Behavioural and heart rate responses to food limitation and predation risk: an experimental study on rainbow trout

Abstract

Food‐restricted rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss maintained a lower basal heart rate than satiated fish, probably as a result of reduced metabolic rate. Food‐restricted fish were also more active during feeding and were more willing to take risks than satiated fish. Both satiated and food‐restricted fish were positioned lower in the tank after the predator attack. Heart rate increased more during feeding in the food‐restricted fish compared to the satiated, but energy status had no general effect on the relation between heart rate and behaviour. Hence, the increase in heart rate was mainly a response to the more active foraging behaviour in the food‐restricted fish. Moreover, behavioural activity in the food‐restricted fish was associated with a higher heart rate after the predator attack than when the fish was undisturbed, which may reflect physiological preparation for flight. These findings suggest that behavioural and cardiac responses are coadapted to meet variation in food availability and predation risk in the wild.