Chemical sensing in recognition and avoidance of novel predator

Abstract

Chemical cues are important for predator recognition and avoidance in aquatic environments, where visual cues are not always substantial. Learning, rather than instinct, is important to assessing threat levels, generally requiring the pairing of a predator with an alarm cue of a conspecific. Detection of a novel scent often results in predator inspection to determine motives of the organism. Exposing fish in Deming Lake to two treatments of novel leech species, a visual cue and chemical/visual cue, the experiment shows that redbelly dace (phoxinus eos) preferentially inspect the chemical/visual treatment over the control.