Presentation Details
| Social Competition Influences Brain Oxidative Stress in a Social Cichlid Fish Tyler Beyett, Olivia Buzinski, Farjana Chamily, Benjamin Vanderklok, Peter Dijkstra. Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA |
Abstract
The cost of social dominance and reproduction has received considerable interest in understanding the basis of life history trade-offs. Past studies often focus on how competition influences oxidative stress in peripheral tissues, with little attention paid to its impact on the brain despite brain redox balance having important behavioral implications. We used the highly social cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni to investigate this knowledge gap. Dominant males have an upregulated reproductive axis and exhibit intense territorial behavior. Conversely, subordinate males are nonterritorial and reproductively suppressed. We altered the distance between territories to influence the degree of territoriality in group-housed dominant males. We assessed oxidative stress parameters in macrodissected brain divisions and found treatment- and status-level effects in total glutathione levels, in addition to a positive association with relative gonad size. The results of this study provide insight into the link between the social environment and the regulation of brain redox homeostasis.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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