ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the use of locomotion in feeding behavior of fishes and discusses the roles, demands, and patterns of locomotion as they relate to the different aspects of the feeding cycle. For most fish species, locomotion plays integral roles in the two fundamental phases of energy acquisition: foraging and feeding. Locomotion is essential for successful prey capture and to rapidly turn, brake and reverse body movement after the food item is acquired. In stream-dwelling minnows, overall body shape, and the associated biomechanical consequences on locomotion, is the main factor determining feeding success. Challenges to feeding with environmental complexity are particularly likely to affect locomotor aspects of feeding as it should particularly affect foraging strategy and positioning prior to the prey capture event. By integrating studies on feeding and locomotion, work on predation and foraging in fishes promises to be an important system for understanding how distinct morphologies and kinematic systems can be coordinated to generate appropriate behavior.
