The Smell of Fear: An Integrated Approach to Understanding Chemical Predator Cues

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For decades, biologists have observed that many aquatic animals alter their behavior and morphology when they detect predators in the water. Prey can determine which predators are in the water with them, how many predators are in the water, and what the predators are eating. Prey are able to do this because they can smell the chemical cues that are given off during predation. However, biologists know almost nothing about the molecular composition of these chemicals. In this proposal, we seek to identify the chemicals that prey use to detect predators and to understand how different types of chemical cues alter prey behavior and morphology.