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Article

Chemical Cues Released by Predators’ Consumption of Heterospecific Prey Alter the Embryogenesis of Zebrafish

by
Ainuo Lin
1,2,
Yaxi Li
1,
Zhi Yan
1,3,
Huilin Zhang
4,
Baozhen Jiang
1,2,
Jingjing Chen
1,5,
Derui Wang
1,6,
Huan Wang
1,2,
Xiaodong Li
1,
Zhen Lu
1 and
Ke Li
1,*
1
Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China
2
College of Marine Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
3
School of Ocean, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
4
College of Life Science, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
5
School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China
6
College of Marine Science, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Fishes 2024, 9(3), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9030095
Submission received: 30 January 2024 / Revised: 20 February 2024 / Accepted: 29 February 2024 / Published: 1 March 2024
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Abstract

Environmentally cued hatching is prevalent, diverse, and crucial to many animals’ survival. Fish embryos use a variety of chemical cues to initiate hatching to avoid potential predators, yet the function of chemical cues released from the predatory consumption of heterospecific prey is largely unknown. Zebra cichlids (Metriaclima estherae) are ferocious predators that can feed on medaka (Oryzias latipes), though it is impossible for this to occur in their natural habitat. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos have been employed as experimental subjects due to their sensitivity to a variety of chemical signals. In this study, zebrafish embryos were subjected to three types of chemical signals: predator cues (PCs, released from cichlids), heterospecific cues (HCs, released from medaka), and heterospecific dietary cues (HDCs, released from cichlids that have ingested medaka). As a result, the hatching times of zebrafish embryos were accelerated by 6.8% and 12.6% by PCs and HDCs, respectively. PCs and HDCs cause significantly reduced morphology in zebrafish embryos, including regarding total length, eye length, dorsal fin length, trunk height, caudal fin height, and body cavity, and increase yolk sac height. The PCs and HDCs diminished the larvae’s motion at 120 and 144 h post fertilization (hpf), which could be attributed to non-developmental embryogenesis. Overall, the impacts of HDCs on embryonic hatching, developmental morphology, and locomotor were more pronounced in comparison with PCs. Our findings demonstrate that predators’ dietary cues, even those released after predation on heterospecific prey, can modify embryogenesis, highlighting the critical functions of chemical signals in predation risk assessment using embryos.
Keywords: chemical cues; heterospecific prey; embryogenesis chemical cues; heterospecific prey; embryogenesis
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MDPI and ACS Style

Lin, A.; Li, Y.; Yan, Z.; Zhang, H.; Jiang, B.; Chen, J.; Wang, D.; Wang, H.; Li, X.; Lu, Z.; et al. Chemical Cues Released by Predators’ Consumption of Heterospecific Prey Alter the Embryogenesis of Zebrafish. Fishes 2024, 9, 95. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9030095

AMA Style

Lin A, Li Y, Yan Z, Zhang H, Jiang B, Chen J, Wang D, Wang H, Li X, Lu Z, et al. Chemical Cues Released by Predators’ Consumption of Heterospecific Prey Alter the Embryogenesis of Zebrafish. Fishes. 2024; 9(3):95. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9030095

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lin, Ainuo, Yaxi Li, Zhi Yan, Huilin Zhang, Baozhen Jiang, Jingjing Chen, Derui Wang, Huan Wang, Xiaodong Li, Zhen Lu, and et al. 2024. "Chemical Cues Released by Predators’ Consumption of Heterospecific Prey Alter the Embryogenesis of Zebrafish" Fishes 9, no. 3: 95. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9030095

APA Style

Lin, A., Li, Y., Yan, Z., Zhang, H., Jiang, B., Chen, J., Wang, D., Wang, H., Li, X., Lu, Z., & Li, K. (2024). Chemical Cues Released by Predators’ Consumption of Heterospecific Prey Alter the Embryogenesis of Zebrafish. Fishes, 9(3), 95. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9030095

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