Coordinated hunting behaviors of mixed-species groups of piscivores and associated species at Isla del Coco National Park (Eastern Tropical Pacific)

Auster, Peter J.; Cortés, Jorge; Barrientos, Juan José; Beita-Jiménez, Andrés

doi:10.1590/1982-0224-20180165

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…They must quickly catalogue which species are dangerous and which are not. This can be daunting task, given that predators can occur as singles and in mixed-species groups that can overcome prey defenses 50 , 51 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living in mixed species groups promotes predator learning in degraded habitats

Chivers

McCormick

Fakan

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Living in mix-species aggregations provides animals with substantive anti-predator, foraging and locomotory advantages while simultaneously exposing them to costs, including increased competition and pathogen exposure. Given each species possess unique morphology, competitive ability, parasite vulnerability and predator defences, we can surmise that each species in mixed groups will experience a unique set of trade-offs. In addition to this unique balance, each species must also contend with anthropogenic changes, a relatively new, and rapidly increasing phenomenon, that adds further complexity to any system. This complex balance of biotic and abiotic factors is on full display in the exceptionally diverse, yet anthropogenically degraded, Great Barrier Reef of Australia. One such example within this intricate ecosystem is the inability of some damselfish to utilize their own chemical alarm cues within degraded habitats, leaving them exposed to increased predation risk. These cues, which are released when the skin is damaged, warn nearby individuals of increased predation risk and act as a crucial associative learning tool. Normally, a single exposure of alarm cues paired with an unknown predator odour facilitates learning of that new odour as dangerous. Here, we show that Ambon damselfish, Pomacentrus amboinensis, a species with impaired alarm responses in degraded habitats, failed to learn a novel predator odour as risky when associated with chemical alarm cues. However, in the same degraded habitats, the same species learned to recognize a novel predator as risky when the predator odour was paired with alarm cues of the closely related, and co-occurring, whitetail damselfish, Pomacentrus chrysurus. The importance of this learning opportunity was underscored in a survival experiment which demonstrated that fish in degraded habitats trained with heterospecific alarm cues, had higher survival than those we tried to train with conspecific alarm cues. From these data, we conclude that redundancy in learning mechanisms among prey guild members may lead to increased stability in rapidly changing environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living in mixed species groups promotes predator learning in degraded habitats

Chivers

McCormick

Fakan

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These were almaco jack ( Seriola rivoliana , AJ), Atlantic bonito ( Sarda sarda , AB), blue runner ( Caranx crysos , BR), crevalle jack ( Caranx hippos , CJ), greater amberjack ( Seriola dumerili , GA), and little tunny ( Euthynnus alletteratus , LT). Mesopredators were selected based on preliminary observations of co-occurrence and predation attempts on RS recorded in the larger video database (E. Burge, 2020 unpublished data), published reports that suggest facilitated, or even cooperative, hunting ( Auster et al, 2013 ; Auster et al, 2019 ), and shared characteristics of size (individual body size approximately 0.5 m–1.5 m), highly active feeding behavior, and diet overlap ( Manooch III & Haimovici, 1983 ; Saloman & Naughton, 1984 ; Manooch, Mason & Nelson, 1985 ; Campo et al, 2006 ; Sley et al, 2009 ; Fletcher, Batjakas & Pierce, 2013 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association behavior between sand tiger sharks and round scad is driven by mesopredators

Coleman

Burge

2021

PeerJ

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In marine systems, behaviorally-mediated indirect interactions between prey, mesopredators, and higher trophic-level, large predators are less commonly investigated than other ecologic interactions, likely because of inherent difficulties associated with making observations. Underwater videos (n = 216) from SharkCam, a camera installation sited beneath Frying Pan Tower, a decommissioned light house and platform, on a natural, hard bottom site approximately 50 km off Cape Fear, North Carolina, were used to investigate association behavior of round scad Decapterus punctatus around sand tiger sharks Carcharias taurus. Videos containing sand tiger sharks were analyzed for the simultaneous presence of round scad, and six species of scad mesopredators, with scad-shark interactions assigned to one of three categories of association: no visible interaction, loosely associated, or tightly associated. The likelihood of scad being loosely or tightly associated with sharks was significantly higher in the presence of scad mesopredators, suggesting that sharks provide a predation refuge for scad. This behaviorally-mediated indirect interaction has important implications for trophic energy transfer and mesopredator control on hard bottoms, as scad are one of the most abundant planktivorous fish on hard bottoms in the western Atlantic Ocean. Although we were not able to provide statistical evidence that sand tiger sharks also benefit from this association behavior, we have clear video evidence that round scad association conceals and attracts mesopredators, enhancing predation opportunities for sand tiger sharks. These interactions potentially yield additional trophic consequences to this unique association and highlight the value of exploring behaviorally-mediated interactions in marine communities.

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Coral reef pinnacles act as ecological magnets for the abundance, diversity and biomass of predatory fishes

Cresswell¹,

Galbraith²,

Harrison³

et al. 2023

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Predation is a key ecological process regulating the structure and diversity of biological communities, yet predators do not exist homogeneously in nature. Coral reefs possess diverse assemblages of predatory fishes, the distribution and abundance of which is well documented for coastal and emergent reefs. However, for remote, isolated and submerged reefs, such as those found on pinnacles and seamounts, our understanding of predatory fish communities is limited. These features are ubiquitous in the world’s oceans and frequently targeted by fishers for their presumed fish aggregation properties. Here we describe communities of predatory fishes on a series of pinnacle reefs and contrast these to regional coastal and offshore emergent reefs. Pinnacles supported 2-4× higher abundance, biomass and diversity of predatory fishes compared to emergent reefs. They also supported unique communities, with 32 out of the 63 predator species in our study found only on pinnacle reefs. For species found on all 3 reef types, all were most abundant on pinnacles and the 6 taxa driving differences in community structure were most abundant on pinnacles. Together, our results show that predatory fishes are strongly attracted to pinnacles, although the mechanisms are still unclear. Prioritising the selection of these small ecological magnets in conservation planning would be an effective approach to target the protection of regional reef fish biodiversity.

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Coordinated hunting behaviors of mixed-species groups of piscivores and associated species at Isla del Coco National Park (Eastern Tropical Pacific)

Cited by 4 publications

References 39 publications

Living in mixed species groups promotes predator learning in degraded habitats

Living in mixed species groups promotes predator learning in degraded habitats

Association behavior between sand tiger sharks and round scad is driven by mesopredators

Coral reef pinnacles act as ecological magnets for the abundance, diversity and biomass of predatory fishes

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