ABSTRACT
Behaviour has been defined as the motor responses to all internal and external stimuli (Bond, 1996). To explore the role of biomechanics in swimming behaviour of fishes, we identify three categories in this otherwise all-encompassing definition ( Table 1 ). The first is basic swimming behaviours, focusing on ways individual fishes utilize propulsors in gaits. A second level also applies to individuals but considers simple behaviours that expand the locomotor repertoire by choosing how, when and where to swim. The third category considers behaviours among individuals in pairs or groups, when swimming plays a role in predator–prey and social interactions. In each category, biomechanical principles are shown to influence behaviour. Sometimes, biomechanical analysis of propulsion systems reveals limits to locomotor behavioural options and the necessity for complementary systems. Summary of behaviours of fish in which swimming plays a major role, and the major measures of performance for those behaviours
Basic swimming behaviours (gaits)
Simple swimming behaviours
Complex behaviour
Predator–prey interactions
Social behaviour
station holding
hovering
median and paired fin slow swimming
body and caudal fin propulsors powered by SO muscle in BCF–SO cruising
sprinting
fast start
Choosing how to swim:
periodic swimming
minimum cost of transport
tilting
Choosing when to swim:
selective tidal stream transport
braking
Choosing where to swim:
ground effect and wall effect
flow refuging or entrainment
Predation
feeding migration
search
stalk
strike
chase
subduing prey
Anti-predator behaviour
avoidance
escape
Agonistic display
Reproduction:
reproductive migration
courtship
nest-building
parental care
Schooling
Primary Performance Measures
Speed, 0 ≥ u ≥ 0 (forward and backwards swimming)
Linear acceleration rate, 0 > a > 0 (acceleration and deceleration)
Rotations, u = 0, r = 0;.
turns, u > 0, ∞ > r > 0
