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Machnik, Peter ; Kramer, Bernd

Novel electrosensory advertising during diurnal resting period in male snoutfish, Marcusenius altisambesi (Mormyridae, Teleostei)

Machnik, Peter und Kramer, Bernd (2011) Novel electrosensory advertising during diurnal resting period in male snoutfish, Marcusenius altisambesi (Mormyridae, Teleostei). Journal of Ethology 29 (1), S. 131-142.

Veröffentlichungsdatum dieses Volltextes: 28 Jan 2011 11:45
Artikel
DOI zum Zitieren dieses Dokuments: 10.5283/epub.19303


Zusammenfassung

During the day, weakly electric snoutfish, such as Marcusenius altisambesi from the Okavango delta, avoid visually oriented predators by hiding in sheltered, dark places where they discharge their electric organs at a low and variable rate, interspersed with occasional short bursts (mean discharge rate, 4-12 Hz). Hence, histograms of inter-discharge intervals (IDI) are broad and bimodal (IDI ...

During the day, weakly electric snoutfish, such as Marcusenius altisambesi from the Okavango delta, avoid visually oriented predators by hiding in sheltered, dark places where they discharge their electric organs at a low and variable rate, interspersed with occasional short bursts (mean discharge rate, 4-12 Hz). Hence, histograms of inter-discharge intervals (IDI) are broad and bimodal (IDI range, about 15-500 ms; "variable IDI pattern"). We report here that with a female neighbor in electrical communication reach, captive males of M. altisambesi (N = 4) each showed a novel type of IDI resting pattern that was characterized by a higher and more constant discharge rate (16-28 Hz). These IDI histograms were unimodal and narrow (IDI range, about 11-100 ms; "regularized IDI pattern"). In each of these males, the regularized pattern vanished when the female neighbors were replaced by males, and the common variable IDI pattern of low rate was observed instead. In an unforced choice paradigm, six M. altisambesi experimental females were allowed to choose between two electric fish decoys, one playing back the novel regularized IDI pattern and one playing back the variable IDI pattern. Five experimental females significantly preferred staying close to the decoy playing back the regularized IDI pattern, whereas one female showed the opposite preference. It appears that males advertise to females during their diurnal period of overt inactivity, with an inconspicuous signal that neither threatens conspecifics nor alerts predators by overt behavior. A secondary function of the regularized male IDI pattern could be to advance the reproductive cycle of females.



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Details

DokumentenartArtikel
Titel eines Journals oder einer ZeitschriftJournal of Ethology
Verlag:SPRINGER JAPAN KK
Ort der Veröffentlichung:TOKYO
Band:29
Nummer des Zeitschriftenheftes oder des Kapitels:1
Seitenbereich:S. 131-142
Datum2011
InstitutionenBiologie und Vorklinische Medizin > Institut für Zoologie > Entpflichtet bzw. im Ruhestand > Verhaltensbiologie und Verhaltensphysiologie (Prof. Dr. Bernd Kramer)
Identifikationsnummer
WertTyp
10.1007/s10164-010-0235-zDOI
Stichwörter / KeywordsELECTRIC ORGAN DISCHARGE; GNATHONEMUS-PETERSII MORMYRIDAE; SOUTH-AFRICAN FORM; ALLOPATRIC DIFFERENTIATION; MACROLEPIDOTUS MORMYRIDAE; REPRODUCTIVE-BEHAVIOR; POLLIMYRUS-ISIDORI; FISH; COMMUNICATION; COURTSHIP; Electric organ discharge; Electrocommunication; Reproductive cycle; Sexual attraction; Male advertisement signal; Regularized discharge pattern
Dewey-Dezimal-Klassifikation500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik > 590 Tiere (Zoologie)
500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik > 590 Tiere (Zoologie)
StatusVeröffentlicht
BegutachtetJa, diese Version wurde begutachtet
An der Universität Regensburg entstandenJa
URN der UB Regensburgurn:nbn:de:bvb:355-epub-193035
Dokumenten-ID19303

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