Oddity and the 'confusion effect' in predation
We report on two sets of experiments designed to clarify the roles of sensory 'confusion' and prey 'oddity' as they interact to influence the hunting success of a pursuit predator, the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), on silvery minnows (Hybognathus nuchalis). Bass quickly captured solitary minnows, but performed many unsuccessful attacks and took much longer to make a capture as prey school size was increased. At school sizes of eight and above, bass were effectively stymied, demonstrating the 'confusion effect'. The inclusion of one or two 'odd' (blue-dyed) minnows in a school of eight greatly increased the ability of bass to capture both normal and odd prey, but this effect of oddity disappeared at a school size of 15. The implications of these results for understanding the adaptive basis of mixed species flocks, herds and schools is discussed. © 1986.
Duke Scholars
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- Behavioral Science & Comparative Psychology
- 52 Psychology
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- 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
- 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
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Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- Behavioral Science & Comparative Psychology
- 52 Psychology
- 31 Biological sciences
- 30 Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences
- 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
- 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
- 06 Biological Sciences