Electric pulse characteristics can enable species recognition in African weakly electric fish species
- Communication is key to a wide variety of animal behaviours and multiple modalities are often involved in this exchange of information from sender to receiver. The communication of African weakly electric fish, however, is thought to be predominantly unimodal and is mediated by their electric sense, in which species-specific electric organ discharges (EODs) are generated in a context-dependent and thus variable sequence of pulse intervals (SPI). While the primary function of the electric sense is considered to be electrolocation, both of its components likely carry information regarding identity of the sender. However, a clear understanding of their contribution to species recognition is incomplete. We therefore analysed these two electrocommunication components (EOD waveform and SPI statistics) in two sympatric mormyrid Campylomormyrus species. In a set of five playback conditions, we further investigated which components may drive interspecific recognition and discrimination. While we found that both electrocommunication componentsCommunication is key to a wide variety of animal behaviours and multiple modalities are often involved in this exchange of information from sender to receiver. The communication of African weakly electric fish, however, is thought to be predominantly unimodal and is mediated by their electric sense, in which species-specific electric organ discharges (EODs) are generated in a context-dependent and thus variable sequence of pulse intervals (SPI). While the primary function of the electric sense is considered to be electrolocation, both of its components likely carry information regarding identity of the sender. However, a clear understanding of their contribution to species recognition is incomplete. We therefore analysed these two electrocommunication components (EOD waveform and SPI statistics) in two sympatric mormyrid Campylomormyrus species. In a set of five playback conditions, we further investigated which components may drive interspecific recognition and discrimination. While we found that both electrocommunication components are species-specific, the cues necessary for species recognition differ between the two species studied. While the EOD waveform and SPI were both necessary and sufficient for species recognition in C. compressirostris males, C. tamandua males apparently utilize other, non-electric modalities. Mapped onto a recent phylogeny, our results suggest that discrimination by electric cues alone may be an apomorphic trait evolved during a recent radiation in this taxon.…
Author details: | Rebecca NagelORCiDGND, Frank KirschbaumORCiDGND, Volker Hofmann, Jacob Engelmann, Ralph TiedemannORCiDGND |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-29132-z |
ISSN: | 2045-2322 |
Title of parent work (English): | Scientific Reports |
Publisher: | Nature Publishing Group |
Place of publishing: | London |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Date of first publication: | 2018/07/17 |
Publication year: | 2018 |
Release date: | 2018/10/10 |
Tag: | Acoustic-Signals; Convergent Evolution; Dwelling Atlantic Mollies; Hypopomus-Occidentalis; Mormyrid Fish; Organ Discharge Patterns; Phylogenetic-Relationships; Poecili-Mexicana; Pollimyrus-Isidori; Sexual Selection |
Volume: | 8 |
First page: | 1 |
Last Page: | 12 |
Funding institution: | Universität Potsdam, Publikationsfonds |
Funding number: | PA 2018_40 |
Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Biochemie und Biologie |
DDC classification: | 6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 60 Technik |
5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 50 Naturwissenschaften / 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik | |
Peer review: | Referiert |
Grantor: | Publikationsfonds der Universität Potsdam |
Publishing method: | Open Access |
License (German): | CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International |
External remark: | Zweitveröffentlichung in der Schriftenreihe Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe ; 470 |