Fisheries Behavioral Ecology - Abstracts
Davis, M.W., M.L. Spencer, and M.L. Ottmar. 2006. Behavioral responses to food odor in juvenile marine fish:
acuity varies with species and fish length. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 328:1-9.
Abstract
This study tested the hypothesis that acuity of behavioral responses to food odor in three commercially important species of
marine fish would increase as juvenile length increased. Swimming activity among two size groups of fish was measured in the
presence of a series of squid extract dilutions. Increased swimming activity in juvenile Pacific halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis Schmidt, walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma Pallas, and sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria Pallas was stimulated above
threshold concentrations of squid extract, expressed as dilution from full strength. Maximum chemosensory acuity was
observed in smaller (8–14 cm total length, TL) Pacific halibut and walleye pollock, while larger sablefish (15–23 cm TL)
continued to develop acuity. Response thresholds were highest (10-3 dilution) in Pacific halibut, at intermediate levels (10-4-10-6 dilution) in walleye pollock and smaller sablefish and reached the lowest levels (10-13 dilution) in larger sablefish. The
widely held view that dissolved free amino acids (DFAA) are the primary chemosensory stimulants for fish food searching may
not be valid for sablefish, as they detected squid extract at dilutions containing DFAA that appeared to be far below ambient sea
water DFAA concentrations.
Last updated
26 April, 2007
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