Copepod escape from suction feeding fish


Meeting Abstract

S12.6  Wednesday, Jan. 7 11:00  Copepod escape from suction feeding fish YEN, J.*; MURPHY, D.W.; WEBSTER, D.R.; Georgia Tech; Johns Hopkins ; Georgia Tech jeannette.yen@biology.gatech.edu http://www.biology.gatech.edu/faculty/jeannette-yen/

Copepods escape very well. As a key link in the aquatic food web, these small planktonic organisms often encounter suction feeding fish. Studies have identified certain hydrodynamic features that are created by the approach of this visual predator and the generation of its suction flow for food capture. Studies have identified certain hydrodynamic features evoke the evasive response of copepods. Analyses of the reaction time, threshold sensitivity, sensor design, and evasive behavior by this key prey of fish can be useful to evaluate the effectiveness of the suction flow-based feeding tactics. How does the extent of the fish flow field relate to the escape distance of the copepod? What is the importance of sensor orientation and signal structure? How do copepods accurately detect a predator and appropriately respond with a directed escape response? This review aggregates this information to increase our understanding of the fish predation- prey evasion interaction.

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