EVIDENCE FOR A DOME-SHAPED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TURBULENCE AND LARVALFISH INGESTION RATES

Recent theoretical work suggests that small-scale turbulence enhances encounter rates between larval fish and their prey. This finding has b een extended to suggest that feeding rates will increase in turbulent environments. However, this extrapolation assumes that turbulence has no detrimental effects on post-encounter behaviors (e.g. pursuit succe ss). We develop an analytical model to estimate the probability that l arval fish feeding in turbulent environments successfully pursue encou ntered prey. We show that the overall probability of feeding is a dome -shaped function of turbulent velocity and that the height and locatio n of the maxima depend on turbulence level and the behavioral characte ristics of predator and prey. Highly turbulent conditions (e.g. storms ) will reduce feeding rates below those which occur during calmer cond itions and will affect the type of prey captured and ingested.