Big and bad: how relative predator size and dietary information influence rusty crayfish (<i>Faxonius rusticus</i>) behavior and resource-use decisions

Wood, Tyler C.; Moore, Paul A.

doi:10.1139/cjz-2019-0089

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…Hence, cladocerans seem to be capable of responding even to larvae of different Chaoborus species, and/or to larvae at different developmental stages [26,84]. The potential recognition of predator size by the prey is in concordance with a study on crayfish, showing that crayfish are able to respond differently to specific predator sizes [85], pointing towards a high complexity of defence-inducing cues (see below). Thus, it is reasonable to assume that such a mechanism for predator-size-specific responses also evolved in other species such as freshwater dwelling zooplankters.…”

Section: Behavioural Defencessupporting

confidence: 68%

Knowing the Enemy: Inducible Defences in Freshwater Zooplankton

et al. 2020

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Phenotypic plasticity in defensive traits is an appropriate mechanism to cope with the variable hazard of a frequently changing predator spectrum. In the animal kingdom these so-called inducible defences cover the entire taxonomic range from protozoans to vertebrates. The inducible defensive traits range from behaviour, morphology, and life-history adaptations to the activation of specific immune systems in vertebrates. Inducible defences in prey species play important roles in the dynamics and functioning of food webs. Freshwater zooplankton show the most prominent examples of inducible defences triggered by chemical cues, so-called kairomones, released by predatory invertebrates and fish. The objective of this review is to highlight recent progress in research on inducible defences in freshwater zooplankton concerning behaviour, morphology, and life-history, as well as difficulties of studies conducted in a multipredator set up. Furthermore, we outline costs associated with the defences and discuss difficulties as well as the progress made in characterizing defence-inducing cues. Finally, we aim to indicate further possible routes in this field of research and provide a comprehensive table of inducible defences with respect to both prey and predator species.

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Section: Behavioural Defencessupporting

confidence: 68%

Knowing the Enemy: Inducible Defences in Freshwater Zooplankton

et al. 2020

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“…In all laboratory experiments, there is some degree of confinement effect for both predator and prey behaviour. Predation can be mediated by structural complexity (amongst other factors) for example by changing predator free space (Barrios‐O'Neill et al 2015), increasing shelter use leading to less active foraging (Wood & Moore, 2020), or act as a prey aggregator (Persson & Eklov, 1995). Therefore, we emphasize that these results are relative in the context of this experiment, although FR results have been shown to be predictive and meaningful in terms of ecological impact across many taxa (Cuthbert et al., 2019; Dick et al., 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive crayfish outperform Potamonautid crabs at higher temperatures

2021

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Data on ecological impacts of freshwater crayfish invasions in Africa are scarce but invasion history suggests the likelihood of negative implications for biodiversity. To evaluate the potential for ecological impacts we describe the consumer‐resource dynamics of two established crayfish species (Cherax quadricarinatus and Procambarus clarkii) in comparison with the native trophic analogue, the freshwater crab Potamonautes perlatus preying upon Clarias gariepinus fry using comparative functional responses (FRs) and FR ratio (FRR). Experiments were conducted under dark and light conditions as well as low (19°C) and high (28°C) temperature treatments. All three species exhibited potentially population destabilising Type II (hyperbolic) FRs towards prey, which was significantly higher in the dark than in the light. At low temperatures, P. perlatus exhibited the highest maximum feeding estimate although the FR curve was not significantly different from C. quadricarinatus at the highest prey densities. Both crayfish species had higher attack rates at both temperatures and consumed significantly more prey at the high temperature than P. perlatus. The FRR of both crayfish species at the high temperature treatment was higher than that of P. perlatus due to high attack rate and low handling parameters. At 19°C, P. perlatus had a higher or negligible relative FR magnitude compared to P. clarkii and C. quadricarinatus respectively, which suggests some degree of biotic resistance at this temperature; however, this resistance is decreased at 28°C. Cherax quadricarinatus consistently had disruptive FR parameters across both temperatures. Findings from this study represent an important step towards understanding the impacts of crayfish in Africa for public authorities and environmental managers. The two invasive crayfish species have the potential to exert greater per capita impacts on benthic prey communities in invaded systems as shown by their high FRs and FRRs. Furthermore, C. quadricarinatus is an emerging invader globally and our results provide evidence of potential for negative ecological impact regardless of thermal conditions. African countries and their respective environmental managers should therefore maximise efforts to prevent the introduction and spread of these invaders to conserve native biodiversity.

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“…The first demonstrated that crayfish increased macrophyte consumption and showed altered macrophyte species preferences in the presence of predatory fish odors (Wood et al 2018). The other studies showed that crayfish could assess the threat posed by a predatory fish using dietary cues and size information extracted from the fish’s odor (Beattie and Moore 2018, Wood and Moore 2020). The current study demonstrates that individual crayfish assess threats posed by fish of different sizes relative to their own body size and alter their behavior accordingly.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The predator exposed crayfish also increased the time that they spent foraging and reduced the time they spent in shelter. In a second experiment, crayfish were exposed to odors from bass of different sizes that were fed four different diets consisting of fish food pellets and three types of crayfish (Wood and Moore 2020). The responses of crayfish to the relative predator size gradient were dependent upon the predator’s diet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine‐tuned responses to chemical landscapes: crayfish use predator odors to assess threats based on relative size ratios

Wood

Moore

2020

Ecosphere

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The threat-sensitive predator avoidance hypothesis suggests that prey animals should minimize the costs of antipredator behaviors by only responding to predators that pose a potentially lethal threat. Thus, prey must use risk assessment strategies to determine which predators present a great enough threat to merit a response. A rich literature demonstrates that chemical signals can communicate information about predator identity, diet, and size. However, the relationship between predator size and prey size has been largely overlooked. What remains unknown is how prey respond to odors from predators along a continuum of relative size. Here, we tested the responses of crayfish (prey) to odor cues from two species of predatory fish along a gradient of relative size relationships. Crayfish and fish were paired according to crayfish carapace width and the fish's gape width to represent different relative size pairings. Foraging and shelter use video assays were used to evaluate changes in crayfish behavior under the different levels of threat presented. The analysis revealed significant increases in macrophyte consumption, foraging effort, and overall activity among crayfish that were small relative to their predators, independent of the absolute size of fish or crayfish size. Crayfish that were small relative to predator size showed significantly less shelter use than crayfish that were large relative to predator gape size. The results demonstrate that the crayfish are assessing threat based on their size relative to the predator gape size solely using chemical signals. As a result of this assessment, crayfish are changing their resource use to potentially grow larger to limit future predatory threats. Overall, this research supports the threat-sensitive predator avoidance hypothesis and provides an opportunity to refine the landscape of fear concept to accommodate more detailed risk assessments by prey.

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Big and bad: how relative predator size and dietary information influence rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) behavior and resource-use decisions

Cited by 10 publications

References 80 publications

Knowing the Enemy: Inducible Defences in Freshwater Zooplankton

Knowing the Enemy: Inducible Defences in Freshwater Zooplankton

Invasive crayfish outperform Potamonautid crabs at higher temperatures

Fine‐tuned responses to chemical landscapes: crayfish use predator odors to assess threats based on relative size ratios

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