Electrocommununication in social groups of weakly electric fish: a comparison of Mormyrus rume and Marcusenius altisambesi (Mormyridae, Teleostei)
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1
University of Bonn, Zoology, Germany
African mormyrid fish generate and receive low-voltage electric signals (electric organ discharges, EODs) to sense nearby objects and for electrocommunication. With epidermal electroreceptors fish can perceive the highly stereotyped species-specific EOD waveforms of conspecifics, and thus can recognise each others presence and identity. In addition, Mormyrids can vary the inter-discharge intervals (IDIs) and create temporal situation dependent discharge patterns for electrocommunication.
We investigated this special type of communication in two homogeneous groups of freely swimming weakly electric fish, Mormyrus rume (5 individuals) and Marcusenius altisambesi (4 individuals). Depending on the fishs’ positions in the experimental tank, it was possible to assign each recorded EOD to an individual sender. Thus, we could study the electrocommunication behaviour of every single group member in detail.
During different situations like resting, foraging and aggressive encounters, we searched for behaviourally caused temporal patterns of IDIs between the fishes. The analysed sequences showed that both species performed complex situation-specific communication patterns, such as synchronised discharging, signalling in a fixed order or echo-responses between neighbours. By comparing the communication patterns of the two species, we found similarities, e.g. in fixed-order signalling, as well as differences, such as different IDI-patterns during resting or during aggressive encounters. For example during aggressive displays, M. rume showed extremely short IDIs that slowly increased in duration, a behaviour which was never found in M. altisambesi.
Our results indicate that electrocommunication in group-living weakly electric fish plays an important role during social interactions and is highly complex.
Keywords:
electric organ discharges,
electrocommunication,
group living,
interpulse interval,
temporal pattern
Conference:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation (see alternatives below as well)
Topic:
Communication
Citation:
Gebhardt
K,
Böhme
M and
Von Der Emde
G
(2012). Electrocommununication in social groups of weakly electric fish: a comparison of Mormyrus rume and Marcusenius altisambesi (Mormyridae, Teleostei).
Conference Abstract:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00235
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Received:
30 Apr 2012;
Published Online:
07 Jul 2012.
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Correspondence:
Dr. Gerhard Von Der Emde, University of Bonn, Zoology, Bonn, 53115, Germany, vonderemde@uni-bonn.de