighting behavior in P. clarkii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy J Horner
- Department of Biology, Brains and Behavior Program, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 4010, Atlanta, GA 30302-4010, USA
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Hemsworth R, Villareal W, Patullo BW, MacMillan DL. Crustacean social behavioral changes in response to isolation. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2007; 213:187-195. [PMID: 17928525 DOI: 10.2307/25066634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Periods of isolation during which animals have no social contact are common in the design of behavioral experiments. They are used, for example, to test memory and recognition responses, or to ensure a baseline condition before experimental manipulations commence. We investigated the effect of isolation periods on the aggressive behavior of matched pairs of the crayfish Cherax destructor in two contexts. The first experiment tested the effects of a period of isolation between two encounters. The second experiment tested the effects of isolation before an encounter by pairing one crayfish from a communal living environment with another crayfish from an isolated one. Fight outcome and aggression levels were analyzed, resulting in three conclusions about the social biology of C. destructor. First, encounters between familiar opponents are influenced by the outcome of the familiarization fight for about 2 weeks. Second, the level of aggression and the outcome of an encounter are affected over different time frames. Third, individuals that are isolated before an encounter can be disadvantaged. These data suggest that isolation, or events that occur during periods of isolation, affect multiple elements of social behavior in C. destructor. This suggestion has implications for the interpretation of previous results and future studies in crustaceans and other taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Hemsworth
- Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
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Herberholz J, McCurdy C, Edwards DH. Direct benefits of social dominance in juvenile crayfish. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2007; 213:21-7. [PMID: 17679717 DOI: 10.2307/25066615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Crayfish are known for their innate aggressiveness and willingness to quickly establish dominance relationships among group members. Consequently, the formation of dominance hierarchies and the analysis of behavioral patterns displayed during agonistic encounters have mostly been tested in environments that provide no immediate resources besides space. We tested the hypothesis that social hierarchy formation in crayfish serves to determine access to future resources. Individuals within groups of three juvenile crayfish were allowed to form a social hierarchy in a featureless environment before a single food resource was presented. Higher dominance indices were significantly correlated with increased access to the food. The highest ranked crayfish spent more time in contact with the food than did medium-ranked and lowest ranked crayfish, and crayfish of medium rank spent more time in contact with the resource than did lowest ranked animals. The highest ranked crayfish consolidated their dominant status in the presence of food, indicated by a complete absence of any submissive behaviors during that period. The results of these experiments show that the disposition of crayfish to engage in fighting and formation of a dominance hierarchy in a featureless environment serves to determine future access to an emerging resource, thereby entailing greater benefits for animals of higher social rank.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Herberholz
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
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Chou SY, Huang ZY, Chen SC, Yang RL, Kou R. Antenna contact and agonism in the male lobster cockroach, Nauphoeta cinerea. Horm Behav 2007; 52:252-60. [PMID: 17574250 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2007.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2007] [Revised: 04/23/2007] [Accepted: 04/23/2007] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
On any given day, about 35% of 80- to 85-day-old socially naïve male (SNM) lobster cockroaches (Nauphoeta cinerea) spontaneously adopted an aggressive posture (AP) without encountering another male [spontaneous AP (SAP)]. Although SAP SNMs showed significantly higher release of the pheromone 3-hydroxy-2-butanone (3H-2B) than non-SAP SNMs, there was no significant difference in hemolymph juvenile hormone (JH) III titer. When different body parts were tested for induction of the attack behavior, the antenna was found to be the most effective. After 1 min of contact with an antenna from another SAP SNM, attack behavior was induced in 100% of SAP and 76.2% of non-SAP SNMs, and the JH III titer was significantly increased in all responders. Among the non-SAP SNMs, the JH III titer before antenna contact was significantly lower in the non-responders than in the responders, and, although the JH III increase induced by 1 min antenna contact was similar between responders and non-responders, the final JH III titer of the non-responders was significantly lower. A similar attack response, JH III titer