Meeting Abstract
Fast-start escape responses are used by fish when dealing with predatory threats that require a quick response with high velocity. Recent work on archerfish has suggested that the kinematics of a fast start towards a prey is similar to that of escape response from a threat. Here we test the hypothesis that untrained predatory fish would respond to a food item dropped in the water with an escape response away from it. However, after training (which allowed fish to recognize the stimulus as a food item) predatory fish would respond to a food stimulus dropped in the water by bursting towards it, with kinematics comparable to those of an escape response. Great sculpin (Myoxocephalus polyacanthocephalus) were trained to perform a fast-start attack on a food item and the kinematics were compared among (1) escape response of untrained fish from a food stimulus (perceived as a threat); (2) escape response of untrained fish from a strong mechanical stimulus; and (3) trained fish’s attack on food stimulus. We found that untrained and trained sculpin had similar turning rates away from and towards the food stimulus, although the trained fish had longer latencies. Untrained fish showed a higher variability in trajectories when escaping from the threat than trained fish when aiming at the food and had higher variation in their turning velocities and post-response linear velocities. Our results suggest that, after training to recognize a food item, great sculpin can modify their reaction to it from an escape response to a feeding attack.
