Vasan, Tanvi and Das, Prantik and Varma, Vishwanath and Tiwari, Anjani and Prakash, Archana and Manilal, Devika and Thomas, Liju and Arjun, CP and Philip, Siby and Raghavan, Rajeev and Binoy, VV
(2021)
Captivity-induced behaviour and spatial learning abilities in an enigmatic, aquifer-dwelling blind eel, Rakthamichthys digressus.
bioRxiv.
| Abstract: |
We investigated the impact of captive life on behaviour and learning abilities in an enigmatic, aquifer-dwelling blind eel, Rakthamichthys digressus. Of eight major behavioural traits related to exploration and activity in a novel arena, four were significantly altered by life in captivity. While the startle response upon introduction into the arena and overall swimming away from the walls increased after captivity, inactivity exhibited immediately after the startle and the reaction to an external disturbance decreased. We also observed behavioural syndromes between ‘startle responses’ and ‘horizontal wall following’, and between ‘overall activity’ and ‘vertical wall following’; however, these behavioural syndromes were not altered by maintenance in captivity. Interestingly, this blind-eel failed to learn a simple spatial task in a Y-maze apparatus. Captive-associated behavioural changes in R. digressus may influence their survival after reintroduction into natural habitats, and such changes must be taken into account while developing protocols for ex-situ conservation and subsequent release. |
| Item Type: |
Journal Paper
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| Subjects: |
School of Natural and Engineering Sciences > Cognition |
| Divisions: |
Schools > Natural Sciences and Engineering |
| Date Deposited: |
22 Aug 2023 07:01 |
| Last Modified: |
22 Aug 2023 07:01 |
| Official URL: |
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.12... |
| Related URLs: |
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| Funders: |
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| Projects: |
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| DOI: |
https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.12.448170 |
| URI: |
http://eprints.nias.res.in/id/eprint/2541 |
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