Fear and Foraging: Measuring Predation Risk in the Florida Keys

Predators such as sharks, grouper, and eels play an important role in coral reef ecosystems, not only by feeding on other animals but also by influencing how prey move, hide, and behave. This concept, often referred to as the “ecology of fear,” is well documented in land-based ecosystems, where predators shape the behavior of species through perceived risk rather than direct encounters.

While this effect has been widely studied in places like the American Southwest using animals such as rodents and hawks, it has been less explored on Florida’s coral reefs. Insights from these terrestrial studies have helped researchers develop new ways to measure how much risk a reef fish perceives while foraging in different areas of a reef.

In recent years, Florida’s coral reefs have undergone significant changes, including shifts in predator populations and a loss of complex reef structure that provides shelter for fish. Using these new methods to measure perceived risk, researchers can better understand how reef fish respond to these changes and how important species such as yellowtail snapper and white grunt may alter their behavior in the future.