BERGMAN, D.A.*; MOORE, P.A.; Bowling Green State University; Bowling Green State University: Prolonged exposure to social odors alters subsequent social interactions in crayfish
Chemical signals are used to communicate social status and can consequently alter aggressive behavior. Here we demonstrate that the exposure to social odors, in the absence of other sensory contact with a sender, alters subsequent social behavior. It appears as though communication is not the only purpose of chemical signals; they may also influence or reinforce the status role of a receiver. In this study, crayfish were exposed to one of four different social odors: odors from a dominant, subordinate, or na�ve crayfish, and tank water (no social odor). The odor treatments were produced by ensuring that crayfish had a winning (dominant odor), losing (subordinate odor), or no fight experiences (na�ve odor) on five consecutive days. Afterwards, the treatment crayfish were placed into a tank from which water was slowly transferred to a receiving tank. Crayfish within the odor-receiving tank were exposed to a specific social odor for five days. After this exposure period, the receiver crayfish interacted with a na�ve crayfish. Crayfish that were exposed to dominant odors behaved analogous to a subordinate role and lost the majority of fights. Conversely, crayfish exposed to subordinate odors acted aggressively and subsequently won more encounters. Our results demonstrate that agonistic experiences alter social-status odors, which in turn modify the subsequent social behavior of odor receivers and causes them to behave as a converse of the odor sender. Since social interactions in decapods are correlated with neurochemical serotonin alterations, we suggest that short-term exposure to social odors communicate these changes in some form, whereas long-term exposure may alter the functioning of serotonin or other biogenic amine in the receiving crayfish nervous system. Consequently, exposures to status odors appear to be largely responsible for dominance-subordinance relationships.
