Attack Cone Avoidance During Predator Inspection Visits by Wild Finescale Dace (Phoxinus neogaeus): The Effects of Predator Diet

摘要: When confronted by potential predators, many prey fishes engage in predator inspection behavior. Previous authors have argued that selectively avoiding the predator's head during an visit (attack cone avoidance), individual inspectors may reduce their local risk of predation. In field trials, we investigated effects diet cues on presence ‘attack avoidance’ visits. Wild, free-ranging finescale dace (Phoxinus neogaeus) were exposed to combined a model and distilled water control or odor yellow perch (Perca flavescens) fed (with alarm pheromone), swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri) (lacking Ostariophysan food deprived for four days. Finescale modified behavior following exposure (fewer present, reduced frequency inspections, increased per capita rate) compared those swordtails, deprived, control. addition, inspected tail region more often only when was paired with dace. all other treatments, often. These data suggest attack avoidance inspecting be likely occur high-risk situations, such as conspecific pheromones predators.