Mathematical modeling applied to fish feeding behavior

This work was carried out with the objective of using mathematical modeling techniques to determine a model capable of describing the attractiveness and palatability index (API) of diets offered to fish. The terms used to build the mathematical model were: total capture time of the pellets offered, time to capture the first pellet, amount of pellet intake and amount of pellet rejection. For each of these factors, a parameter denoted in percentage was created. After these processes, a mathematical model was determined that portrays the attractiveness and palatability index using the mentioned elements. To validate the model, data obtained from previous experiments were used, which were submitted to parametric analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 5% significance, and Tukey's test was used to compare means. The proposed mathematical model (API) proved to be efficient for the data referring to the attractiveness and palatability experiments carried out with Nile tilapia. However, the equation was elaborated with characteristics in relation to the animal's behavior toward the food offer, regardless of the species under analysis, thus being able to be used in tests with other species.