Abstract
Many fishes of the superorder Ostariophysi (and members of their prey guild) possess chemical alarm signals or alarm pheromones (Smith, 1992; Mathis and Smith, 1993; Brown and Godin, 1997; Brown and Smith, 1997; Chivers and Smith, 1998; Brown and Brennan, 2000), which are sequestered in specialized epidermal club cells (Smith, 1992). Although controversial (Magurran et al., 1996; Smith, 1997; Brown and Godin, 1999a), there exists considerable evidence for the anti-predator function of alarm pheromones for both signal senders and receivers in Ostariophysan fishes (Smith, 1992; Chivers and Smith, 1998; Brown and Godin, 1999b). When detected by nearby conspecifics and sympatric heterospecifics, the alarm pheromone(s) elicits responses characterized by an increase in a variety of species-specific, anti-predator behaviors such as refuging, shoaling and immobility (Chivers and Smith, 1998).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Axelrod, H. R., and Vonderwinkler, W., 1983, Encyclopedia of Tropical Fishes. T.F.H. Publications: Neptune City, N.J.
Brown, G. E., and Brennan, S., 2000, Chemical alarm signals in juvenile green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus, Centrarchidae). Copeia 2000:1079–1082.
Brown, G. E., and Godin, J.-G.J., 1997, Anti-predator response to conspecific and heterospecific skin extracts by threespine sticklebacks: Alarm pheromones revisited, Behaviour 134:1123–1134.
Brown, G. E., and Godin, J.-G. J., 1999a, Chemical alarm signals in wild Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata), Can. J. Zool. 77:562–570.
Brown, G. E., and Godin, J.-G. J., 1999b, Who dares, learns: Chemical inspection behaviour and acquired predator recognition in a characin fish, Anim. Behav. 57:475–481.
Brown, G. E., and Smith, R. J. F., 1997, Conspecific skin extract elicits antipredator behaviour in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Can. J. Zool. 75:1916–1922.
Brown, G. E., Adrian, J. C. Jr., Smyth, E., Leet, H., and Brennan, S., 2000, Ostariophysan alarm pheromones: Laboratory and field tests of the functional significance of nitrogen oxides. J. Chem. Ecol. 26:139–154.
Brown, G. E., Godin, J.-G. J., and Pedersen, J., 1999, Fin-flicking behaviour: a visual antipredator alarm signal in a characin fish, Hemigrammus erythrozonus Anim. Behav. 58:469–475.
Chivers, D. P., and Smith, R. J. F., 1998, Chemical alarm signalling in aquatic predator-prey systems: A review and prospectus, Écoscience 5:338–352.
Fink, S. V., and Fink, W. L., 1981, Interrelationships of the Ostariophysan fishes (Teleosti) Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 72:297–353.
Hazlett, B. A., 1997, The organisation of behaviour in hermit crabs: Response to variation in stimulus strength, Behaviour 134:59–70.
Kats, L. B., and Dill, L. M., 1998, The scent of death: Chemosensory assessment of predation risk by prey animals. Écoscience 5:361–394.
Kawashima, H., and Kumashrio, I., 1969, Studies of purine N-oxides. III. The synthesis of purine-N-oxides. Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 42:750–755.
Lawrence, B., and Smith, R. J. F., 1989, The behavioral response of solitary fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas, to alarm substance, J. Chem. Ecol. 15:209–219.
Magurran, A. E., Irving, P. W., and Henderson, P. A., 1996, Is there a fish alarm pheromone? A wild study and critique, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. B. 263:1551–1556.
Mathis, A., and Smith, R. J. F., 1993, Intraspecific and cross-superorder responses to chemical alarm signals by brook sticklebacks (Culaea inconstans), Ecology 74:2395–2404.
Nelson, J. S., 1994, Fishes of the World (3rd ed.) John Wiley and Sons: New York.
Orti, G., and Meyer, A., 1997, The radiation of characiform fishes and the limits of resolution of mitochondrial ribosomal DNA sequences, Syst. Biol. 46:75–100.
Pfeiffer, W., 1977, The distribution of fright reaction and alarm substance cells in fishes Copeia 1977: 653–665.
Pfeiffer, W., Riegelbauer, G., Meier, G., and Scheibler, B., 1985, Effect of hypoxanthine-3-N-oxide and hypoxanthine-1-N-oxide on the central nervous excitation of the black tetra, Gymnocorymbus ternetzi (Characidae, Ostariophysi, Pisces) indicated by dorsal light response, J. Chem. Ecol. 11:507–523.
Robins, C. R., Bailey, R. M., Bond, C. E., Brooker, J. R., Lachner, E. A., Leau, R. N., and Scott, W.B., 1991, World fishes important to North Americans, exclusive of species from the continental waters of the United States and Canada, Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. 21:243.
Smith, R. J. F., 1992, Alarm signals in fishes, Rev. Fish Biol. Fish. 2:33–63.
Smith, R. J. F., 1997, Does one result trump all others? A response to Magurran, Irving and Henderson, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. B. 264:445–450.
Stryer, L., 1981, Biochemistry. W. H. Freeman: San Fransisco.
Wisenden, B. D., and Smith, R. J. F., 1997, The effect of physical condition and shoalmate familiarity on proliferation of alarm substance cells in the epidermis of fathead minnows, J. Fish Biol. 50:799–808.
Wölcke, U., and Brown, G. B., 1969, Purine N-oxides. XXII. On the structure of 3-hydroxyxanthine and Guanine 3-N-oxide, J. Org. Chem. 34:978–981.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Brown, G.E., Adrian, J.C., Kaufman, I.H., Erickson, J.L., Gershaneck, D. (2001). Responses to Nitrogen-Oxides by Characiforme Fishes Suggest Evolutionary Conservation in Ostariophysan Alarm Pheromones. In: Marchlewska-Koj, A., Lepri, J.J., Müller-Schwarze, D. (eds) Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 9. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0671-3_41
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0671-3_41
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5187-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-0671-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive