Meeting Abstract
Animals rely on coordinated and integrated behaviors to perform ecologically relevant tasks such as prey capture. In fishes, hydrodynamic properties predict that fishes with forceful suction cannot simultaneously swim fast. Because suction force increases as mouth size decreases, a tradeoff between mouth size and swim speed are expected. This relationship has been supported empirically in several clades of suction-feeding fishes, but may break down in fishes specialized for other feeding modes. However, testing the effects of feeding specialization on this integration has been difficult because previous comparisons have been between and among species, where secondary differences may confound interpretations, or individuals have not been required to perform comparable tasks. We test the effect of specialization on integration in two ways using Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata): 1) by examining integration in a species specialized for biting, but while capturing suspended live prey using suction, and 2) by examining differences in integration between locally adapted, divergent populations within this species. These tests allow for direct comparisons with other previously studied suction-feeding fishes while also limiting the effects of evolutionary divergence when interpreting differences in patterns. Evidence of integration would demonstrate that the constraints of suction are a broad and due to the mechanics of suction. Alternatively, a lack of integration would support the hypothesis that specialization for an alternative feeding mode might limit the ability to coordinate tasks.
