The effect of light during embryonic development on laterality and exploration in Western Rainbowfish

ABSTRACT

Several factors affect the development of lateralization such as hormones and light exposure during early development. Laterality also often correlates with other behavioral traits. To examine whether there is a common mechanism underlying the development of laterality and other behaviors, we manipulated laterality by exposing embryos of the Western rainbowfish (Melatotaenia australis) to light or continuous darkness during early development and determined whether a shift in laterality was associated with a change in behavior in a novel environment test at two different ages. We found that exposing eggs to darkness led to offspring that displayed significantly less lateralized behavior in the mirror test two weeks after hatching than offspring from eggs exposed to light. Interestingly, the effects of rearing condition were lost by 3 months of age. These data suggest that exposure to light can influence laterality very early in development, but such bias can be overwritten by developmental processes post-hatch. Moreover, our manipulation of laterality apparently had no influence on exploration suggesting independent causal mechanisms. The experimental manipulation of light exposure during development could be a useful tool for enhancing individuals with a specific laterality and behavioral traits to aid future research into the causes and consequences of laterality.

KEYWORDS:

• Laterality
• behaviour
• fish
• light
• development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Raw data were generated at University of Groningen. Derived data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author F.B on request.

Ethical notes

Housing and testing of behaviours were in adherence to the project permit from the Instantie voor Dierenwelzijn (IvD light protocol, University of Groningen, The Netherlands).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.