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1 <br /> <br />1 <br />1 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />and the probability of being captured if attacked (Gerritsen and Strickler 1977). Unfortunately, <br />no data were available to estimate the probability that a larval Colorado squawfish would be <br />attacked and eaten by a red shiner, so we conducted laboratory and outdoor mesocosm <br />experiments in order to obtain the necessary information. <br />Laboratory experiments were conducted using 38-L aquaria to estimate the probability <br />that a larval Colorado squawfish would be captured by a red shiner when an attack occurred. In <br />each trial, five larvae were added to an aquarium containing three similar-sized red shiners from <br />one of six different size groups (mean TL = 38, 47, 53, 61, 63 and 69 mm). Larvae in trials had <br />mean TL of 9.8, 11.1, 13.6, 15.3, 17.2, and 18.7 mm. Each of three predators was watched by a <br />different observer, and the number of attacks and successful_captures during two consecutive <br />10-min intervals were recorded. If three or more larvae were eaten during a trial, an additional <br />five larvae were added to the aquarium. A total of 39 trials were conducted. Predators were <br />assumed to be acting independently because red shiners rarely interacted when capturing <br />Colorado squawfish larvae. The mean number of attacks per trial by an individual was 21; total <br />number of attacks by an individual ranged from 0 to 72. <br />Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the probability of capture of a larva as a <br />function of predator length, prey length, and their squazed and interaction terms. A global <br />general lineaz model was fit using the method of maximum likelihood, and a model selection tool <br />called Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) was used to sequentially eliminate predictors that <br />were unimportant for explaining variation in the dependent variable. Model selection suggested <br />that the best predictors of probability of capture (P(capture)) were (prey TL)2 and the <br />11 <br /> <br />