Effects of short-term isolation on the locomotor activity of the angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare).
Two experiments were conducted to test in angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) some implications of Gallup and Suarez's (1980) ethological model of open-field behavior and to differentiate between the initial locomotor effects of a novel environment and those of isolation per se. Juveniles placed alone in a novel environment initially showed increased locomotion compared with their previous level when kept as a group and with that of fish placed in the novel environment in groups of three and five. When placed alone in a novel tank, individuals that had already been isolated for 10 days moved about less than those that had been isolated for 4 days. During isolation, angelfish significantly reduced activity to a minimum after 3 to 4 days, and after 10 days the level was still lower than in the group situation. The results suggest that, in addition to birds and rodents, Gallup and Suarez's model is applicable to fish and may account for the effects of longer exposure to a novel environment.
Gómez-Laplaza
L M
LM
School of Biological Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom.
Morgan
E
E
D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal; D005399:Fishes; D009042:Motivation; D009043:Motor Activity; D012931:Social Environment; D012934:Social Isolation