{"id":{"repo_id":"utc","oai_identifier":"oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1675"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/utc/oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1675","repository":{"repo_id":"utc","name":"University of Tennessee - Chattanooga","base_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Social learning and its effect on conservation efforts in the Barrens Topminnow: an evaluation of conditioning and social learning as a viable longterm solution to evolutionary traps","abstract":"The invasive Western Mosquitofish (WMF), Gambusia affinis, has facilitated the extinction and endangerment of multiple freshwater fish species, including the Barrens Topminnow (BTM), Fundulus julisia. In my study, I investigated if BTMs are capable of socially learning conditioned predator recognition, and I hypothesized that BTMs are capable of social learning and that such learning might improve survival of BTMs. To explore the role of conditioning and subsequent learning in the conservation of BTMs, I conducted a series of experiments in which I 1) attempted to condition BTMs to exhibit antipredator behavior when faced with WMF, and 2) created a situation in which naive BTMs could potentially learn from conditioned individuals. I found no evidence of conditioning or of social learning, and there were no significant differences in behavior, body condition, or survival among my treatment groups.","abstract_html":"The invasive Western Mosquitofish (WMF), Gambusia affinis, has facilitated the extinction and endangerment of multiple freshwater fish species, including the Barrens Topminnow (BTM), Fundulus julisia. In my study, I investigated if BTMs are capable of socially learning conditioned predator recognition, and I hypothesized that BTMs are capable of social learning and that such learning might improve survival of BTMs. To explore the role of conditioning and subsequent learning in the conservation of BTMs, I conducted a series of experiments in which I 1) attempted to condition BTMs to exhibit antipredator behavior when faced with WMF, and 2) created a situation in which naive BTMs could potentially learn from conditioned individuals. I found no evidence of conditioning or of social learning, and there were no significant differences in behavior, body condition, or survival among my treatment groups.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Reyes, Elijah"],"institution":"University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Klug, Hope","Aborn, David; Kuhajda, Bernard; Farnsley, Sarah","College of Arts and Sciences"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:51Z","subjects":["Barrens topminnow","Western mosquitofish"],"languages":["English","eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/523","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Klug, Hope","Aborn, David; Kuhajda, Bernard; Farnsley, Sarah","College of Arts and Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Reyes, Elijah"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2017-08-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Masters theses","Text"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Barrens topminnow","Western mosquitofish"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/523"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Dept. of Biological and Environmental Sciences","M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The invasive Western Mosquitofish (WMF), Gambusia affinis, has facilitated the extinction and endangerment of multiple freshwater fish species, including the Barrens Topminnow (BTM), Fundulus julisia. In my study, I investigated if BTMs are capable of socially learning conditioned predator recognition, and I hypothesized that BTMs are capable of social learning and that such learning might improve survival of BTMs. To explore the role of conditioning and subsequent learning in the conservation of BTMs, I conducted a series of experiments in which I 1) attempted to condition BTMs to exhibit antipredator behavior when faced with WMF, and 2) created a situation in which naive BTMs could potentially learn from conditioned individuals. I found no evidence of conditioning or of social learning, and there were no significant differences in behavior, body condition, or survival among my treatment groups."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Social learning and its effect on conservation efforts in the Barrens Topminnow: an evaluation of conditioning and social learning as a viable longterm solution to evolutionary traps"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Klug, Hope","Aborn, David; Kuhajda, Bernard; Farnsley, Sarah","College of Arts and Sciences"],"dc:creator":["Reyes, Elijah"],"dc:date":["2017-08-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["Dept. of Biological and Environmental Sciences","M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science."],"dc:description.abstract":["The invasive Western Mosquitofish (WMF), Gambusia affinis, has facilitated the extinction and endangerment of multiple freshwater fish species, including the Barrens Topminnow (BTM), Fundulus julisia. In my study, I investigated if BTMs are capable of socially learning conditioned predator recognition, and I hypothesized that BTMs are capable of social learning and that such learning might improve survival of BTMs. To explore the role of conditioning and subsequent learning in the conservation of BTMs, I conducted a series of experiments in which I 1) attempted to condition BTMs to exhibit antipredator behavior when faced with WMF, and 2) created a situation in which naive BTMs could potentially learn from conditioned individuals. 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