Date Thesis Awarded

12-2015

Access Type

Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only

Degree Name

Bachelors of Science (BS)

Department

Biology

Advisor

Laurie Sanderson

Committee Members

Paul Heideman

John Graves

Randy Chambers

Abstract

Goldfish (Carassius auratus) are known to be suspension-feeders that use crossflow filtration to filter out extremely small food particles from the water. In this study, I investigated whether goldfish could feed on low-density food particles and also tried to identify any feeding behaviors or morphological traits that could be involved in this mechanism. I conducted feeding experiments with various novel and familiar food types that were followed up by gut content analysis to confirm ingestion of the low-density particles. I also observed and quantified by counting three behaviors associated with this feeding mechanism and performed statistical analyses to look for any relationships to the type of food being consumed.

Recommended Citation

Edwards, Kristin, "Ingestion of Low Density Food Particles by Suspension-Feeding Goldfish" (2015). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 988.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/988