Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes
Published on: September 4, 2016
A field study of prey selection in planktivorous fish larvae
1Laboratory of Morphology and Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, SF-20500, Turku 50, Finland.
Abstract:
The food selection of larval fish was studied from field samples collected in two areas that differ in productivity. In the area where planktonic primary and secondary production was high the fish larvae showed a tendency to specialise and they selected the largest prey species available as food; in the area of lower production fish were generalists and they fed equally on all size classes.Abundance of prey was found to be one of the decisive factors in the prey selection of planktivorous fish larvae. Large prey species (calanoids) were selected when their absolute abundance was high but when their abundance was low, small-sized cladocerans were preferred. Visibility and stage of life history were also assumed to affect the mode of selection.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Predator-Prey Interactions
Optimal Foraging
Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores
Parental Care
Microbial Interactions: Predation
Fixed Action Patterns

