CAN JUVENILE ATLANTIC SALMON USE MULTIPLE-CUE SYSTEMS IN SPATIAL-LEARNING

An ability to form a map or spatial representation of a home range sho uld facilitate efficient foraging and promote the use of effective esc ape routes to shelter. Although a few experiments have shown some spec ies of fish are capable of simple spatial behaviour, little is known a bout the behavioural mechanisms they use to orient as they forage. Whe ther juvenile Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, have the capacity to use c onspicuous visual landmarks to help them track a moving resource was i nvestigated. The experiment was then modified to determine whether the salmon could continue to track the resource in the absence of conspic uous visual cues. The salmon followed a moveable food source in the pr esence and, after retraining, in the absence of distinct coloured land marks. It is suggested that juvenile salmon may be capable of using mu ltiple forms of cue to help them solve spatial tasks such as tracking a moving resource. (C) 1996 The Association for the Study of Animal Be haviour