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Bold minnows consistently approach danger in the field and lab in response to either chemical or visual indicators of predation risk

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Abstract

A behavioral syndrome is a suite of behaviors correlated across multiple social contexts. In this study, boldness in the face of predation risk was assessed twice in fish across two different sensory modalities in both the field and lab to ascertain the biological relevance and complexity of this attribute. Individual fathead minnows were captured from a natural field population using traps that either contained chemical alarm cues (conspecific skin extract) or control (well water) and their responses to the presence of predator behind a glass partition assessed in the laboratory. Although fewer fish were captured in alarm cue-labeled traps, these bold fish performed longer predator inspections than shy fish captured in control traps. Thus, a shy/bold behavioral syndrome was expressed consistently across field and lab settings in response to both chemical and visual indicators of danger. Shy and bold individuals did not differ in sex, body length, secondary sexual characteristics, or parasite load but were of more robust physical condition.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by NSF REU grant DBI-0648931 (Field Studies in Global Change at the Headwaters of the Mississippi). We thank Jim and Sehoya Cotner for their help and assistance as well as Itasca and Sorensen laboratories. Two anonymous reviewers provided excellent input.

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Author notes

  1. Adam F. A. Pellegrini

    Present address: Department of Biology, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, 13346, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    Adam F. A. Pellegrini & Peter W. Sorensen

  2. Biosciences Department, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead, MN, 56563, USA

    Brian D. Wisenden

Authors
  1. Adam F. A. Pellegrini
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  2. Brian D. Wisenden
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  3. Peter W. Sorensen
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Correspondence to Adam F. A. Pellegrini.

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Communicated by T. Bakker

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Pellegrini, A.F.A., Wisenden, B.D. & Sorensen, P.W. Bold minnows consistently approach danger in the field and lab in response to either chemical or visual indicators of predation risk. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 64, 381–387 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-009-0854-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-009-0854-y

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