Effect of adult pheromones on the avoidance of suspended sediment by migratory banded kokopu juveniles

✍ Scribed by C. F. Baker

• Book ID: 104455553
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 124 KB
• Volume: 62
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-1112
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1095-8649.2003.00029.x

✦ Synopsis

Migratory banded kokopu Galaxias fasciatus juveniles exhibited an attraction to adult odours and an avoidance towards suspended sediment with a turbidity of 25 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) in a two‐choice chamber apparatus. When the adult odours were mixed with suspended sediment at a turbidity of 25 or 35 NTU, an attraction towards the odour and suspended sediment chamber resulted. When adult odours were paired with turbid water at 50 NTU, juveniles would avoid the odour and suspended sediment chamber. These results demonstrate adult pheromones can increase the threshold for an avoidance response to suspended sediment in banded kokopu juveniles. This provides supporting evidence that odours released by adult conspecifics may provide an important migratory cue for juveniles in stream and habitat selection.