Pupfishes as a System to Test the Predator Naiveté Hypothesis

Abstract

Pupfishes are an ideal system to test this the predator naiveté hypothesis because they often occur in isolated springs across a gradient of predation pressure. A convenient tool for assaying antipredator competence are behavioral responses to chemical alarm cues released when the epidermis is damaged during a predation event. Behavioral responses of three pupfish species, Red River Pupfish (Cyprinodon rubrofluviatilis), Amargosa River Pupfish (C. nevadensis amargosae), and Shoshone Pupfish (C. n. shoshone), which occur across a gradient of community complexity and predation pressure, were evaluated to test the effect of community composition, including predator variety and density, on antipredator behaviors. All three species responded to alarm cues by either reducing activity and/or lowering position in the water column, regardless of respective isolation or predation risks. I found no support for the predator naiveté hypothesis in these populations, which suggests that pupfish can be managed in multi-species habitats.