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Chronic Plasma Cortisol Elevation Does Not Promote Riskier Behavior in a Teleost Fish: A Test of the Behavioral
Michael J Lawrence1,1, Jean-Guy J Godin2, Aaron J Zolderdo1,3
1Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6.
Integrative Organismal Biology (Oxford, England)
|April 1, 2021
Summary
Pumpkinseed sunfish exhibited behavioral resilience to chronic stress and simulated predation. Elevated cortisol levels did not alter risk-taking behaviors, supporting the behavioral resiliency hypothesis in fish.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral ecology
- Neuroendocrinology
- Fish biology
Background:
- Stressed fish face higher mortality from predators, implicating the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis in risk-taking.
- Chronic stress can also lead to behavioral resilience, suggesting animals maintain consistent phenotypes despite physiological challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the behavioral resiliency hypothesis in pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus).
- To determine if chronic plasma cortisol elevation influences risk-taking behaviors in sunfish.
Main Methods:
- Fish were implanted with cortisol or sham implants to induce chronic stress.
- Behavioral assays were conducted in an arena with simulated refuge, conspecifics, and a predator cue (northern pike).
- Evaluated refuge utilization, shoaling tendency, and general activity.
Main Results:
- Neither cortisol treatment nor predation risk significantly affected fish behavior.
- Sunfish demonstrated consistent refuge use, shoaling, and activity levels regardless of treatment.
Conclusions:
- Pumpkinseed sunfish exhibit behavioral resilience to chronic cortisol elevation and simulated predation.
- Results support the behavioral resiliency hypothesis, suggesting it's an adaptive trait for environmental responses.
