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Spatial cognition in zebrafish: the role of strain and rearing environment

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Abstract

Two strains of zebrafish, WIK and a second-generation wild strain were reared in either a structurally simple or complex environment and compared in their ability to locate a food reward in a five-chambered maze. There was a significant interaction within subjects between rearing environment and trial, indicating that the consistency of learning varied depending on rearing environment, with those reared in a structurally simple environment showing a slower rate of learning. Fish of both strains reared in a structurally complex environment were smaller than those reared in a simple environment. Our study demonstrates, for the first time in zebrafish, that performance in a learning task as an adult is sensitive to rearing conditions during development.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Culum Brown and Martin Reichard for their comments on an earlier version of the manuscript and to Robin Wilson for statistical advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, UK

    Rowena Spence, Anne E. Magurran & Carl Smith

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  1. Rowena Spence
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  2. Anne E. Magurran
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  3. Carl Smith
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Correspondence to Rowena Spence.

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Spence, R., Magurran, A.E. & Smith, C. Spatial cognition in zebrafish: the role of strain and rearing environment. Anim Cogn 14, 607–612 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-011-0391-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-011-0391-8

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