The Fish Size, Prey Size, Handling Time Relation in Several Sunfishes and Some Implications

1974 ◽  
Vol 31 (9) ◽  
pp. 1531-1536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Earl E. Werner
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Size Ratio ◽  
Exponential Equation ◽  
Fish Size ◽  
Natural Prey ◽  
Mouth Size ◽  
Time Relation

The relation between fish size, prey size, and handling time was determined for bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and green (L. cyanellus) sunfishes with both artificial and natural prey. When scaled by plotting handling time against the ratio of prey size to mouth size, the relation was quite general across fish size and species and is described by a modified exponential equation. Handling time increases [Formula: see text] fold as fish approach satiation. Curves of handling time/unit return define optimal prey size for fish of different size and/or species and illustrate comparative aspects of the breadth of diet for different sized sunfish. Certain life history features of the bluegill are interpreted on the basis of these curves. Optimal prey size occurs at a prey size to mouth size ratio of 0.59 regardless of fish size.

Effects of cadmium on the foraging behavior and growth of juvenile bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1630-1638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miehael D. Bryan ◽  
Gary J. Atchison ◽  
Mark B. Sandheinrich
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Cadmium Concentration ◽  
Control Level ◽  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Behavioral Measure

Standardized test protocols for assessing chemical hazards to aquatic organisms inadequately consider behavioral effects of toxicants; yet, organisms behaving abnormally in the wild have reduced growth, reduced fitness, and high mortality. We determined the chronic effects of cadmium (0, 30, 60, 120, and 240 μg∙L−1) on juvenile bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) foraging behavior and growth rates in functional response experiments, each using different sized Daphnia as prey. Bluegill consumption rate increased with prey density. Cadmium-exposed fish initially attacked fewer prey per unit of time than unexposed fish, with subsequent recovery to control-level consumption rates determined by cadmium concentration and prey size. The degree of change (over time) in the number of Daphnia attacked per 30 s was the most consistently sensitive behavioral measure of sublethal stress in exposed bluegill; the lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) was 37.3 μg Cd∙L−1. Effects on prey attack rates (attacks/30 s) were inversely related to prey size; cadmium had the greatest effect on bluegill foraging on the smallest prey. Cadmium had no effect on prey capture efficiency or handling time. Growth in bluegill length and weight was reduced (P ≤ 0.019) by all cadmium concentrations and was a more sensitive end point than were the foraging behaviors.

Optimal prey size for stream resident brown trout (Salmo trutta): tests of predictive models

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 704-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen Bannon ◽  
Neil H. Ringler
Keyword(s):  
Brown Trout ◽  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Minimum Size ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Order Stream ◽  
Mouth Size ◽  
Brown Trout Salmo Trutta

The time required to handle different-sized prey (crickets) was measured in an artificial stream for eight wild brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) in two size classes (mean total lengths, 186 and 214 mm). Handling times (HTs) scaled by mouth size were described by an exponential equation: HT = 1 + 0.84e2.35(ps/ms) (ps, prey size; ms, predator (mouth) size). Cost curves based on handling time/prey weight were used to predict optimal prey lengths of 22 mm for small trout and 24 mm for large trout. A second model based on J. W. J. Wankowski's empirical results predicted slightly smaller optima. Physical constraints provided estimated minimum prey lengths of 2.8 and 3.2 mm for large and small fish, respectively; maximum prey lengths were 89 and 97 mm, respectively. We compared the predicted optimal prey size with the size distribution of invertebrates in drift and brown trout stomachs sampled in a second-order stream from July to September 1982. The most abundant prey sizes in the study stream were near the minimum size that can be effectively handled by brown trout. Prey of the predicted optimum size were rare, but feeding was size selective in spite of a limited food resource. The growth rates of these stream-dwelling brown trout were slower than the brown trout in other streams in this region. This may reflect diets consisting largely of suboptimal-sized prey.

scholarly journals Fish life history dynamics: shifts in prey size structure evoke shifts in predator maturation traits

