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Oral Presentations Session I ORAL PRESENTATIONS *Presenter SESSION I 1) Shoaling preferences in juvenile convict cichlids affected by group composition Theresa Marlin* and Joseph M. Leese; DeSales University (Undergraduate) Shoaling is a widespread behavior found in diverse taxa of marine and freshwater fish. Its ubiquity is presumably due to the number of fitness benefits that it confers, including protection from predators and increased foraging efficiency. The potential costs, however, are also substantial and likely change during ontogeny. For instance, if a fish’s shoal mates are larger, the individual may suffer reduced fitness from competition when foraging as a group and a smaller individual may be more likely to suffer predation if an attack were to occur. To explore these effects, juvenile convict cichlid shoaling patterns were studied with respect to three factors: shoal size, age of individuals in a shoal, and size of a focal individual. In each trial, a focal fish was presented with a choice of two shoals. Shoals differed in size (one-to-one or three-to-one ratio) and age composition (juveniles or adults). The data suggest that focal individuals prefer to associate with larger shoals, and spend more time shoaling when shoals are comprised of juveniles rather than adults. By studying the interaction among these three factors, a clearer understanding can be gained regarding ontogenically-dependent variations in shoaling patterns, as well as other social behaviors. 2) How the number and sex of parents present during intruder events affects the defense and behavior of offspring: a field study of the biparental convict cichlid in Lake Xiloá, Nicaragua Layla Al-Shaer*, Murray Itzkowitz; Lehigh University (Graduate) The convict cichlid (Amatitlania siquia) is a serially monogamous, biparental fish endemic to streams and lakes in Central America. During the day, fry emerge from their nests and move around the habitat foraging in a dense shoal while being shepherded by their parents. This leaves the fry exposed, and successful parents must be able to exclude predators from the immediate vicinity while also influencing the movement and antipredator behavior of their fry. Alarmed parents will sometimes "call" their offspring by using subtle fin flicks, causing the fry shoal to tighten, descend closer to the substrate and move towards their parents. Whether or not both parents are equally effective, or necessary, when it comes to defending against intruders and manipulating their fry's antipredator behavior is unknown. Although both parents are capable of performing all parental care duties, there are known sex differences in preferred parental roles, with females typically spending more time in direct contact with the offspring than males. To gain insight into how each parent and their offspring responds to intruders, a field study was conducted on convict cichlids in Lake Xiloá, Nicaragua. Preliminary analysis of the data suggests that varying the number and sex of parents present during intruder events influences the antipredator behavior of both adults and offspring. 1 3) The influence of sex-ratio on reproductive success in the sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus) Timothy Paciorek*, Michael Kuchka, and Murray Itzkowitz, Lehigh University (Graduate) Male pupfish (Cyprinodontidae) utilize several mating strategies in order to increase reproductive success. Dominant males establish territories in order to attract promiscuous females while also defending territories from neighboring males. Subordinate males lacking the ability to hold territories engage in sneaker tactics, attempting to steal mating opportunities from dominant males. Since several pupfish species live in confined habitats, the success of each strategy may depend on the amount of available space to establish territories and proportion of individuals present. This project aimed to determine whether alterations to sex-ratio affected the ability of territorial and non-territorial male sheepshead minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus) to father eggs. Artificial pools were established with a 1:2 male to female sex ratio and four territories for males to utilize. Territorial males were identified based on their aggression levels. Eggs were collected from each territory over two days and matched to potential fathers using microsatellite markers. Territorial males fathered significantly fewer eggs compared to non-territorial males throughout the entire pool. Territorial and non-territorial males showed no difference in eggs fathered within the territorial male’s territory. This study demonstrates how territorial male reproductive success may be limited compared to non-territorial males, which may influence future populations of this species. 