Dataset Information

Group size and aquatic vegetation modulates male preferences for female shoals in wild zebrafish, Danio rerio.

ABSTRACT: Shoaling decisions in the wild are determined by a combination of innate preferences of the individual along with the interplay of multiple ecological factors. In their natural habitat as well as in the laboratory, zebrafish is a shoaling fish. Here, we investigate the role of group size and associated vegetation in shaping shoaling preferences of wild male zebrafish. We studied the association preference of males to groups of female shoals in a multi-choice test design. We found that males made greater proportion of visits to an 8-female group compared to 2 and 4-female groups. However, males spent similar proportions of time across the three female-containing groups. When artificial vegetation was incorporated along with female number as an additional factor, we found that males prefer high and moderately vegetated patches compared to low or no-vegetation groups, irrespective of the number of females in these patches. Based on experiments using a novel multi-choice design, our results show that preference for group size can change due to interaction of two separate factors. This work is a first attempt to understand the role of aquatic flora in determining shoaling preferences in zebrafish, using an experimental paradigm consisting of a gradation in female and vegetation densities.

SUBMITTER: Ghoshal A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7807030 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Group size and aquatic vegetation modulates male preferences for female shoals in wild zebrafish, Danio rerio.

Ghoshal Aditya A Bhat Anuradha A

Scientific reports 20210113 1

Shoaling decisions in the wild are determined by a combination of innate preferences of the individual along with the interplay of multiple ecological factors. In their natural habitat as well as in the laboratory, zebrafish is a shoaling fish. Here, we investigate the role of group size and associated vegetation in shaping shoaling preferences of wild male zebrafish. We studied the association preference of males to groups of female shoals in a multi-choice test design. We found that males made ...[more]

PMID: 33441931

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Project description:The vertebrate nonapeptide vasotocin/vasopressin is evolutionarily highly conserved and acts as neuromodulator and endocrine/paracrine signaling molecule. Circumstantial and mechanistic evidence from pharmacological manipulations of the vasotocin system in several teleost fishes suggest sex- and species-specific reproductive roles of vasotocin. While effects of vasotocin on teleost reproductive physiology involve both courtship behaviors and the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axes, comprehensive studies investigating behavioral and physiological reproductive consequences of genetic ablation of vasotocin in a genetically tractable fish model, such as the zebrafish, are currently lacking. Here, we report the generation of homozygous CRISPR/Cas9-based vasotocin gene knock-out zebrafish. Breeding pairs of vasotocin knock-out fish produce significantly fewer fertilized eggs per clutch compared to wildtype fish, an effect coincident with reduced female quivering courtship behavior. Crossbreeding experiments reveal that this reproductive phenotype is entirely female-dependent, as vasotocin-deficient males reproduce normally when paired with female wild-type fish. Histological analyses of vasotocin knock-out ovaries revealed an overall reduction in oocytes and differential distribution of oocyte maturation stages, demonstrating that the reproductive phenotype is linked to oocyte maturation and release. Ovarian hormone quantification and gene expression analysis in mutant fish indicated reduced synthesis of Prostaglandin F2α, a hormone involved in ovarian maturation, egg release and regulation of female courtship behavior in some cyprinids. However, acute injection of vasotocin did not rescue the female mutant reproductive phenotype, suggesting a contribution of organizational effects of vasotocin. Together, this study provides further support for emerging roles of vasotocin in female teleost reproduction in an important teleost model species.

Dataset Information

Group size and aquatic vegetation modulates male preferences for female shoals in wild zebrafish, Danio rerio.

Publications

Group size and aquatic vegetation modulates male preferences for female shoals in wild zebrafish, Danio rerio.

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