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 693-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian J. Shuter ◽  
Henrique C. Giacomini ◽  
Derrick de Kerckhove ◽  
Kris Vascotto
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Lake Trout ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Growth Efficiency ◽  
Size Ratio ◽  
Size Spectrum ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
Predator Prey

A bioenergetic framework is developed to predict optimal life history responses to environmentally driven changes in the rate of energy production by a predator. This framework is used to predict the responses of age at maturation, size at maturation, and asymptotic size to changes in the predator–prey size ratio. Predators feeding on relatively smaller prey (i.e., having larger predator–prey size ratios) have lower growth efficiency and are predicted as a consequence to mature earlier, at smaller sizes, and reach smaller asymptotic sizes. This prediction was tested using a 78-year time series (1936–2013) of data from a natural population of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Opeongo, Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada. A large decrease in the predator–prey size ratio for this population occurred over the period 1950–1965 when a preferred prey (cisco, Coregonus artedii) was introduced to the lake. This decrease was followed by ∼20 years of constancy in the size ratio and then 25 years of progressive increase. Lake trout life history responded plastically during both periods and consistently with our predictions. Extensive analysis of available data provided little empirical support for alternative explanations for the observed changes in lake trout size and maturity (e.g., changes in cisco and (or) lake trout density and harvest rates). The framework developed here derives plastic life history changes from fixed developmental thresholds that are based on the scaling of net production with body size and can be used to predict the shape of maturation reaction norms for the major shifts in community structure that are compactly summarized by changes in size spectrum parameters.

Sublethal Copper Effects on Bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus, Foraging Behavior

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (11) ◽  
pp. 1977-1985 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark B. Sandheinrich ◽  
Gary J. Atchison
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
Daphnia Pulex ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Water Quality Criteria ◽  
Reaction Distance ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Copper Effects

The effects of four copper concentrations (5 [control], 31, 180, 1710 μg L−1) on bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) foraging behavior were examined with two separate experiments; one experiment assessing copper effects on the reaction distance of bluegill to two sizes of untreated zooplankton and one assessing copper effects on the functional response of bluegill to untreated (five tests) and treated (five tests) invertebrate prey. Prey used in these experiments were: Daphnia pulex, D. magna (Cladocera), Hyalella azteca (Amphipoda), and two sizes of Enallagma sp. (Zygoptera). Copper had no effect on the reaction distance of fish to zooplankton. There was a significant negative dose-response relationship for consumption rates of all untreated prey but not of treated prey groups. Prey handling time for bluegill capturing treated and untreated prey increased significantly with copper concentration and was the most consistently sensitive parameter measured. Capture efficiency by bluegill, although altered by copper for some prey types, was not as consistent a measure of toxicant stress. This study suggests that mechanistic measures are valuable indicators of toxicant effects on fish feeding behavior and that copper concentrations near the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency water quality criteria (18–28 μ L−1) may alter food consumption and reduce growth of fish in the wild.

The Relationship Between Prey Size and Handling Time and Prey Size and Capture Success in 3 Sympatric Species of Dasyurid Marsupials

1988 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 615 ◽  
Author(s):  
MC Calver ◽  
JS Bradley ◽  
DR King
Keyword(s):  
Linear Regression ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Niche Separation ◽  
Simple Linear Regression ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Better Than

Regressions of handling time on prey weight were determined for the dasyurids Srninthopsis hirtipes, S. ooldea and Ningaui spp. preying on grasshoppers and cockroaches in the laboratory. In all cases, a simple linear regression fitted the relationships better than logarithmic models. The slopes of the regression lines were steeper for grasshopper prey than for cockroach prey in all species, and for each prey type the slopes for the predators were ranked in order of predator weight. Capture efficiency, defined as the proportion of successful attacks, did not vary significantly between predator species and prey types, and all predators showed declining capture efficiencies with increasing prey size. Niche separation in these dasyurids does not appear to be based on different optimal prey sizes for each species.

scholarly journals The Combined Effects of Warming and Body Size on the Stability of Predator-Prey Interactions

