Do Sand Smelt (<i>Atherina presbyter</i> Cuvier, 1829) Larvae Discriminate among Conspecifics Using Different Sensory Cues?
The ability of shoaling fish to recognise and differentiate between potential groupmates may affect their fitness and survival. Fish are capable of social recognition and multiple sensory cues mediate the recognition mechanisms. This has been comprehensively studied for juvenile and adult freshwater...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Oceans |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/2/4/38 |
| _version_ | 1797501720279908352 |
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| author | Patrícia Vicente Ana M. Faria |
| author_facet | Patrícia Vicente Ana M. Faria |
| author_sort | Patrícia Vicente |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The ability of shoaling fish to recognise and differentiate between potential groupmates may affect their fitness and survival. Fish are capable of social recognition and multiple sensory cues mediate the recognition mechanisms. This has been comprehensively studied for juvenile and adult freshwater species. However, the recognition ability and mechanisms intervening during the larval phase of marine species are yet poorly understood. Fish larvae are capable of discriminating conspecifics from heterospecifics based on chemical and/or visual cues, but whether this recognition occurs at finer scales, such as discerning among conspecifics of different reefs, is yet understudied. Here, we tested the hypothesis that larvae of a marine fish species, the sand smelt (<i>Atherina presbyter</i> Cuvier, 1829), are able to recognise and associate with conspecifics of their natal reef versus conspecifics of a non-natal reef based on three sensory modalities—chemical, visual, and chemical and visual simultaneously. Results do not support our hypothesis, but still provide evidence of group cohesion and indicate large differences in the relative importance of the different senses when associating with conspecifics, with visual cues playing a more important role than chemical cues alone. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:22:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-963c7d27ed194afcb66b70b2d1dad853 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-1924 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:22:38Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Oceans |
| spelling | doaj.art-963c7d27ed194afcb66b70b2d1dad8532023-11-23T09:59:33ZengMDPI AGOceans2673-19242021-09-012467568710.3390/oceans2040038Do Sand Smelt (<i>Atherina presbyter</i> Cuvier, 1829) Larvae Discriminate among Conspecifics Using Different Sensory Cues?Patrícia Vicente0Ana M. Faria1MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA, Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisboa, PortugalMARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA, Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisboa, PortugalThe ability of shoaling fish to recognise and differentiate between potential groupmates may affect their fitness and survival. Fish are capable of social recognition and multiple sensory cues mediate the recognition mechanisms. This has been comprehensively studied for juvenile and adult freshwater species. However, the recognition ability and mechanisms intervening during the larval phase of marine species are yet poorly understood. Fish larvae are capable of discriminating conspecifics from heterospecifics based on chemical and/or visual cues, but whether this recognition occurs at finer scales, such as discerning among conspecifics of different reefs, is yet understudied. Here, we tested the hypothesis that larvae of a marine fish species, the sand smelt (<i>Atherina presbyter</i> Cuvier, 1829), are able to recognise and associate with conspecifics of their natal reef versus conspecifics of a non-natal reef based on three sensory modalities—chemical, visual, and chemical and visual simultaneously. Results do not support our hypothesis, but still provide evidence of group cohesion and indicate large differences in the relative importance of the different senses when associating with conspecifics, with visual cues playing a more important role than chemical cues alone.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/2/4/38chemical cuesvisual cuesshoalsconspecificssocial recognition |
| spellingShingle | Patrícia Vicente Ana M. Faria Do Sand Smelt (<i>Atherina presbyter</i> Cuvier, 1829) Larvae Discriminate among Conspecifics Using Different Sensory Cues? Oceans chemical cues visual cues shoals conspecifics social recognition |
| title | Do Sand Smelt (<i>Atherina presbyter</i> Cuvier, 1829) Larvae Discriminate among Conspecifics Using Different Sensory Cues? |
| title_full | Do Sand Smelt (<i>Atherina presbyter</i> Cuvier, 1829) Larvae Discriminate among Conspecifics Using Different Sensory Cues? |
| title_fullStr | Do Sand Smelt (<i>Atherina presbyter</i> Cuvier, 1829) Larvae Discriminate among Conspecifics Using Different Sensory Cues? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Do Sand Smelt (<i>Atherina presbyter</i> Cuvier, 1829) Larvae Discriminate among Conspecifics Using Different Sensory Cues? |
| title_short | Do Sand Smelt (<i>Atherina presbyter</i> Cuvier, 1829) Larvae Discriminate among Conspecifics Using Different Sensory Cues? |
| title_sort | do sand smelt i atherina presbyter i cuvier 1829 larvae discriminate among conspecifics using different sensory cues |
| topic | chemical cues visual cues shoals conspecifics social recognition |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/2/4/38 |
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