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Chemical Alarm Signaling by Reticulate Sculpins, Cottus perplexus

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Abstract

The distribution and extent of chemical alarm signaling systems among some families of fishes, including the Cottidae, remains unclear. In laboratory experiments, we tested whether reticulate sculpins, Cottus perplexus, respond to chemical alarm signals released by injured conspecifics. Sculpins decreased movement following exposure to skin extracts from conspecifics, but did not respond to cues of syntopic speckled dace, Rhinichthyes osculus, or allotopic swordtails, Xiphophorous helleri. Additional tests demonstrated that the responses of sculpins to alarm cues were dependent on the hunger level of the test fish. Sculpins deprived of food for 2 days failed to respond to conspecific alarm cues, however, the same individuals fed to satiation did respond to alarm cues.

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Author notes

  1. Douglas P. Chivers

    Present address: Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, S7N 5E2, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maine, 5751 Murray Hall, Orono, ME, 04469-5751, U.S.A.

    Douglas P. Chivers & Matthew H. Puttlitz

  2. Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, 3029 Cordley Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331-2914, U.S.A.

    Andrew R. Blaustein

Authors
  1. Douglas P. Chivers
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  2. Matthew H. Puttlitz
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  3. Andrew R. Blaustein
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Chivers, D.P., Puttlitz, M.H. & Blaustein, A.R. Chemical Alarm Signaling by Reticulate Sculpins, Cottus perplexus . Environmental Biology of Fishes 57, 347–352 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007616212592

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