Ecology of fear in highly invasive fish revealed by robots
Giovanni Polverino,
Vrishin R. Soman,
Mert Karakaya,
Clelia Gasparini,
Jonathan P. Evans,
Maurizio Porfiri
Affiliations
Giovanni Polverino
Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; Corresponding author
Vrishin R. Soman
Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
Mert Karakaya
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
Clelia Gasparini
Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Jonathan P. Evans
Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
Maurizio Porfiri
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA; Center for Urban Science and Progress, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
Summary: Invasive species threaten biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. We develop an innovative experimental approach, integrating biologically inspired robotics, time-series analysis, and computer vision, to build a detailed profile of the effects of non-lethal stress on the ecology and evolution of mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki)—a global pest. We reveal that brief exposures to a robotic predator alter mosquitofish behavior, increasing fear and stress responses, and mitigate the impact of mosquitofish on native tadpoles (Litoria moorei) in a cause-and-effect fashion. Effects of predation risk from the robot carry over to routine activity and feeding rate of mosquitofish weeks after exposure, resulting in weight loss, variation in body shape, and reduction in the fertility of both sexes—impairing survival, reproduction, and ecological success. We capitalize on evolved responses of mosquitofish to reduce predation risk—neglected in biological control practices—and provide scientific foundations for widespread use of state-of-the-art robotics in ecology and evolution research.
