斑马鱼化学警示信号的功能特性及对行为的影响

Functional characteristics of zebrafish (Danio rerio) chemical alarm signals and their effects on behavior

  • 摘要:
    目的 为了探究鱼类皮肤释放的化学警示信号的功能特性和行为影响效应。
    方法 采用行为测试方法,探究斑马鱼化学警示信号的功能特性及长期连续刺激对斑马鱼焦虑和探索行为的影响。
    结果 斑马鱼警示物质细胞在表皮呈细胞质PAS阴性染色,而细胞核呈蓝紫色染色。皮肤提取物(5.5 mg/mL)刺激下斑马鱼表现出僵滞和潜底的行为特征;不同稀释倍数(10、30、50和100×)或25 °C放置不同时长(2、4、6、8 h)下的行为结果表明,100×稀释或放置6~8 h下斑马鱼的僵滞和潜底行为与原液浓度相比发生显著降低,与蒸馏水组无显著区别;对斑马鱼进行以上不同稀释倍数的长期连续刺激(10和20 d),结果表明,随着刺激时间延长,斑马鱼焦虑行为显著增强;且皮肤提取液浓度越高,斑马鱼的探索性越低、焦虑行为越明显。
    结论 斑马鱼警示信号细胞位于皮肤表皮,化学警示信号刺激下个体表现为僵滞、潜底的行为特征;最低有效作用浓度和作用时长分别为0.1 mg/mL和25 °C放置4 h;长时间的高浓度刺激能够显著增加斑马鱼的焦虑行为并降低个体的探索性。本实验可为探究鱼类化学警示信号功能特性和鱼类行为特征提供理论基础,同时为鱼类的行为驯化奠定行为学基础。

     

    Abstract: Chemical alarm signals (CAS), released from fish skin upon predator-induced physical damage to provoke fright behavior, play a critical role in enhancing individual survival in natural environments and is a potential tool for behavioral domestication of hatchery-reared fish prior to restocking. However, the behavioral impacts of prolonged and high-concentration CAS exposure remain poorly understood. Using Danio rerio as a model, this study investigated the functional characteristics of CAS and its long-term effects of different concentrations and treatment duration on fish anxiety and exploration behaviors through a series of behavioral assays (fright reaction, novel tank diving, light-dark, and novel object tests). PAS staining results revealed that D. rerio alarm substance cells are localized in the epidermal middle layer with colorless cytoplasm and blue-purple nuclei. In the fright reaction behavior test, skin extract (5.5 mg/mL of stock concentration) significantly increased the duration of initial freezing (244 and 0 s, respectively), total freezing time (244 and 0 s, respectively), and bottom-dwelling (300 and 144 s, respectively) compared to the distilled water control (P<0.05). Dilution experiments demonstrated that 10-fold, 30-fold, and 50-fold dilutions (0.11-0.55 mg/mL) retained CAS efficacy, whereas 100-fold dilution as 0.055 mg/mL concentration markedly reduced freezing and bottom-dwelling behaviors (P<0.05), as no significance compared to distilled water control (P>0.05). CAS stored at 25 °C remained effective for less than 4 h (P>0.05), with significant behavioral attenuation after 6-8 h (P<0.05). The experimental results of long-term continuous stimulation (10 and 20 d) with different dilution (10-fold, 50-fold dilutions, and stock) factors in D. rerio demonstrated that prolonged stimulation duration significantly enhanced anxiety-like behaviors as the latency for entering the top area gradually increased (P<0.05). Moreover, higher concentrations of skin extract (e.g. 5.5 mg/mL stimulation for 20 d) induced greater reductions in exploratory behavior and more pronounced anxiety-like responses in D. rerio (P<0.05). This results reveal that while utilizing the behavioral response characteristics of CAS for stock enhancement behavior conditioning, the long-term effects of high concentrations on fish anxiety and exploratory behaviors must also be considered to avoid counterproductive outcomes. Overall, this study not only advances understanding of concentration-dependent CAS effects on fish behavior but also provides a behavioral framework for conditioning hatchery fish prior to wild release.

     

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