The effect of turbidity on the transition from social to sexual behavior in an African cichlid fish

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2019-02-20

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Abstract

Increasing turbidity is among the leading environmental stressors threatening aquatic biodiversity worldwide. To cope with elevated turbidity (i.e. suspended particulates in the water) and associated changes to the visual environment, some fish have demonstrated altered behavioral, morphological, and physiological characteristics. The wide-ranging East African cichlid fish, Psuedocrenilabrus multicolor victoriae, relies heavily on visual cues for reproduction: females choose mates based on male color and courtship displays. However, as turbidity has increased over recent decades due to deforestation and sediment run-off, their ability to detect potential mates has decreased. The objective of this study was to determine if exposure to increased turbidity influences the timing of the transition from the juvenile stage to sexual maturity. If elevated turbidity reduces the ability of P. multicolor to detect potential mates, then we expect delays in the shift from growth to reproduction. To determine the timing of this ontogenetic shift, the behavior of 10 independent P. multicolor broods, each divided in two and reared under clear or turbid conditions, was observed weekly for 25 weeks. Turbidity was maintained at ~10 NTU for the duration of the experiment in the turbid treatment, mimicking turbidity levels observed in natural rivers. All aquaria were filmed once a week for 20 minutes using Canon G16 cameras. The first 10 minutes of each video was used as an acclimation period (i.e. to the video set-up) and the last 10 minutes analyzed for social, aggressive, and reproductive behaviors. A clear signal that fish have reached sexual maturity is the presence of broods, therefore, the first incidence of brooding in each aquarium was recorded (i.e. number of days post-hatch; dph). Fish in clear aquaria began brooding earlier (Mean +/- SE = 114.75 +/- 7.58 dph) than fish turbid aquaria (Mean +/- SE= 125.29 +/- 8.10 dph). The 10.5 day difference between first broods in clear and turbid treatments indicates a difference in age of the ontogenetic shift from growth to reproduction in fish reared in turbid compared to clear waters. Delayed reproduction in degraded water quality could have fitness consequences for P. multicolor populations and other species facing elevated turbidity globally.

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Conservation and Development (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)

Keywords

ontogenetic shift, turbidity, fish physiology

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