change, and 3H-2B release were seen when the individual's own antenna was used. After 5 min of contact with an antenna from another SAP SNM, attack behavior was induced in 100% of SAP and 82% of non-SAP SNMs; in the former, 3H-2B release was similar before and after antenna contact, but the JH III titer was significantly increased after antenna contact, while, in the latter, both 3H-2B release and JH III titer were significantly increased after antenna contact. Among the non-SAP SNMs, JH III titer in the non-responders was not elevated after 5 min antenna contact, and was significantly lower than that in the responders. A pentane-washed antenna did not induce attack behavior or increase the hemolymph JH III titer, and a pentane-washed antenna coated with 3H-2B also failed to induce attack behavior. These results indicate that N. cinerea male-male agonistic interactions, to which the vertebrate challenge hypothesis can be applied, are due to contact pheromone on the antenna, resulting in the concomitant expression of attack behavior and an increase in 3H-2B release and JH III titer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szu-Ying Chou
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan 115, ROC
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Issa FA, Edwards DH. Ritualized Submission and the Reduction of Aggression in an Invertebrate. Curr Biol 2006; 16:2217-21. [PMID: 17113385 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2006.08.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2006] [Revised: 08/25/2006] [Accepted: 08/25/2006] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Ritualized behaviors that signify acceptance of a dominance relationship and reduce aggression between rivals are a common feature of vertebrate social behavior. Although some invertebrates, including crayfish, lobsters, and ants, display dominance postures, more complex dominance rituals and their effects on fitness have not been reported. We found that crayfish display such a complex ritual, when two males engaged in pseudocopulatory behavior to signify their dominance relationship. This was followed by a reduction in aggression and an increased likelihood of the subordinate's survival. Pseudocopulation was initiated by the eventual dominant and could be accepted or refused by the eventual subordinate. The frequency of aggressive behavior declined significantly during the first hour in all pairs that pseudocopulated but remained high in pairs that did not. Whereas all the subordinate members of pairs that pseudocopulated survived the initial 24 hr of pairing, half of subordinates that did not pseudocopulate were killed during that time. This differential mortality indicates that the reduction of aggression induced by the pseudocopulatory ritual directly enhances the differential survival of male crayfish that engage in this behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fadi A Issa
- Department of Biology, Brains and Behavior Program, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA
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Harrison ML, Hoover TM, Richardson JS. Agonistic behaviours and movement in the signal crayfish,Pacifastacus leniusculus: can dominance interactions influence crayfish size-class distributions in streams? CAN J ZOOL 2006. [DOI: 10.1139/z06-141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Size-structured population distributions can result from stage-specific differences in habitat preference or from intraspecific dominance interactions between large and small individuals. The relative importance of these two factors in structuring population distributions was examined in the signal crayfish ( Pacifastacus leniusculus (Dana, 1852)), an organism whose populations are distinctly spatially size-sorted in streams, with adults (A) occupying deeper pools and juveniles (J) inhabiting riffles. In the first of two experiments, groups of crayfish (2A, 2A+2J, or 4J) were released in a constructed riffle–pool–riffle sequence in an experimental channel and individual behaviours and rates of movement were recorded at 2 min intervals. There were differences in habitat preference between the two size classes: adults showed a distinct preference for pools, whereas juveniles did not. In the second experiment, pairs of individuals (A+A, A+J, J+J) were placed in experimental arenas. Analysis of recorded interactions between pairs showed that agonistic interactions and subsequent post-encounter movements were sufficient to produce the exclusion of subordinate individuals from habitats occupied by dominant individuals. These results show that adults have a greater preference for pool habitats than juveniles and that interactions between asymmetrically sized pairs are likely to displace smaller individuals from areas where adult–juvenile encounter rates are high.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan L. Harrison
- Department of Forest Sciences, 2424 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Civil Engineering, 2324 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Trent M. Hoover
- Department of Forest Sciences, 2424 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Civil Engineering, 2324 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - John S. Richardson
