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Conference papers
Embryonic predator-exposure potentially affects memory, feeding motivation and visual acuity during the first prey encounter of cuttlefish
Résumé : We are interested in quantifying the effects of prenatal stress on the development of behavior. Animals such as cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), which are oviparous and autonomous at birth, are ideal models for examining this phenomenon since the effects of stress will not be confounded with those of parental influence. We exposed cuttlefish eggs to a range of prenatal predatory stimuli designed to isolate specific aspects of a predatory stimulus: the smell of a predator (odor cue), moving objects that mimic fish (visual cue) and full predator exposure (odor and visual cues). We then evaluated the predatory behavior of cuttlefish during their first encounter with prey four days after hatching. Our findings have implications for juvenile memory, feeding motivation and visual acuity. Specifically, cuttlefish exposed to both visual and odor cues from predators were more likely to pursue their prey, rather than to lie in wait and ambush it. This result implies both improved short term memory and increased motivation to feed. Full predator exposure also appears to increase the distance at which a cuttlefish can detect prey, but decreases their accuracy in prey capture. The adaptive implications of these effects will be discussed and supplementary data regarding the influence of prenatal predator stress on body patterning will also be presented.
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02434055
Contributor : Umr6552 Ethos <>
Submitted on : Thursday, January 9, 2020 - 4:25:48 PM
Last modification on : Thursday, January 14, 2021 - 11:17:27 AM
Contributor : Umr6552 Ethos <>
Submitted on : Thursday, January 9, 2020 - 4:25:48 PM
Last modification on : Thursday, January 14, 2021 - 11:17:27 AM