Development and Consistency of Behavioral Performance

Lee A. Fuiman

University of Texas at Austin, Marine Science Institute, 750 Channel View Dr., Port Aransas, Texas, 78373, U.S.A.

Abstract:

Fish larvae are, in some senses, free-living embryos -- organisms that undergo substantial morphological and physiological change while independently interacting with a variable biotic and abiotic environment. This makes the matter of their survival very different and more complex than it is for other vertebrates or at other times of life for fishes. Survival skills can change substantially as a consequence of development. They also differ among individuals. This presentation reports on laboratory experiments designed to assess 1) developmental changes in survival skills of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) larvae, 2) variations in performance among individuals and consistency of performance within individuals, and 3) the relationship between behavioral performance and growth rate. Most survival skills improved significantly during development. Variation in performance among individuals was large, but some individuals performed consistently better than others. Growth rate was not related to behavioral performance.