Meeting Abstract

83.5  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Similarity and disparity in prey-capture kinematics between the invasive Belonesox belizanus and the native Micropterus floridanus, with implications for the ecological interaction between invasive and native species. KERFOOT, J.R.*; TURINGAN, R.G.; Florida Institute of Technology; Florida Institute of Technology jkerfoot@fit.edu

The intensity of competitive interactions between invasive and native fish species may be inferred from the degree of overlap in patterns of resource use and metrics of performance between the two competing species. In this study, the kinematics and mode of prey-capture were compared between the native centrarchid, Micropterus floridanus, and the invasive poeciliid, Belonesox belizanus. Principal component analysis revealed a pattern of overlap in prey-capture kinematic space between species. Subsequent independent t-tests comparing the loadings scores of each of the first two principal components, using species as a grouping factor revealed that in general, the kinematics of prey-capture was similar between M. floridanus and B. belizanus. However, both species differed in feeding mode, with B. belizanus employing more of a ram-feeding mode compared with M. floridanus. Similarity in prey-capture kinematics and disparity in feeding mode may underlie the competitive interaction between these coexisting native and invasive species in south Florida, including the Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve.