Prey selection by larval weakfish (Cynoscion regalis): the effects of prey size, speed, and abundance

1993 ◽  
Vol 116 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. K. Pryor ◽  
C. E. Epifanio
Keyword(s):  
Prey Size ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Cynoscion Regalis

As the prey thickens: rainbow trout select prey based upon width not length

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Michael J. Dodrill ◽  
Charles B. Yackulic ◽  
Theodore A. Kennedy ◽  
Michael D. Yard ◽  
Josh Korman
Keyword(s):  
Rainbow Trout ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Choice Model ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Invertebrate Drift ◽  
Fish Length ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus Mykiss ◽  
Selective Foraging ◽  
Length Width

Drift-feeding fish are typically considered size-selective predators. Yet, few studies have explicitly tested which aspect of prey “size” best explains size selection by drift-foraging fish. Here, we develop a Bayesian discrete choice model to evaluate how attributes of both prey and predator simultaneously influence size-selective foraging. We apply the model to a large dataset of paired invertebrate drift (n = 784) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) diets (n = 1028). We characterized prey “size” using six metrics (length, width, area, hemispherical area, volume, mass) and used pseudo-R2 to determine which metric best explained observed prey selection across seven taxa. We found that rainbow trout are positively size-selective, they are selecting prey based upon differences in prey width, and size-selectivity increases with fish length. Rainbow trout demonstrated strong selection for the adult and pupae stages of aquatic insects relative to their larval stages. Our study provides strong empirical evidence for size-selective foraging in rainbow trout and demonstrates prey selection is based primarily upon width, not length or area as has been widely reported.

Frequency-dependent prey selection by larvae of Toxorhynchites splendens (Diptera: Culicidae)

1996 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 633-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Dominic Amalraj ◽  
P. K. Das
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Anopheles Stephensi ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Fourth Instar ◽  
Frequency Dependent ◽  
Size Selection ◽  
The Stability

AbstractThe foraging behaviour of frequency-dependent prey selection by larval instars of Toxorhynchites splendens (Wiedemann) was studied in the laboratory. Prey size selection (second vs fourth instars of Aedes aegypti Linnaeus or Anopheles stephensi Liston) by third and fourth instar predators was frequency-dependent. However, in the case of second instar predators, prey size selection was not frequency-dependent and the predator preferred second instar to fourth instar prey. When offered second instars of Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi the preference for one species over the other was frequency-dependent in all the three predator instars. The role of frequency-dependent prey selection in the stability of prey—predator interaction at low equilibrium levels is discussed.

Prey selection by harbour seals, Phoca vitulina, in relation to variations in prey abundance

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (9) ◽  
pp. 1508-1518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic J. Tollit ◽  
Paul M. Thompson ◽  
Simon P. R. Greenstreet
Keyword(s):  
Diet Composition ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Phoca Vitulina ◽  
Correction Factors ◽  
Fish Prey ◽  
Size Selection ◽  
Harbour Seals ◽  
Moray Firth ◽  
Time Periods

This study compared the composition of the diet of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) feeding in the Moray Firth, Scotland, with the abundance of their fish prey estimated from dedicated fishery surveys in January 1992 and 1994 and June 1992. Prey-size selection was also examined in these three time periods and in January 1991. In each period, the most abundant fish species contributed most to the diet. However, the relative abundances of the remaining species in the sea showed little similarity to their contribution to the seals' diet. Diet composition was almost totally dominated by either pelagic species or species dwelling on or strongly associated with the seabed, depending upon the relative abundance of pelagic schooling prey. Most fish consumed were 10–16 cm in length, although larger cod and herring were taken. With the exception of cod, the extent of size selection was dependent upon the use of correction factors that accounted for otolith erosion due to digestion.

