Geology topics

Tyler John Buchinger

Publications and source records attributed to Tyler John Buchinger.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2021

Progress towards integrating an understanding of chemical ecology into sea lamprey control

The sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus , is a destructive invader in the Laurentian Great Lakes that relies on several complex chemical cues to complete their life cycle. The central roles of chemical cues in sea lamprey reproduction provide opportunities to leverage knowledge of sea lamprey chemical ecology when developing alternative or supplemental strategies for sea lamprey control. A solid foundation has been laid regarding sea lamprey chemical ecology, with recent advances in our understanding of the migratory pheromone, male sex pheromone, and alarm cues broadening our fundamental understanding of the diversity, complexity, and evolution of chemical cues used by sea lamprey. Additionally, research applying semiochemicals in differing management scenarios has provided useful insights into the challenges of incorporating chemical cues into the sea lamprey control program. Here, we synthesize new findings related to fundamental research of chemosensory cues along with knowledge learned from management-based tests and explore options for integrating an understanding of chemical ecology into sea lamprey control in light of new knowledge. We also highlight current unknowns and future research needs that should be addressed prior to implementation of sea lamprey chemical ecology into the sea lamprey control program.

Great Lakes↗

USGS2020

Pheromone pollution from invasive sea lamprey misguides a native confamilial

Animals living in the Anthropocene search for mates facing a barrage of pollutants. Few studies consider pheromones from invasive species as pollution, but their central role in the lives of many animals indicates cross-reaction among historically allopatric relatives has potentially damaging impacts. We hypothesized the sex pheromone of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), an invasive fish in the Laurentian Great Lakes, misguides mate search in native chestnut lamprey (Ichthyomyzon castaneus). In a field test, 100 % of female I. castaneus chose male odourants from P. marinus over conspecifics. Chemical analysis of water in which males were held confirmed both species signal with 3-keto petromyzonol sulfate but revealed higher release rates in P. marinus. Our results indicate sex pheromones from invasive species can be an influential type of pollution and underscore the conservation implications of studies on pheromone evolution.

Current Zoology↗

USGS2020

Behavioural responses of female lake trout Salvelinus namaycush to male chemical stimuli and prostaglandin F2α

Male olfactory cues may guide aggregation on spawning reefs, mate evaluation, and synchronized gamete release in lake trout Salvelinus namaycush, but a lack of information on the source and identity of the cues precludes direct tests of their function. Using a two-channel flume assay, we found female lake trout increased time spent in the channel treated with male-conditioned water, urine, and bile but not synthesized prostaglandin F2α. We suggest future efforts to characterize male olfactory cues focus on urine and postulate that bile acids contribute to its behavioural activity.

Journal of Fish Biology↗

USGS2020

A pheromone antagonist liberates female sea lamprey from a sensory trap to enable reliable communication

The evolution of male signals and female preferences remains a central question in the study of animal communication. The sensory trap model suggests males evolve signals that mimic cues used in nonsexual contexts and thus manipulate female behavior to generate mating opportunities. Much evidence supports the sensory trap model, but how females glean reliable information from both mimetic signals and their model cues remains unknown. We discovered a mechanism whereby a manipulative male signal guides reliable communication in sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ). Migratory sea lamprey follow a larval cue into spawning streams; once sexually mature, males release a pheromone that mimics the larval cue and attracts females. Females conceivably benefit from the mimetic pheromone during mate search but must discriminate against the model cue to avoid orienting toward larvae in nearby nursery habitats. We tested the hypothesis that spawning females respond to petromyzonol sulfate (PZS) as a behavioral antagonist to avoid attraction to the larval cue while tracking the male pheromone despite each containing attractive 3-keto petromyzonol sulfate (3kPZS). We found 1) PZS inhibited electrophysiological responses to 3kPZS and abated preferences for 3kPZS when mixed at the same or greater concentrations, 2) larvae released more PZS than 3kPZS whereas males released more 3kPZS than PZS, and 3) mixtures of 3kPZS and PZS applied at ratios measured in larval and male odorants resulted in the discrimination observed between the natural odors. Our study elucidates how communication systems that arise via deception can facilitate reliable communication.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of↗

USGS2019

Intra- and interspecific variation in production of bile acids that act as sex pheromones in lampreys

Pheromones are important sexual signals in most animals, but research into their evolution is largely biased toward insects. Lampreys are a jawless fish with a relatively well-understood pheromone communication system and offer a useful opportunity to study pheromone evolution in a vertebrate. Once sexually mature, male sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), and likely other lampreys, produce and release bile acids that act as sex pheromones. Spawning males do not feed and therefore produce bile acids primarily for sexual communication whereas larvae produce the same bile acids but for digestion, offering an opportunity to compare the evolution of bile acids produced for sexual versus nonsexual functions. We profiled eight pheromone-related bile acids in livers from larvae and males and determined the effect of life stage on intra- and interspecific variation in bile acid production. Our results indicate less variation among males than larvae within P. marinus but more variation among species for males than larvae. We postulate that bile acid production in males is shaped by directional or stabilizing selection that reduces variance within P. marinus and directional or disruptive selection that promotes diversification across species. Although our results offer support for a role of sexual selection in the evolution of a lamprey pheromones, they do not eliminate possible roles of other aspects of lamprey ecology.

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology↗

USGS2018

Evidence of sound production by spawning lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in lakes Huron and Champlain

Two sounds associated with spawning lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) in lakes Huron and Champlain were characterized by comparing sound recordings to behavioral data collected using acoustic telemetry and video. These sounds were named growls and snaps, and were heard on lake trout spawning reefs, but not on a non-spawning reef, and were more common at night than during the day. Growls also occurred more often during the spawning period than the pre-spawning period, while the trend for snaps was reversed. In a laboratory flume, sounds occurred when male lake trout were displaying spawning behaviors; growls when males were quivering and parallel swimming, and snaps when males moved their jaw. Combining our results with the observation of possible sound production by spawning splake ( Salvelinus fontinalis × Salvelinus namaycush hybrid), provides rare evidence for spawning-related sound production by a salmonid, or any other fish in the superorder Protacanthopterygii. Further characterization of these sounds could be useful for lake trout assessment, restoration, and control.

Michigan↗