Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Artist Statement
Wastewater pollution contaminating surface waters has become a concern all over the world, even in places humans don’t permanently live. These contaminants come from a variety of chemicals, such as anti-depressants, and the effects vary between species. Unfortunately, methods for extraction of these chemicals from wastewater are not economical and cheaper alternatives are still being developed. This has led to an increase in chemicals in surface water, with antidepressants increasing 400 percent in recent decades. This increase in chemicals in surface water could have impacts on the creatures inhabiting the polluted water. Few studies have been conducted on what impact the chemicals could have on these creatures, but so far physical deformities and changes in sexual characteristics have been reported. Behavioral changes have also been documented, with changes in feeding habits, motor activity levels, and aggressive responding in various species of fish. These changes could have a major impact on smaller aquatic life, which led to the selection of Betta splendens for this project. These fish are small and have obvious aggressive responses that make them ideal to study these impacts. For this project the focus has been on looking at the impact Fluoxetine has on male Betta splendens. There are multiple hypotheses for this project surrounding latency to aggress against mirror, mirror preference, and fighting behavior. It is proposed that the drug will increase latency to aggress against the mirror while simultaneously decreasing the fish mirror preference and the amount of aggressive responding exhibited by the fish toward the mirror. While most previous work has focused on the impact of the anti-depressant Fluoxetine on aggression and movement in male Betta splendens the methods excluded an important contextual cue- a female fish. The female fish presentation would create a more species typical context to study the male’s aggression and courting behavior, while still considering the motor impacts of the drug. Furthermore, this work will utilize an ABA design with A representing Baseline and B representing the drug condition. The use of this design will allow for casual conclusions for the Fluoxetine behavioral effects and determine if returning to Baseline is possible within 25 days. For the B condition the drug dose will exceed that found in environmental concentrations to simulate bioconcentration, buildup of the drug overtime in an animal’s system. This higher dose will be more representative of the concentrations found in the smaller animals living in the natural waterways. Trials will include 5 excitatory mirror presentations and 5 inhibitory non-mirror presentations daily using a Go No Go task. The fish will be split into 2 groups: Female Primed (FP) and Non-Female Primed (NFP). Priming will occur before trials and will involve either a female fish (FP) or empty chamber (NFP). After the prime, trials will begin by lifting the door to the start box and releasing the fish into the alleyway. The time it takes the fish to swim through the alleyway into the goal box will be recorded. The male will have 30 seconds in the goal box.
Fish on Fluoxetine: Before, During, and After
UC North Ballroom
Wastewater pollution contaminating surface waters has become a concern all over the world, even in places humans don’t permanently live. These contaminants come from a variety of chemicals, such as anti-depressants, and the effects vary between species. Unfortunately, methods for extraction of these chemicals from wastewater are not economical and cheaper alternatives are still being developed. This has led to an increase in chemicals in surface water, with antidepressants increasing 400 percent in recent decades. This increase in chemicals in surface water could have impacts on the creatures inhabiting the polluted water. Few studies have been conducted on what impact the chemicals could have on these creatures, but so far physical deformities and changes in sexual characteristics have been reported. Behavioral changes have also been documented, with changes in feeding habits, motor activity levels, and aggressive responding in various species of fish. These changes could have a major impact on smaller aquatic life, which led to the selection of Betta splendens for this project. These fish are small and have obvious aggressive responses that make them ideal to study these impacts. For this project the focus has been on looking at the impact Fluoxetine has on male Betta splendens. There are multiple hypotheses for this project surrounding latency to aggress against mirror, mirror preference, and fighting behavior. It is proposed that the drug will increase latency to aggress against the mirror while simultaneously decreasing the fish mirror preference and the amount of aggressive responding exhibited by the fish toward the mirror. While most previous work has focused on the impact of the anti-depressant Fluoxetine on aggression and movement in male Betta splendens the methods excluded an important contextual cue- a female fish. The female fish presentation would create a more species typical context to study the male’s aggression and courting behavior, while still considering the motor impacts of the drug. Furthermore, this work will utilize an ABA design with A representing Baseline and B representing the drug condition. The use of this design will allow for casual conclusions for the Fluoxetine behavioral effects and determine if returning to Baseline is possible within 25 days. For the B condition the drug dose will exceed that found in environmental concentrations to simulate bioconcentration, buildup of the drug overtime in an animal’s system. This higher dose will be more representative of the concentrations found in the smaller animals living in the natural waterways. Trials will include 5 excitatory mirror presentations and 5 inhibitory non-mirror presentations daily using a Go No Go task. The fish will be split into 2 groups: Female Primed (FP) and Non-Female Primed (NFP). Priming will occur before trials and will involve either a female fish (FP) or empty chamber (NFP). After the prime, trials will begin by lifting the door to the start box and releasing the fish into the alleyway. The time it takes the fish to swim through the alleyway into the goal box will be recorded. The male will have 30 seconds in the goal box.