Feeding behavior and responsivity to food odors in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Cichlidae) after chronic polisensory deprivation

Abstract

The paper reports the study of the food searching behavior in the Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus before and after the experimental anosmia combined with visual deprivation. The threshold concentration of the water extract of the common food organisms (Chironomidae larvae) was found for the tilapia with intact olfaction to be 10^–4 g/L, which allows this fish to search for food under the restriction of visual reception. The food searching behavior in response to food odors is completely lost as a result of irreversible anosmia and do not be restored after a 4.5-month period even for the high concentrations of the extract (10^–1–10^–2 g/L). These findings point to the absence of external taste buds on the head, body, and fins, or to their extremely low numbers. It is assumed that tactile sense also plays a significant role in the food search and prey location in the Nile tilapia.