Meeting Abstract

62.2  Jan. 7  Behavioral syndromes and adaptation to captivity in the zebrafish, Danio rerio OSWALD, M.E.*; ROBISON, B.D.; University of Idaho; University of Idaho oswa2750@uidaho.edu

Behavioral syndromes are defined as individual consistency in a suite of behaviors across multiple situations (e.g. being very bold regardless of whether predators are present or absent). The concept of behavioral syndromes has significant implications for behavioral evolution. In particular, behavioral adaptation to captivity (i.e. the process of domestication) may be effectively studied in the context of behavioral syndromes. In this study, we analyzed behavioral responses to varying levels of potentially threatening stimuli across four strains of zebrafish that varied in their domestication histories. We found significant variation among strains in their willingness to obtain food from the surface of the water (feeding latency) as well as in the degree of reaction to varying threat levels. In general, wild zebrafish were slower to begin feeding than domesticated zebrafish. Wild zebrafish were also more sensitive to potentially threatening stimuli and altered their feeding latency at a lower threshold of threat than laboratory strains. We observed significant correlations within strains, both among behaviors and within behaviors across situations. The exact pattern of correlations, however, varied by strain, a result seen previously in several other taxa. Our results suggest that behavioral syndromes do exist in zebrafish, and that these syndromes may be relevant during adaptation to captivity.