Dataset for: Sensory environment affects Icelandic threespine stickleback's anti-predator escape behaviour

Human-induced changes in climate and habitats push populations to adapt to novel environments, including new sensory conditions, such as reduced visibility. We studied how colonizing newly formed glacial lakes with turbidity-induced low visibility affects anti-predator behaviour in Icelandic threespine sticklebacks. We tested nearly 400 fish from 15 populations and four habitat types varying in visibility and colonization history in their reaction to two predator cues (mechano-visual versus olfactory) in high versus low visibility light treatments. Fish reacted differently to the cues and were affected by lighting environment, confirming that cue modality and light levels are important for predator detection and evasion. Spring-fed fish, especially from the highlands (likely more diverged from marine fish than lowland fish) reacted fastest to mechano-visual cues and were generally most active. Highland glacial fish showed strong responses to olfactory cues and, counter to predictions from the flexible stem hypothesis, the greatest plasticity in response to light levels. This study, leveraging natural, repeated invasions of novel sensory habitats, 1) illustrates rapid changes in antipredator behaviour that follow due to adaptation, early life experience, or both, and 2) suggests an additional role for behavioural plasticity enabling population persistence in the face of frequent changes in environmental conditions.

人类活动引发的气候与栖息地变化，迫使各类生物种群适应全新环境，其中包括能见度降低这类新的感官条件。本研究以冰岛三刺鱼（Icelandic threespine sticklebacks）为对象，探究了定居于由浊度导致能见度偏低的新生冰川湖后，其反捕食行为所受的影响。我们测试了来自15个种群、4类栖息生境的近400尾个体，这些生境的能见度与定居历史各不相同；实验设置了高、低能见度两种光照处理，以观测鱼类对两类捕食者线索（机械视觉线索与嗅觉线索）的反应。鱼类对两类线索的反应存在差异，且受光照环境影响，这证实了线索模态与光照水平对捕食者探测与逃逸行为至关重要。泉水补给生境的鱼类，尤其是来自高地的个体（相较于低地种群，其与海洋鱼类的分化程度可能更高），对机械视觉线索的反应速度最快，且整体活跃度也最高。高地冰川生境的鱼类则对嗅觉线索表现出强烈响应，且其对光照水平的响应可塑性最强——这一结果与灵活茎假说（flexible stem hypothesis）的预测相悖。本研究依托自然重复发生的新生感官生境入侵事件，达成两项核心发现：其一，阐明了由适应性演化、早期生活经历或二者共同驱动的反捕食行为快速变化；其二，揭示了行为可塑性在种群应对频繁环境变化以维持存续过程中的额外作用。