Influence of lighting environment on social preferences in sticklebacks from two different photic habitats. II. Shoaling and mate preferences of lab-bred fishes.

Different environmental conditions may lead to diverse morphological, behavioral, and physiological adaptations of different populations of the same species. Lighting conditions, for example, vary vastly especially between aquatic habitats, and have been shown to elicit adaptations. The availability of short-wave ultraviolet (UV) light is especially fluctuating, as UV wavelengths are attenuated strongly depending on water properties.

Influence of lighting environment on social preferences in sticklebacks from two different photic habitats. I. mate preferences of wild-caught females.

Ultraviolet (UV) A signals (320-400 nm) are important in mate choice in numerous species. The sensitivity for UV signals is not only assumed to be costly, but also expected to be a function of the prevailing ecological conditions. Generally, those signals are favored by selection that efficiently reach the receiver.

Body coloration as a dynamic signal during intrasexual communication in a cichlid fish.

Background: Intrasexual competition over access to resources can lead to aggression between individuals. Because overt aggression, i.e.

Not just shades of grey: life is full of colour for the ocellate river stingray (Potamotrygon motoro).

Previous studies have shown that marine stingrays have the anatomical and physiological basis for colour vision, with cone spectral sensitivity in the blue to green range of the visible spectrum. Behavioural studies on Glaucostegus typus also showed that blue and grey can be perceived and discriminated. The present study is the first to assess visual opsin genetics in the ocellate river stingray (Potamotrygon motoro) and test whether individuals perceive colour in two alternative forced choice experiments.

Differential investment in pre- and post-mating male sexual traits in response to prolonged exposure to ambient UVB radiation in a fish.

Increasing UVB radiation (UVB) reaching earth's surface following stratospheric ozone depletion is linked to serious consequences for organisms. While studies have focused on direct cytocidal and immunomodulatory effects of UVB, indirect consequences for fitness-related life-history traits are largely unexplored, although knowledge is needed to understand organismal responses to climate change. The present study investigates the effects of developmental exposure to enhanced, but ecologically relevant, ambient UVB levels on growth (body size), parental behavior (nest-building), fitness-enhancing traits of pre-mating (sexual ornamentation) and post-mating (sperm traits) sexual selection as well as their interrelationships in male three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

Mate assessment behavior is correlated to learning ability in female threespine sticklebacks.

In many species, males signal quality with elaborate traits, but females often show inter-individual variation in preference for these traits. Choosing a mate requires multiple cognitive steps; therefore, cognitive style (how an individual processes information) likely influences the perception of sexual signals and ability to choose a high-quality mate. An important component of cognitive style is flexibility; cognitively flexible individuals are more perceptive to shifts in cues.

Enhanced ambient UVB radiation affects post-mating, but not pre-mating sexual traits in a fish.

Organisms inhabiting shallow aquatic habitats currently experience increasing levels of solar ultraviolet B radiation (UVB). UVB causes damage on cellular and molecular levels and can affect associated life-history traits either through direct exposure or indirectly through oxidative stress generation. We examined UVB effects on pre- and post-mating sexual traits in three-spined stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

Shoal sex composition and predation risk influence sub-adult threespine stickleback shoaling decisions.

Group living reduces individual predation risk most effectively when group members are behaviorally and phenotypically similar. Group preferences are influenced by the individual, the members of the shoal, and the environmental conditions. While shoaling behavior has been studied extensively in the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), it is unclear whether the sex of shoal mates influences the shoal preference of non-reproductive males and females and how this changes under increasing predation risk.

Long-term UVB exposure promotes predator-inspection behaviour in a fish.

Ultraviolet-B radiation (UVB) reaching the earth's surface has increased due to human-caused stratospheric ozone depletion. Whereas the harmful effects of UVB on aquatic organisms are well studied at the molecular and cellular level, recent studies have also begun to address behavioural changes caused by sublethal amounts of UVB. However, the behavioural consequences of long-term exposure to ecologically relevant UVB levels over several life stages are virtually unknown, particularly with regard to predator-prey behaviour.

