Meeting Abstract

P1-135   -   The Effects of Social Dynamics on Antipredator Responses of Mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki Young, T/S*; Smith, S/L; Harkins, B; Beck, H/M; Ligocki, I/Y; Millersville University; Millersville University; Millersville University; Millersville University; Millersville University isaac.ligocki@millersville.edu http://www.isaacligocki.com

Predation has critical fitness consequences for organisms, and antipredator behaviors are generally under strong selection. In the Eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki, individuals commonly avoid predators, but at times may approach and "inspect" predators. We evaluated how social dynamics in mosquitofish influence their behavioral responses to the presence of a predator; the largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides. In the presence of predator cues (and a predator) we predicted increased shoaling and predator inspection and in turn more vulnerable to predation. To test this, we housed groups of five female mosquitofish together for three weeks to document their social structure. We then exposed each group to a confined bass to monitor mosquitofish behavioral social changes in response to predator visual and chemical cues.