(39) Recent stressful experiences can influence the behavior of the Gambusia affinis

     Recent stressful experiences can influence the behavior of many species. For example, encountering a dangerous predator might cause an individual to behave more cautiously in the future. To explore how recent... [ view full abstract ]

     Recent stressful experiences can influence the behavior of many species. For example, encountering a dangerous predator might cause an individual to behave more cautiously in the future. To explore how recent stressful experiences with predators can alter behavior, we manipulated the predation risk perceived by field collected mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). We exposed mosquitofish to either cues of no predation, low predation, or high predation by chasing fish with a model of a largemouth bass as well as adding chemical cues. After two days of predation cues, we tested these individuals in a suite of behavioral assays measuring exploration, sociality, and risk-taking. Surprisingly, we found that recent experiences with predator cues did not carry over to affect behavior in other contexts. Regardless of whether they had recently encountered predator cues or not, individuals showed similar exploratory behavior in a novel environment, social behavior towards conspecifics, and reactions to a model predator. Interestingly, for some behaviors fish showed evidence of personality and tended to behave similarly across contexts. We also found that an individual’s size affected their risk-taking behavior in response to a model predator. Taken together, our results suggest that mosquitofish do not rely strongly on their recent experiences to modify their behavior. Since all fish in this study were collected from a high predation population, it is possible that their early previously-learned experiences might have played a major role in shaping their behavior, including their personality, with subsequent recent experiences having little influence.