A large molluscivore bird (Common Eider, Somateria mollissima) is able to discriminate quality of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) based on size and provenance

2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (8) ◽  
pp. 655-663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Varennes ◽  
Sveinn A. Hanssen ◽  
John C. Bonardelli ◽  
Magella Guillemette
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Mytilus Edulis ◽  
Energy Intake ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Somateria Mollissima ◽  
Shell Material ◽  
Blue Mussels ◽  
Common Eiders

Molluscivore birds that forage on abundant but low-quality food have to ingest large quantities of food to achieve energy balance. Such a strategy is often associated with important digestive constraints limiting predator’s ingestion. Thus, these predators may use prey selection to ingest better-quality individuals among a generally low-quality prey population. Using captive Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima (L., 1758)) diving in a constant environment, we were able to examine their preferences for blue mussels (Mytilus edulis L., 1758) of varying qualities (different sizes or provenances). In addition, we studied the consequences prey selection had on Eiders’ energy intake rates and ingestion of flesh and shell material. Eiders selected 10–20 mm mussels and were able to discriminate and to select cultivated mussels from intertidal mussels. Prey selection allowed, in certain conditions of prey-size abundance, higher flesh and energy intake rates without increasing the ingestion of shell material. This study confirmed the energetic advantage that Eiders have when foraging in aquaculture sites, which explain the large depredation of preferred mussel sizes.

Carnivorous Suspension Feeding by the Subarctic Calanoid Copepod Neocalanus cristatus

1988 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1069-1074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles H. Greene ◽  
Michael R. Landry
Keyword(s):  
Calanoid Copepod ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Suspension Feeding ◽  
Calanoid Copepods ◽  
Pelagic Ecosystem ◽  
Foraging Mode ◽  
Feeding Experiments ◽  
Feeding Modes

Carnivorous suspension feeding is described for the large subarctic calanoid copepod Neocalanus cristatus. This foraging mode relies on the use of a feeding current to entrain potential prey items and transport them into the copepod's capture area. The extensive use of a feeding current to entrain and transport prey into the capture area distinguishes carnivorous suspension feeding from the predatory modes typically described for other calanoid copepods. The consequences of carnivorous suspension feeding on N. cristatus' prey-selection patterns are significant. Feeding experiments reveal that the vulnerability of naupliar prey declines with increasing prey size, just the opposite result observed for other marine calanoids exhibiting more typical predatory feeding modes. The role of omnivorous feeding by N. cristatus within the pelagic ecosystem of the subarctic Pacific is also discussed. In contrast with earlier hypotheses, the results reported here are consistent with the emerging view that this large suspension-feeding copepod may be having at least as great an impact on the microzooplankton as on the phytoplankton of the region.

Mysid predation on amphipods and Daphnia in a shallow coastal lake: prey selection and effects of macrophytes

2002 ◽  
Vol 59 (12) ◽  
pp. 1901-1907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank M Wilhelm ◽  
Juliane Hamann ◽  
Carolyn W Burns
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Elodea Canadensis ◽  
Aquatic Systems ◽  
Coastal Lake ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Size Preference ◽  
Paracalliope Fluviatilis

Interactions between mysids and invertebrates other than pelagic zooplankton have not been well studied. We tested the hypothesis that the mysid Tenagomysis chiltoni preys on the co-occurring amphipod Paracalliope fluviatilis in laboratory experiments. In prey size preference experiments with single prey species, male and female T. chiltoni consumed more small than large amphipods in the absence of the macrophyte Elodea canadensis, but were not selective when macrophytes were present. When offered small and large Daphnia, T. chiltoni males consumed more small than large Daphnia, whereas female T. chiltoni did not show any preference. When amphipods and Daphnia of similar size were presented together, male T. chiltoni strongly selected Daphnia in the presence and absence of E. canadensis, whereas female mysids did so only in the presence of macrophytes. The total number of prey consumed by each sex did not differ between macrophyte treatments. However, female T. chiltoni, which are larger than males, consumed more prey than males. These data suggest that mysids may be an important source of mortality to the amphipod P. fluviatilis. Mysids may also prey on amphipods in other aquatic systems where they co-occur.

scholarly journals Relative prey size consumption in toothed whales: implications for prey selection and level of specialisation

2006 ◽  
Vol 326 ◽  
pp. 295-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
CD MacLeod ◽  
MB Santos ◽  
A López ◽  
GJ Pierce
Keyword(s):  
Prey Size ◽  
Prey Selection
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