Genotype-environment interaction in passive avoidance learning of the paradise fish (Macropodus opercularis)

Passive dark avoidance conditioning and effects of the presence and absence of a fish-like dummy on the training process were studied in four inbred strains of paradise fish. Strain differences were found in the shuttle activity during habituation trials, and in the sensitivity to the mild electric shock punishment. The presence or absence of the dummy in the punished dark side of the shuttle box had a genotype-dependent effect on the measures taken during the conditioning process. The statistical analysis of the learning curves revealed differences in the way the strains varied in the different environments, i.e. genotype--environment interaction components of variances were identified. The results are discussed in the light of previous investigations and their implication in further genetic analysis.