What term describes the major feeding milestone where adult Perca flavescens consume other fish?
Answer
Piscivory
Piscivory is the specific term used to define the act of eating fish, which represents a major shift in the yellow perch's life cycle once they grow large enough to cease competing directly with smaller fry. This transition to consuming fish, which might include smaller minnows, suckers, sculpins, or even other yellow perch, is crucial because it allows larger specimens to put on significant weight quickly, moving them toward trophy sizes. The extent to which a perch engages in piscivory is heavily dependent on the local availability of smaller fish species versus other prey.
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