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Risk Sensitivity in Foraging Jack Dempsey Cichlids (Cichlasoma octofasciatum)
Author(s) -
Roche John P.,
Dravet Susan M.,
Bolyard Kimberly,
Rowland William
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
ethology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.739
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-0310
pISSN - 0179-1613
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1998.tb00094.x
Subject(s) - foraging , fish <actinopterygii> , constant (computer programming) , preference , biology , sensitivity (control systems) , statistics , ecology , mathematics , fishery , computer science , engineering , programming language , electronic engineering
Studies have documented that animals with positive energy budgets tend to prefer feeding sites offering constant amounts of food over those offering variable amounts of food. The present study tested whether Jack Dempsey cichlids ( Cichlasoma octofasciatum ) in a two‐patch environment preferred the patch offering a constant amount of food over the one offering a variable amount of food. The study also examined (1) whether fish displayed shifts in risk sensitivity when they were allowed only one choice per trial (discrete‐choice treatment), as opposed to when they could freely sample both alternatives (free‐choice treatment), and (2) whether or not fish displayed shifts in risk sensitivity between the first trial of the day, when they were hungrier, and the final trial of the day, when they were more satiated. Two of six fish significantly preferred the constant alternative and one showed a numerical preference for the constant alternative that approached significance. The mean proportion of first choices to the constant side did not differ significantly between the discrete‐choice treatment and the free‐choice treatment. In the discrete‐choice treatment, however, fish were significantly more risk averse in the first trial of daily sessions than in the final trial — a shift in risk sensitivity opposite to that seen in a number of other studies. This suggests that animals may pass through more than one threshold in risk sensitivity on different points along an energy budget continuum.