FORAGING KINEMATICS OF BARRAMUNDI DURING EARLY STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

N.A. Dowling, S.J. Hall, J.G. Mitchell-2000

Journal of Fish Biology, 57(2): 337-353

Abstract:

Contrary to expectations there was no transition from a saltatory to a cruise search strategy in foraging behaviour of 7- to 33-day-old barramundi over the period of metamorphosis. Rather, there was a continual change in foraging behaviour, with increasing durations between swimming pauses and increasingly straight swimming paths, implying that hydrodynamic constraints on swimming may be a key determinant of foraging kinematics. It is suggested that the notion of saltatory search as a third, unique foraging strategy needs to be re-evaluated.

(School of Biological Sciences, The Flinders University of South Australia, G.P.O. Box 2100, Adelaide, S.A., 5001, Australia, Tel.: +08 8201 3489; fax: +08 8201 3015;

e-mail:natalie.dowling@flinders.edu.au)

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