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Behavioural response of adult sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) to predator and conspecific alarm cues: evidence of additive effects

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Abstract

Sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus, an invasive pest in the Upper Great Lakes, avoid odours that represent danger in their habitat. These odours include conspecific alarm cues and predator cues, like 2-phenylethylamine hydrochloride (PEA HCl), which is found in the urine of mammalian predators. Whether conspecific alarm cues and predator cues function additively or synergistically when mixed together is unknown. The objectives of this experimental study were to determine if the avoidance response of sea lamprey to PEA HCl is proportional to the concentration delivered, and if the avoidance response to the combination of a predator cue (PEA HCl) and sea lamprey alarm cue is additive. To accomplish the first objective, groups of ten sea lampreys were placed in an artificial stream channel and presented with stepwise concentrations of PEA HCl ranging from 5 × 10−8 to 5 × 10−10 M and a deionized water control. Sea lampreys exhibited an increase in their avoidance behaviour in response to increasing concentrations of PEA HCl. To accomplish the second objective, sea lampreys were exposed to PEA HCl, conspecific alarm cue and a combination of the two. Sea lampreys responded to the combination of predator cue and conspecific alarm cue in an additive manner.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Michael Hansen and the employees of the Hammond Bay Biological Station for their assistance. We would like to specifically thank A. Miehls for loaning us St. Marys sea lampreys to complete this experiment, E. Larson for his assistance in configuring and maintaining our holding tanks, and K. Slaght for help in the laboratory. We are grateful to S. Miehls and G. Bravener for coordinating the delivery of experimental subjects. Feedback from J.W.A. Grant, C.O. Brant and two anonymous reviewers greatly improved this manuscript. Finally, we would like to thank H. McClure and E. Jordbro for their hard work in the stream channels and analyzing videos. The Great Lakes Fishery Commission provided funding for this research. Concordia International generously provided financial assistance to R. Di Rocco to conduct this research. This manuscript is contribution number 1935 of the Great Lakes Science Center. Mention of trademark names does not infer endorsement by the US Federal Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada

    Richard T. Di Rocco & Grant E. Brown

  2. Biology Department, Algoma University, 1520 Queen St. East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2G4, Canada

    István Imre

  3. Great Lakes Science Center, USGS, Hammond Bay Biological Station, 11188 Ray Road, Millersburg, MI, 49759, USA

    Nicholas S. Johnson

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  1. Richard T. Di Rocco
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  2. István Imre
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Correspondence to István Imre.

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Handling editor: Lee B. Kats

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Di Rocco, R.T., Imre, I., Johnson, N.S. et al. Behavioural response of adult sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) to predator and conspecific alarm cues: evidence of additive effects. Hydrobiologia 767, 279–287 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2508-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2508-6

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