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The ontogeny of chemically mediated antipredator responses of fathead minnows Pimephales promelas
Author(s) -
CarreauGreen N. D.,
Mirza R. S.,
MartÍnez M. L.,
Pyle G. G.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2008.02092.x
Subject(s) - ontogeny , pimephales promelas , biology , alarm , larva , zoology , haematoxylin , ecology , staining , fishery , genetics , materials science , fish <actinopterygii> , minnow , composite material
The antipredator responses of adult and larval fathead minnows Pimephales promelas to chemical alarm cues prepared throughout ontogeny were tested using various behavioural assays. Larval epidermis was also examined during ontogeny using standard haematoxylin and eosin staining techniques. Adults elicited an antipredator response to chemical alarm cue made from larvae as young as 8–17 days post‐hatch. Interestingly, larvae did not possess visible club cells until 28–37 days post‐hatch and did not respond to conspecific chemical alarm cue until 48–57 days post‐hatch. These results suggest that chemical alarm cue may not be contained within club cells and that the components of larval and adult chemical alarm cue may be similar throughout ontogeny.