Component and mechanism of lefty/right in the scale-eating cichlid fish

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26830009
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Neurophysiology / General neuroscience
• Research Institution: University of Toyama
• Principal Investigator: Takeuchi Yuichi 富山大学, 大学院医学薬学研究部(医学), 助教 (40508884)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 左右性 / 捕食被食関係 / 発達 / 学習 / 種内二型 / タンガニイカ湖

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The scale-eating cichlid Perissodus microlepis with asymmetric mouth exhibit extreme behavioral laterality in predation: each adult robs scales from its prey fishes’ left or right flanks according to the direction in which its mouth is skewed. To clarify the neuronal mechanisms of behavioral laterality in predation, I examined the expression analysis of immediate early gene (Arc) after predation, and stomach contents and lower jaw-bone asymmetry of various-sized P. microlepis (22<SL<115mm) sampled in Lake Tanganyika. Arc signal was localized to the soma and dendrites Mauthner cells of P. microlepis. As the fish acquired scale-eating (45mm<SL), attack side preference was gradually strengthened, as was mouth asymmetry. These findings suggest that behavioral laterality in scale-eating is controlled by the Mauthner cell in hindbrain and established in association with body development.

Free Research Field

神経行動学