Synopsis
We compared the behavioural responses of solitary and shoaling lake whitefish, Coregonus clupeaformis, to Cd solutions, testing the hypothesis that fish are more responsive to contaminant gradients when in a shoal than when alone. The movements of individual fish were tracked in a countercurrent-type trough with clean water on one side, and water containing sequentially increasing Cd concentrations (0.2–125 μg l−1) on the other; the tracked fish was either alone, or within a shoal of four fish. We quantified a number of parameters derived from elements of locomotor behaviour and spatial selection (including the percent-time spent on the Cd-treated side) as potential indicators of response. Individuals in shoals responded to Cd more strongly and at lower concentrations than did solitary fish. While this was indicated by stronger avoidance of Cd, other response measures associated with escape behaviour illustrated this difference more clearly. Our results suggest that the social influence of shoaling enhances a fish's ability to respond to the presence of contaminants.
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McNicol, R.E., Scherer, E. & Gee, J.H. Shoaling enhances cadmium avoidance by lake whitefish, Coregonus clupeaformis . Environ Biol Fish 47, 311–319 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00000503
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00000503