- Department of Forest Sciences, 2424 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Civil Engineering, 2324 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Kaczer L, Pedetta S, Maldonado H. Aggressiveness and memory: subordinate crabs present higher memory ability than dominants after an agonistic experience. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2006; 87:140-8. [PMID: 16973384 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2006.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2006] [Revised: 08/01/2006] [Accepted: 08/04/2006] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A relationship between aggressiveness and memory has been proposed in several studies with different animal species. Here, we study this possibility in the crab Chasmagnathus granulatus, using the context-signal memory model (CSM) that involves an association between the learning context and a visual danger stimulus. Each experiment consisted of an agonistic phase and a memory one. During the former, matched pairs of male crabs were staged in two 10-min encounters and the dominant or subordinate condition of each member of the dyad was determined. During the memory phase, crabs were trained to acquire CSM and tested 24 h later. Results showed that the agonistic encounter, staged 48 h before the acquisition of CSM, can modulate memory according to the dominance condition of the fighter; in such a way that memory retention of subordinates results higher than that of dominants. By contrast, when the memory phase preceded the agonist one, forthcoming dominants and subordinates did not differ in their memory ability. The memory modulation would not be linked to a dominance status but to a persistent dominance relationship fully reconstructed in each encounter between the same opponents. Therefore, the crab's CSM would not depend directly on predetermined intrinsic properties, but on the outcome of the fight, which would be determined in turn by the relative aggressiveness of the fighters. The finding that the agonistic episode modulates memory opens the possibility of using this episodic interference to probe the function of diverse phases of CSM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Kaczer
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología de la Memoria, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Sneddon LU, Hawkesworth S, Braithwaite VA, Yerbury J. Impact of Environmental Disturbance on the Stability and Benefits of Individual Status within Dominance Hierarchies. Ethology 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2005.01192.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Abstract
Gene expression affects social behavior only through changes in the excitabilities of neural circuits that govern the release of the relevant motor programs. In turn, social behavior affects gene expression only through patterns of sensory stimulation that produce significant activation of relevant portions of the nervous system. In crayfish, social interactions between pairs of animals lead to changes in behavior that mark the formation of a dominance hierarchy. Those changes in behavior result from changes in the excitability of specific neural circuits. In the new subordinate, circuits for offensive behavior become less excitable and those for defensive behavior become more excitable. Serotonin, which is implicated in mechanisms for social dominance in many animals, modulates circuits for escape and avoidance responses in crayfish. The modulatory effects of serotonin on the escape circuits have been found to change with social dominance, becoming excitatory in dominant crayfish and inhibitory in subordinates. These changes in serotonin's effects on escape affect the synaptic response to sensory input of a single cell, the lateral giant (LG) command neuron for escape. Moreover, these changes occur over a 2-week period and for the subordinate are reversible at any time following a reversal of the animal's status. The results have suggested that a persistent change in social status leads to a gradual change in the expression of serotonin receptors to a pattern that is more appropriate for the new status. To test that hypothesis, the expression patterns of crayfish serotonin receptors must be compared in dominant and subordinate animals. Two of potentially five serotonin receptors in crayfish have been cloned, sequenced, and pharmacologically characterized. Measurements of receptor expression in the whole CNS of dominant and subordinate crayfish have produced inconclusive results, probably because each receptor is widespread in the nervous system and is likely to experience opposite expression changes in different areas of the CNS. Both receptors have recently been found in identified neurons that mediate escape responses, and so the next step will be to measure their expression in these identified cells in dominant and subordinate animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald H Edwards
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA
