Queiroz Helder, Magurran Anne E
Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil.
Biol Lett. 2005 Jun 22;1(2):155-7. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2004.0267.
Red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) shoals have a fearsome reputation. However, the variety and abundance of piranha predators in the flooded forests of the Amazon in which they live indicate that an important reason for shoal formation may be predator defence. Experiments using wild-caught piranhas supported the hypothesis that individual perception of risk, as revealed by elevated ventilatory frequency (opercular rate), is greater in small shoals. Moreover, exposure to a simulated predator attack by a model cormorant demonstrated that resting opercular rates are regained more quickly by piranhas in shoals of eight than they are in shoals of two. Together, these results show that shoaling has a cover-seeking function in this species.
红腹食人鱼(纳氏臀点脂鲤)鱼群有着可怕的名声。然而,在它们所生活的亚马逊河泛滥森林中,食人鱼捕食者的种类和数量表明,鱼群形成的一个重要原因可能是防御捕食者。使用野生捕获的食人鱼进行的实验支持了这样一种假设,即通过升高的呼吸频率(鳃盖开合频率)所揭示的个体对风险的感知,在小鱼群中更大。此外,通过模型鸬鹚模拟捕食者攻击表明,八只鱼一群的食人鱼比两只鱼一群的食人鱼恢复静止时鳃盖开合频率的速度更快。这些结果共同表明,群居对该物种具有寻求掩护的功能。