Effects of water velocity and substrate composition on foraging efficiency of an endangered benthic cyprinid, Nooksack dace (Rhinichthys cataractae subsp. cataractae)

Habitat selection and foraging success by an endangered Mediterranean cyprinid: implications for habitat restoration

“…Experiments indicated that prey capture success by chub decreased with velocity, a trend that appears to be consistent among cyprinids (Grossman et al, 2002;Hazelton & Grossman 2009;Champion et al, 2018) and possibly reflects both the physical constraints on prey capture as well as the increase in energy expended per prey at high velocities.…”

“…Strong relationships between habitat features and fitness proxies, such as foraging success, growth and survival have been identified for species in diverse systems (e.g., Grossman, 2014;Bozeman & Grossman, 2019a, b;Polivka et al, 2020). Notably, velocity appears to be a critical component of habitat selection and foraging success by drift-feeding fishes (e.g., Hill & Grossman, 1993;Donaldson et al, 2013;Champion et al, 2018). However, other factors, such as ontogenetic variation in body size and intraspecific interactions also may affect habitat suitability Petty & Grossman, 2010), particularly for species that change habitat and dietary preferences throughout ontogeny (e.g., Rosenberger & Angermeier, 2003;Ward et al, 2006).…”