Habitat choice in shoals of roach as a function of water temperature and feeding rate

Temperature and food availability are two important factors which affect fish growth and therefore are expected to influence habitat choice in fish. In this study, shoals of 16 juvenile roach, Rutilus rutilus , were given a choice between two chambers that differed in temperature by 1·5°C or 3°C whereas food availability was the same in both chambers (ratio 1 : 1) or higher in the colder one (ratio 4 : 1). The number of fish in each chamber was recorded for 10 min each during a pre-feeding, feeding and post-feeding period. Roach generally preferred the warmer over the colder chamber during the pre-feeding periods. Temperature had a significant effect on the distribution of fish during all three time periods whereas food availability was a significant factor only during the feeding period. The important role of temperature was emphasized further by the fact that a relatively small difference in the temperature gradient of 1·5°C had a stronger effect on fish distribution than a four times higher feeding rate during the feeding period. The implications for growth rates of such short-term decision-making of roach are discussed.