In the coevolution of predator and prey, different and less well understood rules for threat-assessment apply to freely suspended organisms than to substrate-dwelling ones. Particularly vulnerable are small prey carried with the bulk movement of a surrounding fluid and thus deprived of sensory information within the bow waves of approaching predators. Some planktonic prey have solved this apparent problem, however. We quantified cues generated by the slow approach of larval clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) that triggered a calanoid copepod (Bestiolina similis) to escape before the fish could strike. To estimate water deformation around the copepod immediately preceding its jump, we represented the fish’s body as a rigid sphere in a hydrodynamic model that we parameterized with measurements of fish size, approach speed, and distance to the copepod. Copepods of various developmental stages (CII–CVI) were sensitive to water flow caused by the live predator, at deformation rates as low as 0.04 s-1. This rate is far lower than predicted from experiments that used artificial predator-mimics. Additionally, copepods localized the source, with 87% of escapes directed away (greater than or equal to 90 degrees) from the predator. Thus, copepods’ survival in life-threatening situations relied on their detection of small nonlinear signals within an environment of locally linear deformation.
dph01_earlycopepodite_DB-1259
TIFF sequence of interaction DB-1259 (1 day post-hatch fish targeting early copepodite).
dph01_copepodites_DB001110-1359.zip
dph03_earlycopepodite_NA-507
TIFF sequence of interaction NA-507 (3 days post-hatch fish targeting early copepodite).
dph03_copepodites_NA000358-607.zip
dph03_earlycopepodite_NA-3547
TIFF sequence of interaction NA-3547 (3 days post-hatch fish targeting early copepodite).
dph03_copepodites_NA003398-3647.zip
dph03_latecopepodite_MG-597
TIFF sequence of interaction MG-597 (3 days post-hatch fish targeting a late copepodite).
dph03_latecopepodites_MG000448-697.zip
dph03_latecopepodite_MG-1059
TIFF sequence of interaction MG-1059 (3 days post-hatch fish targeting a late copepodite).
dph03_latecopepodites_MG000910-1159.zip
dph03_latecopepodite_NC-274
TIFF sequence of interaction NC-274 (3 days post-hatch fish targeting a late copepodite).
dph03_latecopepodites_NC000125-374.zip
dph04_earlycopepodite_OD-4201
TIFF sequence of interaction OD-4201 (4 days post-hatch fish targeting an early copepodite).
dph04_copepodites_OD004052-4301.zip
dph04_earlycopepodite_SB-874
TIFF sequence of interaction SB-874 (4 days post-hatch fish targeting an early copepodite).
dph04_copepodites_SB000725-974.zip
dph06_adult_YA-947
TIFF sequence of interaction YA-947 (6 days post-hatch fish targeting an adult copepod).
dph06_adults_YA000798-1047.zip
dph06_earlycopepodite_CF-585
TIFF sequence of interaction CF-585 (6 days post-hatch fish targeting an early copepodite).
dph06_copepodites_CF000436-685.zip
dph06_earlycopepodite_CG-704
TIFF sequence of interaction CG-704 (6 days post-hatch fish targeting an early copepodite).
dph06_copepodites_CG000555-804.zip
dph06_latecopepodite_BC-1326
TIFF sequence of interaction BC-1326 (6 days post-hatch fish targeting a late copepodite).
dph06_latecopepodites_BC001177-1426.zip
dph06_latecopepodite_BC-4127
TIFF sequence of interaction BC-4127 (6 days post-hatch fish targeting a late copepodite).
dph06_latecopepodites_BC003978-4227.zip
dph07_adult_DE-8698
TIFF sequence of interaction DE-8698 (7 days post-hatch fish targeting an adult copepod).
dph07_adults_DE008549-8798.zip
dph08_earlycopepodite_HA-3196
TIFF sequence of interaction HA-3196 (8 days post-hatch fish targeting an early copepodite).
dph08_copepodites_HA003047-3296.zip
dph09_adult_PC-1086
TIFF sequence of interaction PC-1086 (9 days post-hatch fish targeting an adult copepod).
dph09_adults_PC000937-1186.zip
dph09_latecopepodite_LC-422
TIFF sequence of interaction LC-422 (9 days post-hatch fish targeting a late copepodite).
dph09_latecopepodites_LC000273-522.zip
dph09_latecopepodite_LE-1147
TIFF sequence of interaction LE-1147 (9 days post-hatch fish targeting a late copepodite).
dph09_latecopepodites_LE000996-1245.zip
dph09_latecopepodite_LE-1917
TIFF sequence of interaction LE-1917 (9 days post-hatch fish targeting a late copepodite).
dph09_latecopepodites_LE001766-2015.zip
dph11_earlycopepodite_TA-975
TIFF sequence of interaction TA-975 (11 days post-hatch fish targeting an early copepodite).
dph11_copepodites_TA000826-1075.zip
dph11_earlycopepodite_TE-747
TIFF sequence of interaction TE-747 (11 days post-hatch fish targeting an early copepodite).
dph11_copepodites_TE000598-847.zip
dph12_adult_VD-684
TIFF sequence of interaction VD-684 (12 days post-hatch fish targeting an adult copepod).
dph12_adults_VD000535-784.zip
dph12_adult_VG-764
TIFF sequence of interaction VG-764 (12 days post-hatch fish targeting an adult copepod).
dph12_adults_VG000615-864.zip
dph12_adult_VG-1150
TIFF sequence of interaction VG-1150 (12 days post-hatch fish targeting an adult copepod).
dph12_adults_VG001001-1250.zip
dph13_adult_VF-711
TIFF sequence of interaction VF-711 (13 days post-hatch fish targeting an adult copepod).
dph13_adults_VF000562-811.zip
dph14_adult_BB-1161
TIFF sequence of interaction BB-1161 (14 days post-hatch fish targeting an adult copepod).
dph14_adults_BB001012-1261.zip
dph14_adult_BE-356
TIFF sequence of interaction BE-356 (14 days post-hatch fish targeting an adult copepod).
dph14_adults_BE000207-456.zip
dph14_adult_ZB-2633
TIFF sequence of interaction ZB-2633 (14 days post-hatch fish targeting an adult copepod).
dph14_adults_ZB002485-2734.zip
dph14_adult_ZC-686
TIFF sequence of interaction ZC-686 (14 days post-hatch fish targeting an adult copepod).
dph14_adults_ZC000537-786.zip
dph14_adult_ZC-1114
TIFF sequence of interaction ZC-1114 (14 days post-hatch fish targeting an adult copepod).
dph14_adults_ZC000965-1214.zip
READ ME
Provides a description of how data files are organized.
Tuttle et al 2019 JRSI READ ME.txt
Tuttle et al 2019 JRSI S1 Data
Tuttle et al 2019 JRSI S2 Code compute flow
Tuttle et al 2019 JRSI S3 Code interpolate