Abstract:

This dataset is derived from behavioral analyses of control and oil exposed juvenile Mahi Mahi in experimental mesocosms. Mahi Mahi were acclimated to test chambers with five liters of control seawater for one-hour following a 24-hour incubation in either control seawater or dilutions of the water accommodated fraction of crude oil. Following acclimation, fish were filmed for three minutes without any external stimuli at which point one liter of either control seawater or an olfactory prey cue in seawater was introduced to the mesocosm via concealed tubing and an additional three minutes of video was collected. All videos were analyzed using Lolitrack software for acceleration, distance swam, velocity, turning radius towards cue, and turning radius away from cue for both the initial and experimental period.

Suggested Citation:

Schlenker, L.. 2018. Mahi Mahi behavioral experiments following introduction of olfactory prey cue. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7CV4G4J

Purpose:

Testing the behavior (acceleration, distance swam, velocity, turning radius towards cue, and turning radius away from cue) in response to the introduction of an olfactory prey cue under control conditions and post-oil exposure.

Data Parameters and Units:

The .csv file ‘Mahi behavior experiment PAH data’ lists the sum PAH concentrations (micrograms per liter) of 50 listed PAHs as part of a 24-hr treatment. Sample codes listed in the ‘Mahi behavior experiment PAH data’ file are referenced and linked to specific experiments in the ‘Mahi behavior experiment data summary’ .csv file. Within the ‘Mahi behavior experiment data summary’ .csv file, ‘24 hr incubation’ refers to static conditions in which fish were incubated immediately prior to testing. ‘% HEWAF’ refers to the dilution level of 100% HEWAF in seawater. ‘Treatment’ refers to the mesocosm test conditions. For all experiments all individual fish were video recorded during an ‘initial’ three-minute treatment where no stimuli were introduced. Following the ‘initial’ treatment fish were with recorded for a second three-minute period immediately following the introduction of 1 liter of either an olfactory ‘prey’ cue or untreated ‘seawater’ control cue. ‘Fish ID’ refers to an individual identifier for an individual fish. Two fish were tested in two separate mesocosms simultaneously, therefore ‘side’ refers to the mesocosm location (left or right) that an individual was tested. ‘File name’ lists the name of the associated video file (.avi) and Lolitrack output file (.txt). For each 3-minute recording period, exactly 3150 frames were analyzed for fish acceleration (cm/s2), velocity (cm/s), distance traveled (cm), and turning rate (turns per second) in a positive (towards cue) and negative (away from cue) direction using Loligo Systems Lolitrack software and those specific frames are listed under the header ‘Video Frames Analyzed’. For both ‘prey’ and ‘seawater treatments’ the first 3150 frames following the addition of the cues were analyzed. ‘Date’ refers to the date that testing occurred. ‘Sample code for Initial PAH Data’ and ‘Sample Code for Final PAH Data’ are the sample codes associated with water samples collected and the beginning and end of a 24-incubation (see .csv file ‘Mahi behavior experiment PAH data’ for associated PAH data).

Methods:

Surface slick oil from the DWH spill was prepared as a high-energy-water-accommodated fraction (HEWAF) to generate environmentally relevant PAH concentrations and compositional profiles. Mahi Mahi were acclimated to test chambers with five liters of control seawater for one-hour following a 24-hour incubation in either control seawater or dilutions of the water accommodated fraction of crude oil (HEWAF). Following acclimation, fish were filmed for three minutes without any external stimuli at which point one liter of either control seawater or an olfactory prey cue in seawater was introduced to the mesocosm via concealed tubing and an additional three minutes of video was collected. All videos were analyzed using Lolitrack software (Loligo Systems) for acceleration, distance swam, velocity, turning radius towards cue, and turning radius away from cue for both the initial and experimental period. Prey cue was prepared by pulverizing and filtering yolk-sac larval mahi-mahi (100 per L of seawater).

Instruments:

20 L mesocosms, video recording, Lolitrack software (Loligo Systems)

Individual Files: