FishPredation
From coraldigest
Fish Predation
Common Methods
- Stalking
- Chasing
- Ambush
- Habituation
- Angling
Predation Model
- Energy vs. Cost
- Search → Encounter → Strike → Capture
- Factors Affecting Search:
- For Predator: Hunger
- For Prey: Camouflage
- Factors Affecting Encounter
- For Predator: Swimming Speed, water clarity, illumination, schooling, detection mechanisms
- For Prey: morphology, activity level, pigmentation, distribution
- Factors Affecting Strike
- For Predator: alternative prey, location
- For Prey: body size, sensory ability
- Factors Affecting Capture
- For Predator: mouth gape, strike speed, handling
- For Prey: escape capabilities, schooling, shelter seeking behavior
References: K.M. Bailey, JT. Duffy Anderson. 2001. Fish Predation and Mortality. Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences (Second Edition). Pages 417-421.
Other Feeding Factors
- Size is the most important factor in determining predation rates
- ex: There is a decreasing rate of predation with Jellyfish as fish larvae size increases.
- Predation happens at all sizes
- Ex: microscopic organisms to large whales
- Highest rates of predation occur on juvenile fish.
- Predation is most common during life transitions.
- Ex: after fish larvae hatch
- Most are active either during the day or at night, not 24 hours
- Diurnal or nocturnal feeding is normally fixed genetically
- Feeding rhythms
- Tidal and lunar rhythms
- Annual Rhythms
Importance of Predation
- Food web
- trophic cascade/ top-down control
- Important Evolutionary Force