The dynamics of color signals in male threespine sticklebacks .

Body coloration and color patterns are ubiquitous throughout the animal kingdom and vary between and within species. Recent studies have dealt with individual dynamics of various aspects of coloration, as it is in many cases a flexible trait and changes in color expression may be context-dependent. During the reproductive phase, temporal changes of coloration in the visible spectral range (400-700 nm) have been shown for many animals but corresponding changes in the ultraviolet (UV) waveband (300-400 nm) have rarely been studied.

Context-dependent dynamic UV signaling in female threespine sticklebacks.

Color signals, including ultraviolet (UV) signals, are widespread throughout the animal kingdom and color changes can be influenced by reproductive and motivational state. However, studies on dynamic changes of UV signals are scarce. Three spine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) that show intraspecific UV communication were used to study dynamic UV signaling in females.

Dynamic resource allocation between pre- and postcopulatory episodes of sexual selection determines competitive fertilization success.

In polyandrous mating systems, male reproductive success depends on both mate-acquisition traits (precopulatory) and sperm competitive abilities (postcopulatory). Empirical data on the interaction between these traits are inconsistent; revealing positive, negative or no relationships. It is generally expected that the investment in pre- and postcopulatory traits is mediated by environmental conditions.

Habitat-dependent olfactory discrimination in three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

The ability to recognize conspecifics is indispensible for differential treatment of particular individuals in social contexts like grouping behavior. The advantages of grouping are multifarious, and there exist numerous additional benefits of joining aggregations of conspecifics. Recognition is based on different signals and transmitted via multiple channels, among others the olfactory channel.

The influence of ambient ultraviolet light on sperm quality and sexual ornamentation in three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

Exposure to enhanced levels of ambient ultraviolet (UV) radiation (UVR) can have adverse effects on aquatic organisms including damage at the cellular and molecular level and impairment of development, fecundity and survival. Much research has been conducted on the role of the harmful UVB radiation. However, due to its greater penetration in water the more abundant UVA radiation can also act as an environmental stressor.

Visual prey detection by near-infrared cues in a fish.

Many animal species are able to perceive light wavelengths beyond those visible to humans. While numerous species are additionally sensitive to short wavelengths (UV), long wavelengths such as the near-infrared spectrum (NIR) are supposed to be unsuitable for visual perception. Here, we experimentally show that under exclusive NIR illumination, the cichlid fish Pelvicachromis taeniatus displays a clear foraging response towards NIR reflecting prey.

Male red ornamentation is associated with female red sensitivity in sticklebacks.

Sexual selection theory proposes correlated evolutionary changes in mating preferences and secondary sexual characters based on a positive genetic correlation between preference and the preferred trait. Empirical work has provided support for a genetic covariation between female preference and male attractiveness in several taxa. Here, we study parent and offspring visual traits in threespine sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus.

Color signaling in conspicuous red sticklebacks: do ultraviolet signals surpass others?

Background: The use of ultraviolet (UV) signals for communication tasks is widespread in vertebrates. For instance, there is a UV component to mate choice in several species. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how the signal value of the UV wave band compares to that of other regions of the animal's visible spectrum.

Males do not see only red: UV wavelengths and male territorial aggression in the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

Animal colour signals serve important functions in intraspecific interactions, including species recognition, mate choice and agonistic behaviour. An increasing interest concerns ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths, for instance studies on the effect of UV in mating decisions. More recently, some studies also established that UV signals affect intrasexual interactions.

UV matters in shoaling decisions.

Shoaling behaviour in fish is influenced by numerous factors, such as familiarity, kinship, group size and shoal composition. Grouping decisions are based on both olfactory and visual cues. The visual system of many vertebrates is extended into the ultraviolet (UV) wave range as in three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus, L.