Previous oil exposure alters Gulf Killifish Fundulus grandis oil avoidance behavior.

ABSTRACT: Oil spills threaten the structure and function of ecological communities. The Deepwater Horizon spill was predicted to have catastrophic consequences for nearshore fishes, but field studies indicate resilience in populations and communities. Previous research indicates many marsh fishes exhibit avoidance of oil contaminated areas, representing one potential mechanism for this resilience. Here, we test whether prior oil exposure of Gulf killifish Fundulus grandis alters this avoidance response. Using choice tests between unoiled and oiled sediments at one of three randomized concentrations (low: 0.1 L oil m^-2, medium: 0.5 L oil m^-2, or high: 3.0 L oil m^-2), we found that, even at low prior exposure levels, killifish lose recognition of oiled se

SUBMITTER: Martin CW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7751417 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature