Predation risk breaks size-dependent dominance in juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and provides growth opportunities for risk-prone individuals

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 1206-1212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich G Reinhardt

Groups of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) fry in stream tanks formed size-determined dominance hierarchies, which were upheld through aggressive interactions and led to smaller fish occupying inferior feeding positions. Under simulated predation risk, the frequency of agonistic interactions was reduced, but more intensive aggressive behaviours were performed. This allowed small fish to gain access to better feeding positions. The effect of the predation threat on coho behaviour seemed to extend across a riffle into a second pool that served as a refuge. Smaller fry that chose to be in the exposed pool had greater growth rates than those that mainly occupied the refuge, while large fry that exposed themselves to predation did not grow better than their risk-avoiding counterparts. Differences in risk taking and growth among small coho fry in this experiment may support reports for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) of a split into different life history trajectories. The observations suggest that the presence of predators creates opportunities for the expression of alternative behavioural strategies that are absent under size-dependent dominance hierarchies.

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 701-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Blair Holtby ◽  
Max L Bothwell

The behaviour of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) was observed in outdoor experimental flumes in which three different spectral regimes were created by plastic covers that selectively blocked all or portions of natural ultraviolet radiation (UVR). The three light treatments were (i) photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, 400–700 nm), (ii) PAR plus longer wavelength ultraviolet (PAR + UVA, 320–700 nm), and (iii) full-spectrum sunlight with both long and short wavelength ultraviolet included (PAR + UVA + UVB, 280–700 nm). Observations made at different times of the day and under both overcast and sunny skies allowed an assessment of PAR intensity on behaviour in addition to that of UVR. We quantified shade-seeking behaviour, feeding strikes, and agonistic interactions (approaches, chases, and nips) between individuals. Under higher PAR intensities, a greater proportion of juvenile coho tended to take cover under rocks. Shade-seeking behaviour increased significantly in the presence of UVR. Feeding and agonistic interactions were partially inhibited at higher PAR intensities and very significantly depressed by UVR. For all behaviours tested, the effects were mediated by UVA with no significant additional impacts from UVB. UVR-mediated effects on behaviour could have ecological consequences through influencing summer densities, density-dependent growth, and size-dependent winter and early marine survivals.


1985 ◽  
Vol 42 (8) ◽  
pp. 1410-1417 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Berg ◽  
T. G. Northcote

The territorial, gill-flaring, and feeding behavior of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in a laboratory stream was disrupted by short-term exposure to suspended sediment pulses. At the higher turbidities tested (30 and 60 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU)), dominance hierarchies broke down, territories were not defended, and gill flaring occurred more frequently. Only after return to lower turbidities (0–20 NTU) was social organization reestablished. The reaction distance of the fish to adult brine shrimp decreased significantly in turbid water (30 and 60 NTU) as did capture success per strike and the percentage of prey ingested. Implications of these behavioral modifications suggest that the fitness of salmonid populations exposed to short-term pulses of suspended sediment may be impaired.


1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 676-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Blair Holtby ◽  
Douglas P. Swain ◽  
G. Michael Allan

We tested whether body morphology and aggressive behaviour, measured through mirror image stimulation (MIS), could predict the eventual dominance status of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) tested in paired contests and in stream tank interactions with several individuals. Dominance in paired contests was predicted by MIS behaviour on the fifth observation day using newly emerged juveniles and by MSS behaviour on the first observation day using 7-wk-old juveniles. In both.w420020 dstrials, deeper bodied fish tended to be dominant. In the stream tank tests, the MIS behaviour SAM (swim-against-mirror) and fork length were the best predictors of dominance. Large fish with high levels of SAM tended to be dominant. After removing the effects of fish size, neither body depth nor fin size consistently predicted dominance ability. SAM was positively correlated with overt aggressive behaviours in stream tanks but not with lateral displays, juvenile coho salmon appeared to react to conspecifics and to their own mirror images in a quantitatively similar way, and both MIS behaviour and body morphology were significant predictors of the outcome of agonistic interactions among individuals.


