RESUMENEn el presente trabajo investigamos aspectos de la ecología y conducta de forrajeo de Acanthina monodon, un gastrópodo murícido que habita en el intermareal rocoso de Chile central. En terreno, estudiamos las variaciones temporales en su distribución, densidad y dieta. En el laboratorio, cuantificamos la tasa de consumo, las preferencias alimentarias, el tiempo de ingestión y la rentabilidad energética obtenida con distintos tipos de presas mediante experimentos y registros en video. Las mayores densidades de individuos de A. monodon fueron observadas en la franja intermareal cercana al nivel cero de marea. En terreno, A. monodon realiza sus actividades de forrajeo principalmente durante la noche y su dieta consistió principalmente de mitílidos (95 %) y cirripedios (5 %). La composición de la dieta de A. monodon en terreno presentó variaciones temporales las cuales dependerían principalmente de cambios en la oferta de los distintos tipos de mitílidos presentes en terreno durante los dos años de muestreo. En el laboratorio, los individuos de Acanthina presentaron preferencias alimentarias significativas por el mitílido Semimytilus algosus. En general, A. monodon bajo condiciones de laboratorio presentó una conducta de forrajeo en la cual maximizó la ganancia neta de energía, mediante la selección de las especies y tamaños de presas que le retribuyen la mayor rentabilidad energética.Palabras clave: gastrópodo, intermareal, Chile central, forrajeo, selección de presas.
ABSTRACTWe investigated the ecology and foraging behavior of Acanthina monodon, a muricid gastropod that inhabits in the intertidal rocky shores of central Chile. In the field, we studied temporal variation of their spatial distribution, density, and diet composition. While in the laboratory, we quantified the consumption rate, alimentary preferences, ingestion times and energy profitability obtained with different types of prey using experiments and video recording. High densities of A. monodon individuals were observed in the intertidal fringe near at the level tide zero. In the field, A. monodon actively foraged at night preying mainly on mussels (95 %) and barnacles (5 %). Temporal variation in diet composition of A. monodon was caused mostly by changes in the cover of different mussel species during the two years of sampling. In the laboratory, individual of A. monodon showed significant preference for the mussel Semimytilus algosus. In these experiments, A. monodon's foraging behavior maximized the net gain of energy by selecting species and sizes of prey that provided the greatest energy profitability.
We study whether and how physiological demands affect foraging decisions under predation risk, by evaluating the effect of starvation on the rate of food consumption and prey-size preferences and the potential trade-off between starvation and predation risk on foraging behavior in the whelk Acanthina monodon, a gastropod inhabiting the intertidal rocky shores of central Chile. These whelks appear to adjust their foraging strategy to physiological (nutritional) demand and predation risk. Starvation reduced the effect of predation risk on the rate of food consumption by A. monodon. Thus, in the absence of the predator sea star, the rate of food consumption by starved and satiated whelks was similar. When a predator was present, starved whelks fed faster than satiated whelks. Our results indicate that foraging behaviour represents an integrated and hierarchical response to environmental conditions and the physiological conditions of the forager.
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