Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10818861 | Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology | 2013 | 6 Pages |
Abstract
In natural spawning grounds, breeding round goby, Neogobius melanostomus, males are exposed to various social stimuli, including high density of same-sex competitors and separation from females. We hypothesize that breeding males subjected to overcrowding in the wild experience high stress that affects their socio-sexual behavior and their relationships among conspecifics. We designed an experiment to mimic natural stimulation when highly aggregated breeding males are subjected to same-sex opponents. Males were sampled sequentially from experimental tank stocked at decreasing fish densities of 15 fish/m2, 9 fish/m2 and 4 fish/m2. We studied the effects of overcrowding on male behavior and selected hormones, brain arginine vasotocin (AVT) and isotocin (IT) and plasma 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) and cortisol as these are known to play roles in reproduction and related social interactions. The highest brain AVT and plasma cortisol levels were measured in non-aggressive males kept in the overcrowded group of 15 fish/m2. IT level was elevated in fish kept at the lower density of 9 fish/m2, and at which the males began to display territoriality and aggression. The plasma level of 11-KT was similar in all the males. Brain AVT and IT and plasma cortisol along with behavioral observations can be applied as species-specific indicators of the well-being of round goby males.
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Authors
Ewa SokoÅowska, Agnieszka KleszczyÅska, Hanna Kalamarz-Kubiak, BartÅomiej Arciszewski, Ewa Kulczykowska,