4) Do Conspecific or Heterospecific Fish Affect Territorial Male Reproductive Success in the Leon Springs Pupfish (Cyprinodon bovinus)? Andrew Bloch*; Lehigh University (Graduate) Using the critically endangered Leon Springs pupfish (Cyprinodon bovinus), this study examined whether male mating behavior was affected by the presence of either conspecific or heterospecific individuals in a male’s territory. This study shows that females prefer to spawn in territories that contain another female, which suggests that female mate choice copying may exist in this system. 5) A Test of Cognitive Ability as a Reproductive Isolating Barrier Michael McQuillan*, Timothy C. Roth, and Amber M. Rice; Lehigh University (Graduate) Identifying the barriers that prevent gene flow between closely related species is a fundamental goal in evolutionary biology. A potential reproductive isolating barrier that has not yet been tested is cognitive ability. Cognitive traits, such as spatial memory and learning ability, are important for fitness and survival, especially in ‘scatter hoarding’ species. Scatter hoarding species will cache, or store, hundreds of food items throughout the habitat, and must rely on spatial memory to accurately retrieve caches. This ability is important for survival in harsh or unpredictable environments. Here, using a population of hybridizing, scatter-hoarding songbirds (black- capped and Carolina chickadees), I test the hypothesis that hybrids are cognitively deficient relative to pure species individuals. Specifically, I test the spatial memory and learning abilities of pure species and naturally occurring hybrids using a set of behavioral experiments in an outdoor aviary. My preliminary data suggest that hybrids are cognitively deficient relative to pure species individuals. While much work has focused on identifying the genetic underpinnings of hybrid dysfunction in controlled laboratory environments, almost nothing is known about the effects of hybridization on cognition, particularly in wild hybrids. Understanding these potential sources of selection against hybrids is crucial if we are to fully understand how new species are formed. 2 SESSION II 6) Food preference and feeding rates in a native and invasive species of terrestrial slug Melissa Mayol* and Erika V. Iyengar; Muhlenberg College (Undergraduate) Terrestrial slugs may seem like just slimy pests, but they are important in nutrient cycling and maintaining a healthy habitat, especially in the temperate rainforest of the Pacific Northwest. Global climate change may alter the food sources and habitat of these slugs, exacerbating competition. Last summer we conducted experiments on the two largest and most common terrestrial slugs on San Juan Island, Washington state: the native species Ariolimax columbianus and the invasive species Arion rufus. The invader has multiple color morphs, but jet-black and chocolate brown morphs dominate. We studied the slugs’ food preferences among white button mushrooms, lichen, sword fern, and pathfinder. All slugs preferred white button mushrooms. However, in a follow-up experiment where we oven-dried the mushrooms and soaked the lichen, all the slugs now preferred hydrated lichen to dried mushrooms. Thus, the moisture content of food may be more important than taste and nutrition. Additionally, we tested the effect of temperature (4°C, 10°C, 20°C) on feeding rates, but this relationship was complicated, perhaps because moisture levels confounded weak temperature effects. This summer, we will conduct similar experiments in the field in the complex array of natural scent and habitat cues for comparison. We will also explore the effects of salinity on habitat preference. These data will be useful in predicting how the two slug species, and perhaps their interactions, will react to global climate change, as food sources, moisture levels, temperatures, and soil salinities may alter. 7) "Agar-based diets for assessing nutritional value of sediment ingestion: the picky-eater sea urchin conundrum!" Dana I. Grieco*; Michael P. Russell; Villanova University (Undergraduate) The purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, is an abundant member of marine communities on the west coast of North America. It typically resides in “pits” in rocky intertidal substrata. Previous studies showed that urchins excavate pits and that erosion rates on different types of rocks – sandstone, mudstone, and granite – vary from 5 years to over a century. These studies also showed that urchins ingest the rock as they erode it and urchins that ingest rock grow faster. However, these studies could not separate ingestion of the sedimentary rock (which has an organic component) from the microbial “biofilm” as the source of additional nutrition. My study attempted to test whether rock ingestion
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