SGER: Laboratory Studies on the Influence of Small-Scale Turbulance on Encounter and Feeding of Aquatic Predators

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Dr. Thomas Miller and associates will develop, construct and test a novel apparatus that generates small-scale turbulence of similar characteristics to those observed in the coastal ocean. The objective in developing the apparatus is to provide the capability to test hypotheses regarding the role of small-scale turbulence in regulating the feeding ecology of planktonic predators. This capability will vastly improve out abilities to understanding the role of small-scale physical processes as they influence life in the sea. Two versions of the apparatus will be constructed that differ in volume. To test the efficacy of the instrumentation, the flow fields in the apparatus will be characterized using acoustic and laser doppler velocimeters. The ability to document the effects of small-scale turbulence on foraging of planktonic predators depends on the ability to quantify foraging behavior. 3-D videography will be used to quantify predator and prey behaviors. The planned initial research that will be facilitated by this small grant for exploratory research will focus on four questions: a) Can we accurately measure prey concentrations from video images alone?; b) Can we estimate rates of attack and encounter from video recordings?; c) Can we estimate feeding rates from video recordings?; and d) Can we accurately measure prey behavior with our video system? These questions will be addressed in a series of controlled experiments involving striped bass larvae, Morone saxatilis, and the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi as predators, and brine shrimp nauplii, Artemia sp., and copepodites of Eurtemora sp. as prey. Behavior-based estimates of encounter, attack and feeding rates will be compared with independent estimates derived from analyzes of the functional responses of predators within the chamber.