Meeting Abstract

P3.51  Thursday, Jan. 6  The kinematics of predator evasion by zebrafish larvae STEWART, W.J.*; CARDENAS, G.S.; MCHENRY, M.J.; Univ. of California, Irvine; Univ. of California, Irvine; Univ. of California, Irvine wstewart@uci.edu

Many fishes prey on smaller fish with a suction-feeding strike. In addition, prey fish may attempt to evade capture with an escape response. Although the feeding mechanics of suction-feeding predators are well studied, the cues that alert prey fish to predators and the circumstances that facilitate successful evasion remain unclear. To address this, we collected high-speed, high-magnification video of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) feeding on free-swimming larval zebrafish. We learned that larvae are able to detect approaching predators both before and after strikes begin, suggesting both the bow wake of an approaching predator, and the pressure gradient generated by suction feeding, serve as cues that alert prey fish to predators. Successful evasion most often occurs through early detection of an approaching predator, when a larva initiates a startle response before the predator strikes. These findings suggest that the ability to sense a predator’s approach may be critical to the survival of a prey fish.