Larval fish feeding and turbulence: A case for the downside

Theory states that small‐scale turbulence decreases pursuit success of planktonic predators by advecting the encountered prey from the reactive zone of the predator during the pursuit event. We tested the quantitative predictions of a previously published model describing this phenomenon in larval cod by videorecording particle motion and feeding behavior of larval cod (8.7–12.3 mm) preying on copepods in a laboratory tank. Fluid motion shared characteristics with that in the ocean, i.e., intermittent, logarithmically distributed, average particle‐particle velocity difference proportional to separation distance1/3. Estimated bulk dissipation rates were 0–2 × 10−8 m2 s−3 and similar to those commonly experienced by larval cod in nature (e.g., located at 30 m during winds of ca.7 m s‐1 ). Owing to the intermittent nature of turbulence, we related individual predation events to local, instantaneous relative velocities instead of bulk averages. Pursuit success decreased significantly with relative velocity and the observations approximated the predicted effect of turbulence on pursuit success. Nonlinear and counteracting effects of turbulence on pursuit success and encounter may partly explain the contradictory observations of how turbulence affects larval fish feeding, growth, and survival in the sea.

[1]  A. Visser,et al.  Hydrodynamic signal perception in the copepod Acartia tonsa , 1999 .

[2]  T. Neumann,et al.  The structure and dynamics of the Bottom Boundary Layer in shallow sea areas without tidal influence: an experimental approach , 1998 .

[3]  André W. Visser,et al.  Turbulence-induced contact rates of plankton: the question of scale , 1998 .

[4]  P. Pepin,et al.  Enhanced gut fullness and an apparent shift in size selectivity by radiated shanny (Ulvaria subbifurcata) larvae in response to increased turbulence , 1998 .

[5]  Lawrence P. Sanford,et al.  Turbulent mixing in experimental ecosystem studies , 1997 .

[6]  Francesc Peters,et al.  Turbulence generation and measurement: application to studies on plankton* , 1997 .

[7]  Thomas J. Miller,et al.  The Role of Microscale Turbulence in the Feeding Ecology of Larval Fish , 1997 .

[8]  J. Simpson,et al.  The Vertical Structure of Turbulent Dissipation in Shelf Seas , 1996 .

[9]  Michael W. Davis,et al.  Behavioural determinants of distribution and survival in early stages of walleye pollock, Theragra chalcogrammai a synthesis of experimental studies , 1996 .

[10]  E. Horne,et al.  Turbulence dissipation rates and nitrate supply in the upper water column on Georges Bank , 1996 .

[11]  B. MacKenzie,et al.  Turbulence-enhanced prey encounter rates in larval fish: effects of spatial scale, larval behaviour and size , 1995 .

[12]  Brian R. MacKenzie,et al.  Encounter rates and swimming behavior of pause‐travel and cruise larval fish predators in calm and turbulent laboratory environments , 1995 .

[13]  E. Saiz,et al.  Planktivorous feeding in calm and turbulent environments, with emphasis on copepods , 1995 .

[14]  I. Jenkinson.  A review of two recent predation-rate models: the dome-shaped relationship between feeding rate and shear rate appears universal , 1995 .

[15]  P. Munk.  Foraging behaviour of larval cod (Gadus morhua) influenced by prey density and hunger , 1995, Marine Biology.

[16]  B. MacKenzie,et al.  Evidence for a dome-shaped relationship between turbulence and larval fish ingestion rates , 1994 .

[17]  E. Saiz.  Observations of the free‐swimming behavior of Acartia tonsa: Effects of food concentration and turbulent water motion , 1994 .

[18]  B. MacKenzie,et al.  Wind-based models for estimating the dissipation rates of turbulent energy in aquatic environments: empirical comparisons , 1993 .

[19]  Thomas Kiørboe,et al.  Turbulence, Phytoplankton Cell Size, and the Structure of Pelagic Food Webs , 1993 .

[20]  A. R. Nowell,et al.  Encounter rate by turbulent shear of particles similar in diameter to the Kolmogorov scale , 1992 .

[21]  M. Alcaraz,et al.  Free-swimming behaviour of Acartia clausi (Copepoda: Calanoida) under turbulent water movement , 1992 .

[22]  K. Matsushita.  How do fish larvae of limited motility encounter nauplii in the sea , 1991 .

[23]  T. Dickey,et al.  The fluid mechanics of copepod feeding in a turbulent flow: A theoretical approach , 1991 .

[24]  Hidekatsu Yamazaki,et al.  Why Oceanic Dissipation Rates Are Not Lognormal , 1990 .

[25]  S. Sundby,et al.  Feeding conditions of Arcto-norwegian cod larvae compared with the Rothschild–Osborn theory on small-scale turbulence and plankton contact rates , 1990 .

[26]  G. Evans,et al.  The encounter speed of moving predator and prey , 1989 .

[27]  L. Crowder,et al.  Larval Size and Recruitment Mechanisms in Fishes: Toward a Conceptual Framework , 1988 .

[28]  Brian J. Rothschild,et al.  Small-scale turbulence and plankton contact rates , 1988 .

[29]  Heath,et al.  Vertical distribution of herring larvae in relation to physical mixing and illumination , 1988 .

[30]  A. Gargett,et al.  A Microstructure Instrument for Profiling Oceanic Turbulence in Coastal Bottom Boundary Layers , 1987 .

[31]  K. Richardson,et al.  The cultivation of Acartia tonsa Dana for use as a live food source for marine fish larvae , 1986 .

[32]  N. S. Oakey,et al.  Statistics of Mixing Parameters in the Upper Ocean During JASIN Phase 2 , 1985 .

[33]  Peter Munk,et al.  Feeding behaviour and swimming activity of larval herring (Clupea harengus) in relation to density of copepod nauplii. , 1985 .

[34]  S. Tilseth,et al.  Growth, energy consumption and prey density requirements in first feeding larvae of cod (Gadus morhua L.). In: The propagation of cod Gadus morhua L.: an international symposium, Arendal, 14 - 17 June 1983 , 1984 .

[35]  J. Gerritsen,et al.  Encounter Probabilities and Community Structure in Zooplankton: a Mathematical Model , 1977 .

[36]  R. Probstein,et al.  Coagulation in turbulent flow: Theory and experiment , 1975 .

[37]  J. Hunter,et al.  Swimming and feeding behavior of larval anchovy Engraulis mordax , 1972 .

[38]  C. S. Holling.  The Components of Predation as Revealed by a Study of Small-Mammal Predation of the European Pine Sawfly , 1959, The Canadian Entomologist.