Efeitos do isolamento geográfico no comportamento anti-predador de peixes em uma perspectiva evolutiva

Abstract

Populations that remain isolated for many generations often undergo genetic and phenotypic changes that, over time, make interbreeding with the original population unlikely. This evolutionary process, known as allopatric speciation, is common yet slow, and its establishment in natural populations is often subtle. Isolation can influence various phenotypic traits, including behavioral adaptations. This study aims to compare the anti-predator behavior of two populations of the characid fish Psalidodon aff. fasciatus under different conditions of geographic isolation (one population being completely isolated from other fish), in response to stimuli from four types of predators (Odonata, Hemiptera, heron, and trahira) as well as simulated attack stimuli from herons and trahiras. The results suggest that both populations exhibit similar behavior when facing threats from predators common to both environments but display distinct responses when exposed to predators not shared between the two populations.