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Spitzer N, Antonsen BL, Edwards DH. Immunocytochemical mapping and quantification of expression of a putative type 1 serotonin receptor in the crayfish nervous system. J Comp Neurol 2005; 484:261-82. [PMID: 15739232 DOI: 10.1002/cne.20456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter that is involved in modulation of sensory, motor, and higher functions in many species. In the crayfish, which has been developed as a model for nervous system function for over a century, serotonin modulates several identified circuits. Although the cellular and circuit effects of serotonin have been extensively studied, little is known about the receptors that mediate these signals. Physiological data indicate that identified crustacean cells and circuits are modulated via several different serotonin receptors. We describe the detailed immunocytochemical localization of the crustacean type 1 serotonin receptor, 5-HT1crust, throughout the crayfish nerve cord and on abdominal superficial flexor muscles. 5-HT1crust is widely distributed in somata, including those of several identified neurons, and neuropil, suggesting both synaptic and neurohormonal roles. Individual animals show very different levels of 5-HT1crust immunoreactivity (5-HT(1crust)ir) ranging from preparations with hundreds of labeled cells per ganglion to some containing only a handful of 5-HT(1crust)ir cells in the entire nerve cord. The interanimal variability in 5-HT(1crust)ir is great, but individual nerve cords show a consistent level of labeling between ganglia. Quantitative RT-PCR shows that 5-HT1crust mRNA levels between animals are also variable but do not directly correlate with 5-HT(1crust)ir levels. Although there is no correlation of 5-HT1crust expression with gender, social status, molting or feeding, dominant animals show significantly greater variability than subordinates. Functional analysis of 5-HT1crust in combination with this immunocytochemical map will aid further understanding of this receptor's role in the actions of serotonin on identified circuits and cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadja Spitzer
- Department of Biology and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30302-4010, USA
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Gherardi F, Daniels WH. Agonism and shelter competition between invasive and indigenous crayfish species. CAN J ZOOL 2004. [DOI: 10.1139/z04-185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Several crayfish species behave as biological invaders. Their establishment in an area has frequently been accompanied by the reduction or elimination of indigenous species. A laboratory study was designed to investigate whether the invasive crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852) is dominant over the indigenous (to Delaware) crayfish Procambarus acutus acutus (Girard, 1852) in either the absence or the presence of a shelter as a limited resource. As expected, we found that P. clarkii is more aggressive than the similarly sized P. a. acutus, thus confirming previous studies that demonstrated an inherent dominance of the invasive over the indigenous crayfish. We then hypothesized that species showing a lower preference for an offered shelter (P. clarkii) should be less motivated to defend it. To the contrary, in a competitive context P. clarkii excluded P. a. acutus from the shelter but did not use the resource. Caution must be used in extrapolating these laboratory studies to the field, and future studies should analyze multiple factors, including the autoecology of the two species and their reproductive potential and recruitment patterns. However, our results might help in highlighting the risks for freshwater biodiversity created by the uncontrolled translocations of P. clarkii and other similar invasive species.
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Panksepp JB, Huber R. Ethological analyses of crayfish behavior: a new invertebrate system for measuring the rewarding properties of psychostimulants. Behav Brain Res 2004; 153:171-80. [PMID: 15219718 PMCID: PMC4769877 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2003.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2003] [Revised: 11/23/2003] [Accepted: 11/25/2003] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Recent investigations in invertebrate neurobiology have opened up a new line of research into the basic behavioral, neurochemical and genomic alterations that accompany psychostimulant drug exposure. However, the extent to which such findings relate to changes in motivational and learning processes, such as those that typify drug addictions, remains unclear. The present study addressed this issue in the crayfish, Orconectes rusticus. The first set of experiments demonstrated that intramuscular injections of cocaine and amphetamine have robust and distinguishable effects on crayfish behavior. In the second part of the study, the reinforcing properties of psychostimulants were tested in a series of conditioned place preference experiments. Amphetamine and, to a lesser extent, cocaine were both found to serve as rewards when their intra-circulatory infusion was coupled to a distinct visual environment. The monoaminergic regulation of behavior has been extensively studied in decapod crustaceans and the present experiments demonstrated that (mammalian) drugs of abuse, capable of interfering with monoamine chemistry, are similarly rewarding to crayfish. Behavioral studies in crayfish can provide a complementary approach to using other invertebrate species in addiction research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jules B Panksepp
- 7225 Medical Sciences Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1300 University Ave., Madison, WI 53706-1532, USA.
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