1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 1216-1226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen B. Mathews ◽  
Yukimasa Ishida

Estimates of growth rates in early ocean life and length frequency distributions at time of release for adult survivors were inferred from scale measurements for lots of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) released at several dates from a Columbia River hatchery (Big Creek) and a southern Oregon hatchery (Coos Bay). Analysis of these measurements failed to support either of two literature-suggested hypotheses for the variability of marine survival of hatchery coho by date of release: (1) intraseasonal variability of food supply during early marine life; and (2) intraseasonally improving ability of smaller individuals within release lots to convert to salt water. Marine survival improved substantially with date of release at both hatcheries. However, fish released earliest, which survived relatively poorly, grew as fast in early marine life as fish released later, which survived better. Thus, poor survival of the early released fish did not appear related to lack of food at early ocean life. For the Big Creek hatchery, no significant differences were seen between the mean lengths at date of release and the mean release-date lengths of adult survivors back calculated from their scales, for lots released on May 5, June 3, and July 2. Apparently, small and large fish of each lot survived with equal probability. For the Coos Bay hatchery, the mean release-date lengths of adult survivors were significantly larger than the mean lengths of all fish released, for each of six lots released between early June and late July. Thus, large fish apparently survived better than small ones within each of these six lots. But there was no seasonal trend in survivability of small fish relative to large ones, contrary to hypothesis (2)


1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (10) ◽  
pp. 1642-1651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich G. Reinhardt ◽  
Michael C. Healey

Foraging and use of cover by juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) were affected by predation threat in both seminatural channels and laboratory streams. In the field, coho salmon preferred stream sections with brushy cover only when under threat from hunting common mergansers. The mergansers had their highest capture success in pools without cover. Predation threat also caused coho salmon to use cover more as foraging habitat and to aggregate more in favourable positions at the head of the pool. In the laboratory, under simulated predation threat, fish using a refuge were significantly larger than those in the risky habitat. This pattern persisted for 2 days after the predation threat was discontinued. The average growth of coho salmon under predation threat was depressed and the difference in growth between large and small individuals was less than in control groups. We argue that larger fish were more averse to predation risk than smaller fish and that the smaller fish took advantage of feeding opportunities indirectly provided as a result of the predation risk. We speculate that in natural environments, predation may depress growth rates because of risk-avoidance behaviour but may also serve to reduce growth-rate differences among size classes within a cohort.


1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 1424-1432 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. H. M. Fagerlund ◽  
David A. Higgs ◽  
J. R. McBride ◽  
M. D. Plotnikoff ◽  
B. S. Dosanjh

Juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) held in 11 °C fresh water (FW) were fed Oregon moist pellets supplemented with 3,5,3′-triiodo-L-thyronine at 4 ppm (T34) or 20 ppm(T320) and (or) 17α-methyltestosterone at 0.2 ppm (MT0.2) or 1 ppm (MT1) until early or normal seawater (SW) transfer.During FW residency all hormonal treatments improved growth, appetite, and food utilization. In February, fish fed T320 singly or with MT had increased degranulation of somatotrop cytoplasm. Thyroid epithelial cell height of fish fed T34 or T320 was either suppressed or enhanced. MT1 singly or combined with T3 induced androgenic side effects in males. Proximate body composition was affected only by MT. T320 induced morphological anomalies and treatment was discontinued. In May, thyroid activity and number of putative gonadotrops of fish fed MT1 were increased. Androgenic effects of all groups given MT1 were greater in May than in February.After SW transfer in February growth, appetite, and food utilization were depressed but fish fed T34 performed better than controls. Performance of all groups improved after May but, in general, mortality increased slightly. After transfer in May, T3-fed fish had increased growth in length.It is concluded that MT and T3 effectively enhance growth in FW but only T3 facilitates SW transfer.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean M. Naman ◽  
Rui Ueda ◽  
Takuya Sato

AbstractDominance hierarchies and unequal resource partitioning among individuals are key mechanisms of population regulation. The strength of dominance hierarchies can be influenced by size dependent trade-offs between foraging and predator avoidance whereby competitively inferior subdominants can access a larger proportion of limiting resources by accepting higher predation risk. Foraging-predation risk trade-offs also depend on resource abundance. Yet, few studies have manipulated predation risk and resource abundance simultaneously; consequently, their joint effect on resource partitioning within dominance hierarchies are not well understood. We addressed this gap by measuring behavioural responses of masu salmon to experimental manipulations of predation risk and resource abundance in a natural temperate forest stream. Responses to predation risk depended on body size such that larger dominants exhibited more risk-averse behaviour (e.g., lower foraging and appearance rates) relative to smaller subdominants after exposure to a simulated predator. The magnitude of this effect was lower when resources were elevated, indicating that dominant fish accepted a higher predation risk to forage on abundant resources. However, the influence of resource abundance did not extend to the population level, where predation risk altered the distribution of foraging attempts (a proxy for energy intake) from being skewed towards large individuals to being skewed towards small individuals after predator exposure. Our results imply that size dependent foraging-predation risk trade-offs can mediate the strength of dominance hierarchies by allowing competitively inferior subdominants to access resources that would otherwise be monopolized.Author Contributions:SN, TS, and RU designed the study and performed the fieldwork; SN analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript with input from all authors.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document