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. 2023 Jun;26(3):973-984.
doi: 10.1007/s10071-023-01747-4. Epub 2023 Jan 28.

Impact of exploration behavior, aptitude for pellet consumption, and the predation practice on the performance in consecutive live prey foraging tests in a piscivorous species

Tamás Molnár  1 , Béla Urbányi  2 , Ildikó Benedek  3
Affiliations

Impact of exploration behavior, aptitude for pellet consumption, and the predation practice on the performance in consecutive live prey foraging tests in a piscivorous species

Tamás Molnár et al. Anim Cogn. 2023 Jun.

Abstract

Within the predator-prey relationship, predator behavior is less studied. Even in natural populations, it shows great diversity, and the factors influencing this are even less known. Among these factors, the personality type of the individual, (including exploration, and neophilia) and the practice significantly influence the success of adapting to a changing environment and switching to new prey types. In the present study, we investigated the first five consecutive foraging trials on live fish prey in naïve pikeperch individuals, which previously consumed or refused pelleted food. We hypothesized that individuals which were willing to consume alternative (pelleted) food would also show higher foraging success on living prey and that the practice would influence the learning process. Our results show that the timing of prey detection is influenced by exploratory behavior, the latency of the first attack by the aptitude for consuming pellets, and both traits by the individual's practice. However, neither of the factor affects the latency and success rate of capturing the prey, suggesting that predation is an independent behavioral trait.

Keywords: Neophobia; Pikeperch; Prey detection; Sander lucioperca.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Cumulative event curves showing the effect of predation practice (five consecutive foraging trials) on the probability that fish had detected prey before a given time during an experimental trial
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Cumulative event curves showing the effect of aptitude to pellet consumption (PF-pellet feeder, PNF-pellet non-feeder) on the probability that fish had first attacked the prey before a given time during an experimental trial
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Cumulative event curves showing the effect of predation practice (five consecutive foraging trials) on the probability that fish had first attacked the prey before a given time during an experimental trial
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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