Early behavior formation in fathead minnow larvae,Pimephales promelas:Implications for sensory function

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Abstract
Feeding behavior and locomotor activity were described for larval fathead minnows. A series of conditions, light and darkness and live and dead food, isolated various individual or combinations of sense organs used in feeding. First feeding occurred on Day 3 in the light and dark on live food indicating the use of vision and/or mechanoreception. Feeding on dead food in the dark on Day 4 identified the individual but delayed role of olfaction. Sensory learning was evidenced by alternating prey stimuli (reverse feeding) every third day; larvae conditioned to mechanical‐visual prey stimuli (live food) were presented chemoreceptive‐visual (dead food) and vice‐versa. Fish reared on dead food fed more on live food (mechanical stimuli added) in the dark. Fish reared on live‐food fed less on dead food (mechanical stimuli removed) in both light and dark. Fish movements were correlated with feeding. Reverse feeding produced inverse relationships between feeding and movements in the dark and no responses in the light. Reverse feeding and movement data suggest a different relationship between vision and mechanoreception than mechanoreception and chemoreception in feeding behavior.

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