Howe Hollis B, McIntyre Peter B, Wolman Marc A
Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA; Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
Behav Processes. 2018 Dec;157:230-237. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.10.005. Epub 2018 Oct 21.
The sensory modalities used by predatory fish to detect and capture prey are a key dimension of their foraging strategy. Determining the sensory cues that guide predation can also further conservation efforts under environmental change, and address the welfare of research animals. Here, we experimentally manipulated the sensory modalities used by adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) when foraging for larval conspecifics in captivity. We used minimally invasive techniques to test the consequences of eliminating visual, olfactory, and mechanosensory cues for predator behavior and success. Our results indicate that zebrafish require visual cues, but not olfactory or mechanosensory input. Reducing the visual contrast between prey and their surroundings decreased capture rates, suggesting that contrast underlies visual foraging. Video recordings of zebrafish during foraging indicate that they actively hunt larval fish, rather than employing a sit-and-wait approach. Together, our findings indicate adult zebrafish rely on visual cues to guide an active predation strategy.
掠食性鱼类用于探测和捕获猎物的感官方式是其觅食策略的一个关键维度。确定引导捕食行为的感官线索，还可以在环境变化的情况下进一步推动保护工作，并关注实验动物的福利。在此，我们通过实验操控成年斑马鱼（Danio rerio）在圈养环境中捕食同种幼鱼时所使用的感官方式。我们采用微创技术来测试消除视觉、嗅觉和机械感觉线索对捕食者行为及捕食成功率的影响。我们的结果表明，斑马鱼需要视觉线索，但不需要嗅觉或机械感觉输入。降低猎物与其周围环境之间的视觉对比度会降低捕获率，这表明对比度是视觉觅食的基础。斑马鱼觅食过程的视频记录表明，它们会主动捕食幼鱼，而不是采用坐等的方式。总之，我们的研究结果表明成年斑马鱼依靠视觉线索来指导主动捕食策略。
