Growth history and intrinsic factors influence risk assessment at a critical life transition for a fish |
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Authors: | O M L?nnstedt and M I McCormick |
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Institution: | (1) ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia |
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Abstract: | Making the appropriate decision in the face of predation risk dictates the fate of prey, and predation risk is highest at
life history boundaries such as settlement. At the end of the larval phase, most coral reef fishes enter patches of reef containing
novel predators. Since vision is often obscured in the complex surroundings, chemical information released from damaged conspecific
is used to forewarn prey of an active predator. However, larvae enter the reef environment with their own feeding and growth
histories, which will influence their motivation to feed and take risks. The present study explored the link between recent
growth, feeding history, current performance and behavioural risk taking in newly settling stages of a coral reef damselfish
(Pomacentrus amboinensis). Older and larger juveniles in good body condition had a stronger response to chemical alarm cues of injured conspecifics;
these fish spent a longer time in shelter and displayed a more dramatic decrease in foraging behaviour than fish in lower
body condition. Feeding experiments supported these findings and emphasized the importance of body condition in affecting
risk assessment. Evidently, larval growth history and body condition influences the likelihood of taking risks under the threat
of predation immediately after settlement, thereby affecting the probability of survival in P. amboinensis. |
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