Niche separation, ontogeny, and heterospecific alarm responses in centrarchid sunfish

Abstract

Behavioral responses to risky information from both conspecific and heterospecific sources are important for mediating predation risk and can influence patterns of co-evolution and community trophic dynamics. We demonstrate that behavioral response patterns to chemical alarm cues in related fish species are highly plastic and may be closely related to ecological niche dynamics that shift with life history changes. Our findings open new research avenues into the role of the ecological niche in shaping fish behavioral phenotypes in response to risky public information.