Sit and survive: predation avoidance by cryptobenthic coral reef fishes

Mihalitsis, Michalis, Bellwood, David R., and Wainwright, Peter C. (2024) Sit and survive: predation avoidance by cryptobenthic coral reef fishes. Marine Biology, 171. 7.

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Abstract

Predation is a crucial ecosystem function, transferring nutrients and shaping the abundance and diversity of animals within communities. On coral reefs, fish-fish predation (i.e., piscivory) is arguably one of the best known ecosystem functions, yet is also one of the least well quantified. Recent work has suggested that the prey capture performance of piscivorous fishes may differ when feeding on actively swimming vs. cryptobenthic fish prey. However, the extent of this difference remains unquantified. Our goal, therefore, was to conduct performance-based experiments comparing piscivorous fishes feeding on two different fish prey types, namely, actively swimming vs. cryptobenthic prey (i.e., prey sitting on the benthos). While predators were able to immediately detect actively swimming prey, when feeding on cryptobenthic prey, predators were generally unable to detect the prey until it moved. Both focal predators, the grabber Pseudochromis fuscus and the engulfer Pterois volitans were less successful at capturing cryptobenthic prey (mean 28% probability of capture), compared to actively swimming prey (85%). Overall, our study demonstrates the heterogeneous nature of fish predation on coral reefs, and the challenges of feeding on different prey functional groups.

Item ID: 82111
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1432-1793
Keywords: Camouflage, Crypsis, Piscivory, Prey, Prey detection, Sensory
Copyright Information: © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023.
Funders: Australian Research Council (ARC)
Projects and Grants: ARC FL190100062, ARC CE140100020
Date Deposited: 26 Mar 2025 01:25
FoR Codes: 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310305 Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) @ 100%
SEO Codes: 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1802 Coastal and estuarine systems and management > 180201 Assessment and management of coastal and estuarine ecosystems @ 100%
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