Browsing by Author "Durland Donahou, Allison L."
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Item Does the presence of novel vs. familiar companions affect the social buffering response in Danio rerio?(Florida Southern College, 2022-05) Burnette, Stephanie; Bowers-Macrander, Ashley; Durland Donahou, Allison L.Social buffering is a phenomenon observed in social animals where the presence of a member from the same species alleviates the stress response by reducing the amount of stress an animal experiences, helping them to recover faster. Social buffering has been observed across vertebrate taxa, from primates, to birds, to fish. Zebrafish, Danio rerio, are a shoaling species –group living fish that form social bonds with other members. To test how familiarity within a group plays a role in social buffering, I exposed 18 zebrafish to a stressor in three treatments: 1) in pairs of new companions; 2) individually; and 3) in pairs where the fish are familiar with each other. After administering the stressor, chasing with a net, I observed the behavior of the fish for 20 minutes and scored four stress-related behaviors: erratic swimming, freezing, reduced exploration, and shoaling cohesion. The isolation treatment exhibited increased erratic movements and overall activity. The novel and familiar treatments did not significantly differ in any of the behaviors. The presence of conspecifics, whether or not they are familiar, seem to alleviate stress-related behaviors.Item Investigations into early larval feeding practices for the tiger barb Puntigrus tetrazona(Wiley, 2022-01) Lipscomb, Taylor N.; Durland Donahou, Allison L.; Yanong, Roy P.; Boldt, Noah C.; DiMaggio, Matthew A.The Tiger Barb Puntigrus tetrazona is one of the highest trade volume freshwater species in the ornamental fish industry. Culture of larval Tiger Barb is largely dependent on live feeds at first feeding and throughout early life stages, leading to increased cost relative to the use of commercially produced microparticulate diets (MDs). Potential for the successful culture of Tiger Barb by using MDs from first feeding was evaluated here, with a focus on the physiological characteristics that limit digestive capacity in larval cyprinids, as well as the hypothetical benefit of including feed attractants in formulated larval feeds. Comparable growth and survival were achieved for the first 14 d of feeding with one of three MDs when compared to feeding with brine shrimp Artemia spp. Histological preparation revealed evidence for a fully functional pharyngeal jaw structure, including pharyngeal teeth and a pharyngeal pad, from 6 d posthatch, which coincided with first feeding. The masticatory function of these structures likely facilitated the breakdown and subsequent utilization of the relatively complex macronutrients that are characteristic of MDs. Inclusion of top-coated potential attractants (tryptophan, taurine, trimethylglycine betaine, or a mix of the three) with the most successful MD from the original trial failed to induce an increased feeding response, as evidenced by the observation of similar feeding incidence, total larval protein content, and tryptic enzyme activity relative to a negative control MD without added attractants. The results of this research suggest that the successful culture of larval Tiger Barb is possible with the use of commercially available MDs, potentially leading to cost savings and increased resilience of producers in the ornamental aquaculture industry.Item Risk screen of lionfishes, Pterois, Dendrochirus, and Parapterois, for southeastern United States coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean(Springer International Publishing, 2020-05) Lyons, Timothy J.; Tuckett, Quenton M.; Durland Donahou, Allison L.; Hill, Jeffrey E.The trade in marine ornamental fishes includes over 1800 species and is regarded as an introduction source for non-native fishes. Given this large pool of potential invaders, a targeted approach that evaluates risk for groups of fishes with demonstrated invasion history is both practical and feasible. In this way, proactive risk management frameworks can be used to identify risky species prior to introduction. Though the establishment of introduced marine ornamental species is uncommon, the invasion of Pterois volitans and P. miles in the western Atlantic Ocean has demonstrated the risks associated with the marine ornamental industry. These species, along with several other lionfishes, are regularly imported into the United States. We used the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit to evaluate the risk of invasion for 14 species of traded lionfishes in the genera Pterois, Dendrochirus, and Parapterois for southeastern United States coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. The lionfish invasion is widely considered to be one of the worst marine invasions to date. Despite this, risk associated with the trade of lionfishes was estimated to be low, with notable exceptions. We identify Pterois russelii, Pterois lunulata, and Dendrochirus brachypterus as species with potentially elevated invasion risk. State and federal management agencies within the western Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean should consider a detailed evaluation of these species to inform management action. This study is the one of the largest risk screening application of marine fishes to date and demonstrates the utility of prioritizing risk assessment of taxa found in pathways with related or otherwise similar species with previous invasion history.