Does experimental cortisol elevation mediate risk-taking and antipredator behaviour in a wild teleost fish?

摘要: The hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis is centrally implicated in stressor mitigation teleost fishes. Sustained HPI activation can be detrimental to the physiological functioning of an organism and result fitness-related trade-offs. Predator-induced mortality known higher stressed fish than unstressed conspecifics, suggesting a role for mediating behaviour. However, underlying specific mechanism(s) this phenomenon is(are) unknown. purpose current study was address how influences risk-taking, antipredator behaviours wild teleost, pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus). Here, individual juvenile were implanted either with cocoa butter as sham control or biologically-relevant concentration cortisol. Forty-eight hours post-implantation, assessed behavioural metrics associated boldness risk taking three sequential tests: (i) predation-risk test, (ii) exploration tendency (iii) shoaling test order randomized among different trials. Cortisol treatment had no influence on antipredator, exploratory, behaviours. post-attack swimming duration (in test) exploratory activity Z-maze significantly affected by body mass. Collectively, our results indicate that cortisol may not have sociability, boldness, risk-taking sunfish, at least under laboratory conditions. nonetheless play predator-prey interactions fishes more natural environmental settings considered here.