title: The effects of steady swimming on fish escape performance.
abstract: Escape maneuvers are essential to the survival and fitness of many animals. Escapes are frequently initiated when an animal is already in motion. This may introduce constraints that alter the escape performance. In fish, escape maneuvers and steady, body caudal fin (BCF) swimming are driven by distinct patterns of curvature of the body axis. Pre-existing muscle activity may therefore delay or diminish a response. To quantify the performance consequences of escaping in flow, escape behavior was examined in bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) in both still-water and during steady swimming. Escapes executed during swimming were kinematically less variable than those made in still-water. Swimming escapes also had increased response latencies and lower peak velocities and accelerations than those made in still-water. Performance was also lower for escapes made up rather than down-stream, and a preference for down-stream escapes may be associated with maximizing performance. The constraints imposed by pre-existing motion and flow, therefore, have the potential to shape predator-prey interactions under field conditions by shifting the optimal strategies for both predators and prey.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA.
authors.forename: Sanam B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Anwar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA.
authors.forename: Kelsey
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cathcart
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Darakananda
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA.
authors.forename: Ashley N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Gaing
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA.
authors.forename: Seo Yim
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA.
authors.forename: Xena
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Vronay
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA.
authors.forename: Dania N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA. dellerby@wellesley.edu.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Ellerby
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004924:Escape Reaction / Q000502:physiology; D010473:Perciformes / Q000502:physiology; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Escape; Kinematics; Predation; Swimming