Sustainable Development Goals
Abstract/Objectives
Cephalopods are the animals with the most developed nervous system in invertebrates. In addition to having hundreds of millions of nerve cells, they also have many functional divisions and complex network connections, so they are also known as primates in the ocean. animal. They are best known for their fast-changing body color regulation and fairly intelligent cognitive abilities, all of which are closely related to their brain nervous system. By studying how cuttlefish and squid subtly change their body color to achieve the purpose of camouflage and communication, it can help us discover the operating laws of cephalopod visual behavior and nervous system, and can also provide us with many inspirations for bionic technology. In addition, by studying the cuttlefish’s ability to discriminate the number and the factors that affect feeding choices, it can also help us understand the evolutionary laws of cephalopod cognitive behavior and environmental adaptation.
Results/Contributions

Decision making, when humans and other animals choose between two options, is not always based on the absolute values of the options, but can also depend on their relative values. The present study examines whether decision making by cuttlefish is dependent on relative values learned from previous experience. Cuttlefish preferred a larger quantity when making a choice between one or two shrimps (1 vs. 2) during a two-alternative forced choice. However, after cuttlefish were primed under conditions where they were given a small reward for choosing one shrimp in a no shrimp vs. one shrimp test (0 vs. 1) six times in a row, they chose one shrimp significantly more frequently in the 1 vs. 2 test. This reversed preference for a smaller quantity was not due to satiation at the time of decision making, as cuttlefish fed a small shrimp six times without any choice test prior to the experiment still preferred two shrimps significantly more often in a subsequent 1 vs. 2 test. This suggests that the preference of one shrimp in the quantity comparison test occurs via a process of learned valuation. Foraging preference in cuttlefish thus depends on the relative value of previous prey choices.

Keywords
optimal foraging theoryforaging cognitionpriming effectstate-dependent valuationreinforcement learning
References
1. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.201602

Kuo T.-H. and Chiao C.-C. Learned valuation during forage decision-making in cuttlefish. Royal Society Open Science 7: 201602 (2020).

Contact Information
焦傳金
ccchiao@life.nthu.edu.tw