Weakly electric fish learn both visual and electrosensory cues in a multisensory object discrimination task

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Animal Behavior
• Sensory Biology

Background:

• Weakly electric fish (WE fish) utilize multiple senses, including electrosensation, vision, olfaction, and the lateral line, for critical behaviors like foraging and navigation.
• WE fish often demonstrate a preference for electrosensory cues over other sensory modalities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the sensory hierarchy between electrosensation and vision in object discrimination tasks in the gymnotiform WE fish, Apteronotus albifrons.
• To determine if WE fish can memorize non-electrosensory cues and complex feature combinations.

Main Methods:

• Apteronotus albifrons were trained in an object discrimination task using objects with conflicting visual (colored hoods) and electrosensory (conductive materials) cues.
• The study analyzed the fish's reliance on each sensory modality when presented with conflicting information.

Main Results:

• Apteronotus albifrons demonstrated proficiency in object discrimination tasks, comparable to mormyrid fish.
• WE fish showed a clear preference for electrosensory cues but successfully learned and utilized visual cues when electrosensory information was absent.
• Fish remembered trained cue combinations and distinguished them from combinations matching only a single feature, including non-rewarded combinations.

Conclusions:

• Electrosensation is dominant in object discrimination for Apteronotus albifrons, but visual learning and utilization are significant.
• These fish exhibit robust memory for complex sensory associations, extending beyond single features.