Does Type of Food Affect The Prey Preferences of Three-Spined Sticklebacks?

Abstract

Three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) are carnivorous feeders that can eat a wide variety of foods, although this animal's relatively small size limits its prey choice. An assessment of the diet and feeding patterns of fish can provide helpful insights. In this study, a three-spined sticklebacks model system was used to hypothesize that, whether a number of factors including the prey’s visual appearance in terms of coloration, texture, size, shape, and movement capability of food can affect the preference for food, it might be expected that patterns for food consumption will alter. Therefore, changes in feeding behavior may be caused by the size, color, smell, visibility, and palatability. The current study examined the effects of host nutrition on the preferences of diet. Here present the results of a diet type study in which fed sticklebacks on a diet of either Artemia spp., Daphnia, or bloodworms (Chironomus larvae). The results showed significant effects of preferences of diet. Further, fish showed preferred bloodworm and Artemia rather than Daphnia. In the total number of different bites consumed, the time (sec) spent by sticklebacks in various diet areas, and the number of visits by sticklebacks to the three diet areas. The results have demonstrated that the influence of factors such as variation in nutritional composition, color, size, coloration, texture, size, and shape as well as the movement of nutrients in the diet has a significant effect on the preferences of diet the fish in the study.