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<br />Statistical Analysis <br />We ran 29 trials to examine predation on exercised and unexercised (control) bony tail in small <br />arena experiments. Numbers of bony tail varied from two to five pairs (control and treatment) offish; <br />thus number of prey in each trial ranged from four to ten bony tail. Of these 29 trials, 22 resulted in <br />unequivocal success (no ties) by either control or exercised bony tail. Thus the expected ratio under the <br />flull hypothesis of random predation was 11: II. Exercised bony tail survived in 14 trials, whereas <br />control fish survived in eight trials. However, we cannot reject the null hypothesis (one-tailed Goodness <br />01 Fit: X = 1,636, df = I; p = 0.143). <br /> <br />Random Observations <br />Clear water allowed us to observe the relative number, location, and behavior of fish in all the <br />tanks during the initial phases of all tests. Routine observations were conducted early in the morning, <br />mid-day, in the afternoon, and occasionally after dark. We were interested in prey behavior (for <br />example, schooling) and their distribution relative to the proximity of predators in the 2-m, 4-m, and 7- <br />m tanks, Water temperatures were periodically checked, and the water depth was maintained at 1 m. <br />Bcha\ior changes were quite dramatic for both species as were the mannerisms of the predators <br />themselves Largemouth bass generally fed during the day, which could be easily observed, but <br />lIfltlll"lLlnately. flathead catfish were entirely nocturnal. In those trials, we could only observe pre- and <br />pust-predatlon behaVior lor the razorback suckers. <br /> <br />Bony tail <br />Largemouth bass generally fed during daylight. When placed with the bass, bony tail would <br />school and initially intermixed with the largemouth bass. They exhibited no apparent avoidance <br />behavior. The largemouth bass would eventually start crowding the bony tail causing them to more <br />tightly school. This could take a few minutes and in some cases hours, depending upon the degree of <br />~16gression exhibited by the bass. <br />Prior to this series of experiments, predators were fed small nonnative fish salvaged from the <br />rearing ponds. These included juvenile sunfish (Lepomis spp), threadfin shad (Dorsoma petenence), and <br />common carp (Cyprinis carpio). When prey were placed in the circular tanks, they would immediately <br />swim near the surface and against the tank's sides. This mimics the behavior of small fish that hug the <br />shoreline when a predator was present. The potential angle (450) of attack is greatly reduced at this <br />position. The only exception is where the tank sides meet the bottom; there, a predator can drive its prey <br />into the tank's side. On the surface with no backstop, the prey had a better opportunity to escape. <br />We witnessed the same behavior with bony tail that had been with predators for a length of time <br />(rig 12) On closer examination, these fish often showed signs of bruising and missing scales, which <br />~uggested they survived an unsuccessful attack. One of us (GAM) witnessed two such attacks; both <br />times the bony tail had escaped. This behavior was only exhibited when bony tail were with predators; it <br />was never observed in the control tanks where bony tail schooled at the bottom. All evidence suggests <br />this is a predator-avoidance behavior, learned through predator aggression or actual predation of another <br />IJHJlvidual, <br /> <br />17 <br />