Meeting Abstract

34.2  Sunday, Jan. 5 08:30  Trade-offs between salinity preference and anti-predator behaviors in a euryhaline fish (Poecilia latipinna) TIETZE, SM*; GERALD, GW; Nebraska Wesleyan University shaunatietze@hotmail.com

Studies examining how animals balance conflicting physiological and behavioral demands provide valuable insight into how natural selection shapes the behavior of animals in their environment. Salinity preference and responses to predatory chemical cues were examined both separately and simultaneously in sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna), a freshwater species known to be euryhaline. We hypothesized that mollies would favor predator avoidance over salinity preference when presented with both demands. However, our results suggest that, despite being euryhaline, these fishes preferred lower salinities (freshwater), even if there were chemical cues from a crayfish predator present in freshwater. Our results raise questions pertaining to the potential stress saltwater places on freshwater fishes that are supposedly euryhaline and whether or not it is an advantageous strategy that can be utilized to avoid predators. This study sheds light on the potential benefits and consequences of being salt tolerant or intolerant and complicates our understanding of the selection pressures that have favored the different physiological mechanisms that permit euryhaline abilities in fishes.