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Social context affects aggression and brain vasotocin and isotocin level in the round goby

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Abstract

On the wild spawning grounds, the round gobies Neogobius melanostomus are subjected to different social cues, such as sex-separation and high fish density. We designed an experiment to stimulate natural social stress when fish are separated from opposite sex individuals and exposed to close proximity of same-sex conspecifics. We examined the effects of different sex compositions on aggressiveness and brain concentrations of arginine vasotocin (AVT) and isotocin (IT), as AVT and IT are known to be involved in aggressive interactions during reproduction. The round gobies were kept in three experimental groups: same-sex groups broken down into male-only and female-only groups and mixed-sex groups. In this study, males and females from same-sex groups showed overt aggression and competition. Separation stress stimulated aggressive responses in both sexes, but the link between brain AVT and IT concentration and aggressive behavior was evident only in male-only group. In the male-only group, AVT and IT levels were the highest. This study shows that sex composition of the social environment can affect aggressive behavior as well as AVT and IT concentration in the whole brain of the round goby.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank A. Kleszczyńska for determining the neuropeptides levels. We would like to express our gratitude to Head of the Hel Marine Station (Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdańsk) for the use of facility and equipment of the station during the experiment. We also thank B. Arciszewski from Hel Marine Station, and their students, K. Urbańska, D. Pachoł and D. Danił, for their efficient help in monitoring the experiment and assistance in sampling the fish. We thank Cambridge Proof-Reading-Service for their great professional proof reading and editing service.

Funding

This study was funded by the National Science Centre grant no. N N304 260740 and Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (statutory research task IV.2.1 to E. Sokołowska).

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  1. Department of Genetics and Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712, Sopot, Poland

    Ewa Sokołowska, Magdalena Gozdowska & Ewa Kulczykowska

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  1. Ewa Sokołowska
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Correspondence to Ewa Sokołowska.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All procedures were carried out according to the regulations of the Polish Ethical Council for the use of laboratory animals.

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Sokołowska, E., Gozdowska, M. & Kulczykowska, E. Social context affects aggression and brain vasotocin and isotocin level in the round goby. Fish Physiol Biochem 46, 641–652 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-019-00741-3

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