Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS23 In Transition: Biomechanics of Sensory Perception (Disciplinary Connections)

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2001, Time: 12:15:00 PM

Location: Acoma/Zuni/Tesuque

Pohlmann, K, , University of Konstanz, Dept. Biology, D- 78457 Konstanz, Germany, kirsten.pohlmann@uni-konstanz.de

Breithaupt, T, , University of Konstanz, Dept. Biology, D- 78457 Konstanz, Germany, thomas.breithaupt@uni-konstanz.de

NON-VISUAL STRATEGIES IN NOCTURNAL PREDATOR-PREY INTERACTIONS IN FISH

Little is known about strategies that nocturnal aquatic predators use to detect and locate their piscine prey or which senses are involved. Antipredatory behaviour of potential prey in darkness to minimise the predator’s success should reflect the predator’s strategies. Both of these behaviours cannot be understood without each other. Most fish are equipped with multiple non-visual extraordinarily sensitive senses: lateral line mechanoreceptors, acoustical, and chemical (olfactory and gustatory) senses, and in some cases electroreception. At night and in greater depths light is scarce and there are frequently conditions of total darkness. Nocturnal predator-prey interactions provide good models to study non-visual interactions in fish. In order to analyse these interactions we used a video-based infra-red illuminated system allowing 3D evaluation. From a combination of detailed analyses of the observed behaviour and the knowledge of physical and sensory properties the underlying mechanisms can be deduced. We test the hypothesis that chemical and hydrodynamic stimuli are the most important cues in this system.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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