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Modulation and Variability of Prey Capture Kinematics in Clariid Catfishes

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Modulation and Variability of Prey Capture Kinematics in Clariid Catfishes JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY 305A:559–569 (2006) Modulation and Variability of Prey Capture Kinematics in Clariid Catfishes SAM VAN WASSENBERGH1Ã, ANTHONY HERREL1, DOMINIQUE ADRIAENS2, 1,3 AND PETER AERTS 1Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, B-2610 Antwerpen, Belgium 2Vertebrate Morphology, Ghent University, B-9000 Gent, Belgium 3Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, B-9000 Gent, Belgium ABSTRACT Species with narrow or limited diets (trophic specialists) are expected to be less flexible in their feeding repertoire compared to species feeding on a wide range of different prey (trophic generalists). The ability to modulate prey capture kinematics in response to different prey types and prey position, as well as the overall variability in prey capture kinematics, is evaluated in four clariid species ranging from trophic generalist (Clarias gariepinus) to species with morphological specializations and a narrow diet (Channallabes apus and Gymnallabes typus). High-speed video recordings were made of prey captures on two prey that differ in shape, attachment strength and hardness. While the observed amount of strike-to-strike variability in prey capture kinematics is similar for all species and not influenced by prey type, only the two less specialized species showed the ability to modulate their prey capture kinematics in function of the presented prey types. All species did, however, show positional modulation during the strike by adjusting the magnitude of neurocranial elevation. These results indicate that the narrow dietary breadth of trophic specialists is indeed indicative of functional stereotypy in this group of fishes. Although most studies focussing on prey processing found a similar result, the present study is one of the few that was able to demonstrate this relationship when focussing on prey capture mechanics. Possibly, this relationship is less frequently observed for prey capture compared to prey processing because, regardless of prey type, the initial capture of prey requires a higher amount of variability. J. Exp. Zool. 305A:559–569, 2006. r 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. In evolutionary biology, it has been hypothe- mental tests on fishes have supported the above sized that trophic breadth is correlated with hypothesis (Lauder, ’83a,b; Sanderson, ’91; behavioural and functional versatility or flexibil- Ralston and Wainwright, ’97), other studies failed ity. Species with limited diets (trophic specialists) to demonstrate this suggested stereotypy of are expected to be less flexible in their feeding specialists compared to the flexibility of general- capacities compared to species that feed on a wide ists (Sanderson, ’88, ’90) or even showed striking range of different prey (trophic generalists). examples countering this hypothesis (Liem, ’78, Indeed, trophic generalists often have to switch ’80,’84; Norton, ’91). Yet, the reason why support from one prey to another and the ability of for this hypothesis is found in some cases and not generalists to change their feeding behaviour in in others remains unclear. function of the type or position of the prey (i.e., modulation) is an important aspect of their success (e.g., Norton, ’91, ’95; Nemeth, ’97a,b). Grant sponsor: FWO Grant; Grant number: 6.0388.00; Grant In contrast, because trophic specialists restrict sponsor: Special Research Fund of the University of Antwerp. themselves to a limited range of prey for which ÃCorrespondence to: S. Van Wassenbergh, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Laboratory for Functional Morphology, they possess specific morphological and/or beha- Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium. vioural modifications (Ferry-Graham et al., 2002), E-mail: [email protected] Received 10 August 2005; Accepted 20 February 2006 the importance of being able to handle a wide Published online 13 April 2006 in Wiley InterScience (www.inter variety of prey decreases. Although several experi- science.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/jez.a.293. r 2006 WILEY-LISS, INC. 560 S. VAN WASSENBERGH ET AL. In this study, the variability and modulation prey to another as prey availability (density and of prey capture kinematics is studied in four accessibility) changes (Bruton, ’79). Clarias catfish species of the family Clariidae (Clarias gariepinus is also known to use multiple feeding gariepinus, Clariallabes longicauda, Gymnallabes modes like foraging, shovelling, surface feeding typus and Channallabes apus) that show clear and group hunting (Bruton, ’79), and different differences in the diversity of their diet (Fig. 1). structural adaptations can be linked to different Clarias gariepinus is a typical example of a trophic feeding types ranging from filter feeding to generalist with a broad diet of different prey piscivory (Groenewald, ’64). Unlike Clarias gar- ranging in size