Ecology of fear in highly invasive fish revealed by robots
Giovanni Polverino, Vrishin R. Soman, Mert Karakaya, Clelia Gasparini, Jonathan P. Evans, Maurizio Porfiri
Abstract
) in a cause-and-effect fashion. Effects of predation risk from the robot carry over to routine activity and feeding rate of mosquitofish weeks after exposure, resulting in weight loss, variation in body shape, and reduction in the fertility of both sexes-impairing survival, reproduction, and ecological success. We capitalize on evolved responses of mosquitofish to reduce predation risk-neglected in biological control practices-and provide scientific foundations for widespread use of state-of-the-art robotics in ecology and evolution research.
Topics & Concepts
GambusiaMosquitofishPredationEcologyBiologyPredatorBiodiversityEcosystemCyprinodontiformesFish <Actinopterygii>FisheryFish Ecology and Management StudiesFish Biology and Ecology StudiesParasite Biology and Host Interactions