Alteration of cleaner wrasse cognition and brain morphology under marine heatwaves

Heatwaves, exacerbated by global warming, are progressively affecting various ecosystems, with coral reefs among the most susceptible. Within these ecosystems, cleaner wrasses (Labroides dimidiatus), engage in cooperative interactions with client fish by removing ectoparasites, and play an essential role in sustaining client abundance and diversity. In 2016, the northern section of the Great Barrier Reef experienced widespread and intense bleaching due to unparalleled ocean temperatures associated with a marine heatwave. While prior studies have connected changes in fish densities following this heatwave to modifications in cleaner fish cognitive performance, the immediate impact of heatwave exposure on cleaner fish cognition and brain structure has yet to be investigated. Here, we exposed cleaner wrasses to a laboratory-simulated Category 1 marine heatwave for 55 days, mirroring the 2016 Great Barrier Reef event. Cleaners’ cognitive performance was evaluated through a visual discr..., The dataset was collected from a laboratory experiment involving Bluestreak cleaner wrasses (Labroides dimidiatus; n=20), which were wild-caught in the Maldives and housed in flow-through aquaria at Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, Cascais, Portugal. Cleaners were exposed to two experimental treatments: control (28.8°C) and a simulated Category I marine heatwave (29.8°C). After a 5-day acclimation period, temperature was increased over 6 days to reach the target temperature for the heatwave treatment, and exposure lasted for 55 days. Afterward, a 30-day recovery period followed before brain dissection. Behavioral trials, using an associative learning task (FAP test), were conducted at the end of the heatwave exposure and after a 14-day recovery period. Cleaners were tested individually on their ability to learn colour cues to locate a food reward, with up to 100 trials per fish. Brain development was analyzed 30-days post exposure, with brains dissected into five regions and weighed for fu..., , # Alteration of cleaner wrasse cognition and brain morphology under marine heatwaves [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9zw3r22rn](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9zw3r22rn) ## Description of the data and file structure In this study, we investigate whether the response to environmental stress in a laboratory setting would parallel the observations of diminished strategic sophistication in cleaners, as reported by Triki et al. (2018) in the field. To explore this, individuals were subjected to a simulated Category 1 marine heatwave lasting 55 days, replicating the conditions of the 2016 El Niño event. Cleaners’ cognitive performance was evaluated through a visual discrimination task during the heatwave and after a 14-day recovery phase. This was followed by analysis of brain development 30 days after the cessation of the marine heatwave. The potential alignment of our laboratory findings with the field observations would imply that the impairment of cleaners’ cognitive abilities could be ...全球变暖加剧了海洋热浪事件，其正逐步波及各类生态系统，其中珊瑚礁是受影响最为显著的脆弱生境之一。在珊瑚礁生态系统中，裂唇鱼（cleaner wrasses, *Labroides dimidiatus*）通过清除清洁服务对象鱼（client fish）的体外寄生虫，与之建立互利共生的合作关系，在维持清洁服务对象鱼的种群丰度与物种多样性方面发挥着不可或缺的作用。2016年，大堡礁（Great Barrier Reef）北部海域因海洋热浪引发的异常高温，出现了大范围且严重的珊瑚白化现象。尽管此前已有研究将此次热浪后鱼类种群密度的变化与清洁鱼认知能力的改变相关联，但热浪暴露对清洁鱼认知功能与大脑结构的即时影响仍未得到探究。 本研究中，我们将裂唇鱼暴露于实验室模拟的1级海洋热浪（Category 1 marine heatwave）环境中55天，以复刻2016年大堡礁海域的热浪事件。清洁鱼的认知能力通过视觉辨别任务（visual discrimination task）进行评估，……（原文截断） 本数据集源自一项室内控制实验，实验对象为20尾野生捕获于马尔代夫的带蓝纹清洁鱼（Bluestreak cleaner wrasses, *Labroides dimidiatus*；样本量n=20），饲养于葡萄牙卡斯卡伊斯的吉亚海洋实验室（Laboratório Marítimo da Guia）的流水水族箱中。实验将清洁鱼分为两组处理：对照组（水温28.8℃）与模拟1级海洋热浪组（水温29.8℃）。在为期5天的适应期后，热浪组的水温在6天内逐步升高至目标温度，随后持续暴露55天。实验结束后设置了30天的恢复期，之后进行大脑解剖操作。 研究采用联想学习任务（FAP测试，FAP test）开展行为学试验，分别在热浪暴露结束时与14天恢复期后进行。实验以单尾清洁鱼为单位，测试其通过学习颜色线索定位食物奖励的能力，每尾鱼最多接受100次测试。 暴露结束30天后，研究人员对大脑发育情况进行分析，将大脑分为五个区域并称重以探究……（原文截断） # 海洋热浪下裂唇鱼的认知能力与大脑形态改变 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9zw3r22rn](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9zw3r22rn) ## 数据集与文件结构说明 本研究旨在探究实验室环境下清洁鱼对环境胁迫的响应，是否与Triki等人（2018）在野外观测到的清洁鱼策略性复杂度下降的现象一致。为此，我们将实验个体暴露于持续55天的模拟1级海洋热浪环境中，以复刻2016年厄尔尼诺（El Niño）事件的海洋条件。研究期间，我们通过视觉辨别任务评估热浪暴露期间与14天恢复期后的清洁鱼认知能力，随后在海洋热浪结束30天后分析其大脑发育情况。若实验室研究结果与野外观测结果一致，则表明清洁鱼认知能力的损伤可能……（原文截断）