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Effects of degraded optical conditions on behavioural responses to alarm cues in a freshwater fish.

Ranåker, Lynn LU ; Nilsson, Anders LU orcid and Brönmark, Christer LU (2012) In PLoS ONE 7(6).
Abstract
Prey organisms often use multiple sensory cues to gain reliable information about imminent predation threat. In this study we test if a freshwater fish increases the reliance on supplementary cues when the reliability of the primary cue is reduced. Fish commonly use vision to evaluate predation threat, but may also use chemical cues from predators or injured conspecifics. Environmental changes, such as increasing turbidity or water colour, may compromise the use of vision through changes in the optical properties of water. In an experiment we tested if changes in optical conditions have any effects on how crucian carp respond to chemical predator cues. In turbidity treatments we added either clay or algae, and in a brown water colour... (More)
Prey organisms often use multiple sensory cues to gain reliable information about imminent predation threat. In this study we test if a freshwater fish increases the reliance on supplementary cues when the reliability of the primary cue is reduced. Fish commonly use vision to evaluate predation threat, but may also use chemical cues from predators or injured conspecifics. Environmental changes, such as increasing turbidity or water colour, may compromise the use of vision through changes in the optical properties of water. In an experiment we tested if changes in optical conditions have any effects on how crucian carp respond to chemical predator cues. In turbidity treatments we added either clay or algae, and in a brown water colour treatment we added water with a high humic content. We found that carp reduced activity in response to predator cues, but only in the turbidity treatments (clay, algae), whereas the response in the brown water treatment was intermediate, and not significantly different from, clear and turbid water treatments. The increased reliance on chemical cues indicates that crucian carp can compensate for the reduced information content from vision in waters where optical conditions are degraded. The lower effect in brown water may be due to the reduction in light intensity, changes in the spectral composition (reduction of UV light) or to a change in chemical properties of the cue in humic waters. (Less)
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author
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Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
PLoS ONE
volume
7
issue
6
article number
e38411
publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
external identifiers
  • wos:000305693200010
  • pmid:22745663
  • scopus:84862674199
  • pmid:22745663
ISSN
1932-6203
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0038411
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
3032e3b7-ce49-477e-a05a-3d544d89da49 (old id 2858816)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22745663?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 09:25:10
date last changed
2022-03-08 00:31:21
@article{3032e3b7-ce49-477e-a05a-3d544d89da49,
  abstract     = {{Prey organisms often use multiple sensory cues to gain reliable information about imminent predation threat. In this study we test if a freshwater fish increases the reliance on supplementary cues when the reliability of the primary cue is reduced. Fish commonly use vision to evaluate predation threat, but may also use chemical cues from predators or injured conspecifics. Environmental changes, such as increasing turbidity or water colour, may compromise the use of vision through changes in the optical properties of water. In an experiment we tested if changes in optical conditions have any effects on how crucian carp respond to chemical predator cues. In turbidity treatments we added either clay or algae, and in a brown water colour treatment we added water with a high humic content. We found that carp reduced activity in response to predator cues, but only in the turbidity treatments (clay, algae), whereas the response in the brown water treatment was intermediate, and not significantly different from, clear and turbid water treatments. The increased reliance on chemical cues indicates that crucian carp can compensate for the reduced information content from vision in waters where optical conditions are degraded. The lower effect in brown water may be due to the reduction in light intensity, changes in the spectral composition (reduction of UV light) or to a change in chemical properties of the cue in humic waters.}},
  author       = {{Ranåker, Lynn and Nilsson, Anders and Brönmark, Christer}},
  issn         = {{1932-6203}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  publisher    = {{Public Library of Science (PLoS)}},
  series       = {{PLoS ONE}},
  title        = {{Effects of degraded optical conditions on behavioural responses to alarm cues in a freshwater fish.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0038411}},
  doi          = {{10.1371/journal.pone.0038411}},
  volume       = {{7}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}