Vulnerability of fish eggs and larvae to predation: review of the influence of the relative size of prey and predator

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Abstract

We investigated the potential influence of relative body size of early life stages of fishes on their vulnerability to predation by crustaceans, ctenophores, medusae, and fishes and contrasted the patterns with predictions based on different conceptual models. We found that vulnerability of ichthyoplankton to predation by ctenophores and by predatory fishes is dome shaped. Laboratory estimates of predation rates of these two predator types were negatively influenced by the volume of the container in which the experiments were conducted and by the duration of the experiment. Medusae and crustaceans showed decreasing predation rates with increasing relative size of fish larvae. Laboratory estimates of predation rates of medusae were influenced by container volume, temperature, and duration of the experiment whereas predation rates of crustaceans were influenced by container volume alone. Independent of predator type, the vulnerability of ichthyoplankton to predation was maximal when fish larvae were 10% of the length of the predator. Resume : Nous avons OtudiO liinfluence possible des dimensions corporelles relatives des poissons ‡ leurs premiers stades de vie sur leur vulnOrabilitO ‡ la prOdation par les crustacOs, les ctOnaires, les mOduses et les poissons. Nous avons comparO les tendances observOes avec les prOvisions fournies par diffOrents modles conceptuels. Nous avons constatO que la vulnOrabilitO de liichtyoplancton ‡ la prOdation par les ctOnaires et les poissons est en forme de cloche. Les estimations faites en laboratoire des taux de prOdation exercOe par ces deux types de prOdateurs sont influencOes de faAon nOgative par le volume de liaquarium servant aux expOriences et ‡ la durOe de celles-ci. Le taux de prOdation exercOe par les mOduses et les crustacOs diminue ‡ mesure que siaccroOt la taille relative des larves. Il existe une corrOlation entre les estimations faites en laboratoire des taux de prOdation par les mOduses et le volume des aquariums, la tempOrature et la durOe des expOriences, tandis quiavec les crustacOs, il niy a de corrOlation quientre les estimations et le volume des aquariums seulement. Peu importe la sorte de prOdateur, la vulnOrabilitO maximale de liichtyoplancton ‡ la prOdation correspond au stade de dOveloppement oo la proie fait le dixime de la longueur du prOdateur. (Traduit par la ROdaction)

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