Stressed mothers - troubled offspring: a study of behavioural maternal effects in farmed Salmo salar.

Mature female Atlantic salmon Salmo salar were given intraperitoneal cortisol implants 1 week prior to stripping to examine the influence of simulated maternal stress on offspring boldness and social dominance. Behavioural tests originally designed to investigate stress responsiveness and coping styles in salmonids (i.e. feeding in isolation, dominance tests and acute confinement) were carried out on the offspring 1·5 years after hatching. In the feeding test, there were no differences between the two treatment groups in total feeding score or number of pellets eaten, but offspring from the cortisol-implanted females made more unsuccessful feeding attempts than offspring from control females. In dominance tests, there was no difference between controls and cortisol-treated fish regarding propensity to become socially dominant. A higher proportion of individuals with bite marks, however, was observed in the cortisol group when compared to controls. Cortisol-treated offspring that gained dominant rank in the dominance tests performed more aggressive acts after stable dominance-subordinate relationships were established compared to control winners. During acute confinement stress, offspring from cortisol-implanted females showed a reduction in the proportion of time they were moving compared to the controls. These results indicate that the maternal endocrine state at spawning affects several aspects of progeny behaviour potentially related to subsequent success and survival in farmed S. salar.

Effects of systemic versus local gentamicin on the inner ear in the Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua (L.), relevance for fish hearing investigations.

UNLABELLED: Fish models are increasingly being used for hearing research investigations. Aminoglycoside antibiotics that are used for damaging the inner ear hair cells can have systemic side effects leading to death of study animals. This study aimed to compare two methods: (i) systemic (intravenous) and (ii) local (intrasaccular) gentamicin administration for induction of inner ear hair cell damage in the Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua (L.). Hair cell damage was assessed using scanning electron microscopy; hair cell density, prevalence of immature hair cells and kinocilia length were measured. Gentamicin-treated fish were compared with control and sham fish. Intravenous gentamicin led to dose-dependent mortality caused by nephrotoxicity. The only visible effect after treatment was more immature hair cells and shorter kinocilia, the effect on hair cell density was equivocal. Following intrasaccular gentamicin treatment, fish mortality was negligible, and hair cells were damaged regardless of dose. Here, we observed decreased hair cell density, high prevalence of immature hair cells, and significantly shortened kinocilia. CONCLUSION: intrasaccular injection is preferable to intravenous injection of gentamicin for the study of ototoxicity in the Atlantic cod.

Intermale competition in sexually mature arctic charr: effects on brain monoamines, endocrine stress responses, sex hormone levels, and behavior.

Sexually mature Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) males were allowed to interact in pairs for 4 days in the absence of females. Agonistic behavior was quantified, and at the end of the experiment, plasma levels of glucose, cortisol, testosterone (T), 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT), and 17alpha,20beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17alpha, 20beta-P) were determined alongside brain concentrations of serotonin (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA, the major 5-HT metabolite), dopamine (DA), and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC, a major DA metabolite). Plasma cortisol and glucose were significantly elevated in subordinate fish, and the number of aggressive acts received showed positive correlations with plasma levels of glucose on day 1, during the development of the dominance relationship, and of cortisol on day 4, when the dominance relationship was established. In contrast, plasma concentrations of T and 11-KT were significantly higher in dominant than in subordinate males, and there was a similar tendency in plasma concentrations of 17alpha,20beta-P. Further, plasma levels of these gonadal steroids were correlated with the number of aggressive acts performed on day 4, but not with the number of aggressive acts received. The plasma cortisol concentrations did not correlate with either 5-HIAA:5-HT or DOPAC:DA ratios in any of the brain parts analyzed. Plasma glucose levels showed positive correlations with brain 5-HIAA:5-HT ratios. Negative correlations were observed between 5-HIAA:5-HT ratios in the optic tectum and between plasma levels of T, 11-KT, and 17alpha,20beta-P. Telencephalic DOPAC/DA ratios displayed a negative correlation with plasma levels of T, 11-KT, and 17alpha,20beta-P, but only in dominant males.