Speaker
Description
The ability to associate environmental cues with specific outcomes is vital for survival, influencing foraging and predator avoidance. Contextual learning allows animals to link stimuli with their broader environment, facilitating adaptive responses to dynamic ecological conditions. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of contextual learning in two evolutionarily distant aquatic species—the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) and the common backswimmer (Notonecta glauca)—under varying light intensities.
Experiments were conducted using T-maze aquaria with 21 N. glauca and 27 P. reticulata. Individuals underwent 20 repetitions, alternating between high and low light intensities. Food rewards were associated with specific color markers (yellow or black) and light levels. Learning performance was measured through parameters including the time to start searching (TST), time to enter the target arm (ETA), and time spent in the reward zone (TTA). Both species demonstrated contextual learning, evidenced by a significant reduction in ETA and an increase in TTA over successive trials. Significant individual behavioral types (personality) were observed; in backswimmers, all "bold" individuals were males and were exclusively fast learners. In guppies, higher light intensity significantly decreased the time taken to initiate feeding activity, suggesting brighter conditions facilitate foraging. These findings suggest that cognitive plasticity is a critical factor for survival in ecosystems facing anthropogenic changes, such as artificial light pollution.
| Are you participating to the "AnaEE Environmental Rising Star Award "? | No |
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