Social context affects tissue-specific copper distribution and behaviour of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

Many species exhibit social living which offers ecological advantages such as increased foraging opportunities, more efficient locomotion and reduced predation risk. Additionally, exposure to multiple individuals of the same species can decrease an individual’s stress and metabolic demand, termed social buffering. If disruption to an animal’s social structure occurs and prevents social buffering, an elevated metabolic rate and thus ventilation frequency and gill permeability are likely. A potential consequence of this physiological response could be the increased accumulation of toxicants. The objective of this study was to investigate whether inducing social stress in marine threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) through social isolation during a sublethal water-borne copper (Cu) exposure would affect Cu uptake and whether that would translate to differences in behaviour and biochemical functioning that is susceptible to Cu. We hypothesized that isolating threespine sticklebac..., , , # Social context affects tissue-specific copper distribution and behaviour of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rfj6q57kq](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rfj6q57kq)

## Description of the data and file structure

This file contains the raw data for the social context and copper exposure experiment. 

### Files and variables

#### File: BMSC2021SticklebackSociality\_rawdata.xlsx

\######Sheet: Water chemistry

\##Column A (Replicate)

Assigned samples replicate number within a Treatment (1-21).

\##Column B (Water Treatment)

Chemical treatment used for exposure. Either water with no additions (Ctrl), water nominally dosed with 50 µg/L of copper (LCu), or water nominally dosed with 150 µg/L of copper (HCu).

\##Column C (Social Context)

Number of individuals present during an exposure. Either the individual was exposed to the water treatment on its own with no other individuals present (Iso), or the exposure occurred with six individuals pres...