Olfactory cues of risk and visual cues of safety interact with familiarity and phylogeny in shaping behavioral responses by littoral fishes

Prey incorporate information reliability when assessing risk of predation. Here, we report results of an experiment testing avoidance of chemical alarm cues derived from skin extract of blacknose shiners, Notropis heterolepis (BNS), attraction of a visible shoal of five BNS, and the combination of both, on fishes in Deming Lake where BNS occur. We then repeated the experiment in nearby Budd Lake where BNS do not occur. BNS avoided traps with conspecific alarm cues but did not respond to the presence of BNS shoals. Fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas (FHM) avoided traps chemically labeled with BNS alarm cue when a shoal was absent and avoided BNS shoals when traps were labeled with water (control). When both BNS alarm cue and BNS shoal were combined, antipredator response to BNS alarm cue invoked a shoaling response with the BNS shoal in the trap. Redbelly dace, Chrysomus eos (RBD) responded weakly to BNS cues in Deming Lake and ignored them in Budd Lake. Non-cyprinid species (brook sti...