from zooplankton to fishes half its iepinus, the other clariid species used in this study own length (Groenewald, ’64; Bruton, ’79; Yalc-in (Clariallabes longicauda, Gymnallabes typus and et al., 2001). This species feeds in a variety of Channallabes apus; Fig. 1) have developed unu- habitats and in fluctuating marginal areas of lakes sually large (or hypertrophied) jaw adductors, and and rivers. Clarias gariepinus switches from one also lack elongated and numerous gill rakers Fig. 1. Dietary composition of four species of Clariidae according to the literature (Bruton, ’79 for Clarias gariepinus, Wyckmans, 2004 for Clariallabes longicauda and Huysentruyt et al., 2004 for Channallabes apus and Gymnallabes typus). The PShannon–Wiener index of dietary diversity was used to quantify the degree of specialization in each species, and is calculated by pi ln pi, where pi is the numerical proportion of a particular prey category. The large pie-charts in the middle give broad taxonomic groupings (see legend below). The smaller pie-charts on the right side illustrate the numerical proportions of the most important groups of insects in the diet. Drawings of Channallabes apus and Gymnallabes typus are made after Teugels and Adriaens (2003). Legend: Act 5 Actinopterygii, Amp 5 Amphibia, Ann 5 Annelida, Ara 5 Arachnida, Crus 5 Crustacea, Ins 5 Insecta, Mol 5 Mollusca, 1 5 Colleoptera, 2 5 Dictyoptera, 3 5 Diptera, 4 5 Hemiptera, 5 5 Hymenoptera, 6 5 Isoptera, 7 5 Lepidoptera, 8 5 Mecoptera, 9 5 Odonata, 10 5 Orthoptera, 11 5 Trichoptera, 12 5 Ephemeroptera and 13 5 others. N 5 number of stomachs analysed with content. Although the dietary data sample of Gymnallabes typus is small, similar results are found for Gymnallabes alvaresi (Huysentruyt et al., 2004). This species (closely related to Gymnallabes typus) ingests Coleopterans in high proportions and has a low Shannon–Wiener index of diet diversity. J. Exp. Zool. DOI 10.1002/jez.a PREY CAPTURE MODULATION IN CLARIID CATFISHES 561 (Cabuy et al., ’99). While the diet of Clariallabes typus was imported from Western tropical Africa. longicauda, a species with an intermediate degree Cranial lengths (CLs) of the Clarias gariepinus of jaw adductor hypertrophy is still relatively specimens were 44.4, 44.7, 47.5, 47.5, 51.7 and diverse, the trophic diversity is strongly reduced 56.6 mm. The Clariallabes longicauda individuals in the anguilliform representatives Channallabes had CLs of 32.4, 34.7, 35.7 and 49.0 mm. The apus and Gymnallabes typus (Fig. 1). According to measured CLs for Channallabes apus and Gym- Herrel et al. (2002), modifications of the feeding nallabes typus were respectively 22.6, 23.10, 24.2, system (i.e., jaw adductor hypertrophy) enable 25.80 mm and 19.20, 20.8, 22.15 mm. CL was these species to exert much larger bite forces onto defined as the distance between the rostral tip of prey (bite forces for Channallabes apus are more the premaxillary and the caudal tip of the occipital than 10 times higher than Clarias gariepinus for process. The animals were kept separate in 20 L a skull length of 39 mm). Given this increased bite test aquaria and were trained to capture the performance, it was not surprising that dietary presented food inside a narrow, projecting feeding analyses showed an altered and more selective arena (25 cm length, 8 cm width, 15 cm water feeding pattern for species that possess hypertro- height) in the aquarium (which forced the animals phied jaw adductors with a special preference to feed in a position perpendicular to the camera). for coleopterans, which are indeed hard prey (Huysentruyt et al., 2004). Prey Here, we test whether the trophic generalists exhibit a greater ability to modulate their prey Two different prey types were used: (1) a piece capture kinematics in response to different prey of cod fillet (Gadus morhua) of about 3 cm3 and types when compared with the more specialized (2) a North Sea shrimp (Pandalus borealis)of species. We also tested whether there is a relation- approximately 4 cm in total length. Both prey ship between the overall variability of the exhib- types were attached to a thin, plastic-coated steel ited kinematic pattern and the degree of trophic wire and were suspended about 5 cm above the specialization and whether the experimental prey bottom of the corridor. The cod was pinned onto types influence the variability of the kinematic the steel wire, while the shrimp was clipped patterns (see also Wainwright and Friel, 2000). around its middle (see Fig. 2). For both prey, we Not only prey type, but also prey position can elicit measured the force needed to detach the prey from alternative prey capture movements (Elshoud- its attachment (by pulling horizontally), the force Oldenhave and Osse, ’76; Lauder and Liem, ’80; needed to tear a piece from the prey, and force Liem, ’80; Lauder, ’81). Therefore, we also tested needed to penetrate the prey using a standard the ability of these catfish species to adjust their object (flat-tipped screw of 3 mm diameter) using head position with respect to the prey right before a Kistler Force Transducer 9203 (range 0.1–500 N) prey capture.
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