Spotted personality - connection between pigmentation and stress coping style in the Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus

Abstract

Pigmentation is a common cue in the animal kingdom, used, for example, to signal reproductive status, quality, and aggression. The Arctic charr is a salmonid fish, with an individual variation in skin coloration and spottiness. In this study we are looking at the connection between number of light-coloured spots and several aspects of behaviour in laboratory studies. Further, the physiological stress response was measured as plasma cortisol levels after a net constraint test and a confinement test. There were negative correlations between cortisol levels and activity levels. Individuals with low cortisol levels had a higher feeding activity and moved more both in the net and in confinement. Fish with the highest number of spots were the least active. Lowest cortisol levels were found in fish with an intermediate number of spots. Thus, there seems to be a complex connection between pigmentation and stress coping style in the Arctic charr which needs further investigation.

SLU Authors

• Magnhagen, Carin

  • Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Backström, Tobias

  • Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Winberg, Svante

  • Uppsala University

• Nilsson, Jan

  • Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Brännäs, Eva

  • Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Evolutionary Biology
Ecology

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/60885