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Kratina ◽  
Benjamin Rosenbaum ◽  
Bruno Gallo ◽  
Elena L. Horas ◽  
Eoin J. O’Gorman
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Trophic Interactions ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Size Ratio ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Functional Responses ◽  
Ample Evidence ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Prey Populations

Environmental temperature and body size are two prominent drivers of predation. Despite the ample evidence of their independent effects, the combined impact of temperature and predator-prey body size ratio on the strength and stability of trophic interactions is not fully understood. We experimentally tested how water temperature alters the functional response and population stability of dragonfly nymphs (Cordulegaster boltonii) feeding on freshwater amphipods (Gammarus pulex) across a gradient of their body size ratios. Attack coefficients were highest for small predators feeding on small prey at low temperatures, but shifted toward the largest predators feeding on larger prey in warmer environments. Handling time appeared to decrease with increasing predator and prey body size in the cold environment, but increase at higher temperatures. These findings indicate interactive effects of temperature and body size on functional responses. There was also a negative effect of warming on the stability of predator and prey populations, but this was counteracted by a larger predator-prey body size ratio at higher temperatures. Here, a greater Hill exponent reduced feeding at low prey densities when predators were much larger than their prey, enhancing the persistence of both predator and prey populations in the warmer environment. These experimental findings provide new mechanistic insights into the destabilizing effect of warming on trophic interactions and the key role of predator-prey body size ratios in mitigating these effects.

scholarly journals Body reserves mediate trade-offs between life-history traits: new insights from small pelagic fish reproduction

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (10) ◽  
pp. 160202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Brosset ◽  
Josep Lloret ◽  
Marta Muñoz ◽  
Christian Fauvel ◽  
Elisabeth Van Beveren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Maternal Effects ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Pelagic Fish ◽  
Small Pelagic Fish ◽  
Gulf Of Lions ◽  
Fish Size ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Cost

Limited resources in the environment prevent individuals from simultaneously maximizing all life-history traits, resulting in trade-offs. In particular, the cost of reproduction is well known to negatively affect energy investment in growth and maintenance. Here, we investigated these trade-offs during contrasting periods of high versus low fish size and body condition (before/after 2008) in the Gulf of Lions. Female reproductive allocation and performance in anchovy ( Engraulis encrasicolus ) and sardine ( Sardina pilchardus ) were examined based on morphometric historical data from the 1970s and from 2003 to 2015. Additionally, potential maternal effects on egg quantity and quality were examined in 2014/2015. After 2008, the gonadosomatic index increased for sardine and remained steady for anchovy, while a strong decline in mean length at first maturity indicated earlier maturation for both species. Regarding maternal effects, for both species egg quantity was positively linked to fish size but not to fish lipid reserves, while the egg quality was positively related to lipid reserves. Atresia prevalence and intensity were rather low regardless of fish condition and size. Finally, estimations of total annual numbers of eggs spawned indicated a sharp decrease for sardine since 2008 but a slight increase for anchovy during the last 5 years. This study revealed a biased allocation towards reproduction in small pelagic fish when confronted with a really low body condition. This highlights that fish can maintain high reproductive investment potentially at the cost of other traits which might explain the present disappearance of old and large individuals in the Gulf of Lions.

Prey handling time in two piscivores, Esox americanus vermiculatus and Micropterus salmoides, with contrasting mouth morphologies

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 540-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Hoyle ◽  
Allen Keast
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Largemouth Bass ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Maximum Size ◽  
Ecological Significance ◽  
Mouth Width ◽  
Prey Handling

An experimental study was carried out on prey handling time (from initial seizure of prey to completion of swallowing movements) in the grass pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus), using bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) as prey. Esox differs from the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), which was studied previously, in having a more specialized dentition. It was found that for individuals of the same mouth width (20 mm), handling time was 40–80% less in Esox for bluegill prey of total length 20–50 mm. Further, "optimal" and maximum size of prey consumed were 56 and 46% larger, respectively, for the esocid. The results are also related to body weight and age in Esox and Micropterus and the ecological significance of the findings is discussed.

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