Invasive predatory crayfish do not trigger inducible defences in tadpoles

Gómez-Mestre, Iván; Díaz‐Paniagua, Carmen

doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.2762

Cited by 74 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Every 48 h, 10 mL of water containing predator cues were added to buckets assigned to the ‘predator’ treatment, whereas buckets assigned to the ‘non-predator’ treatment received 10 mL of control water. Similar volumes of predator cues added to water are known to systematically induce antipredator behavior in amphibian larvae919293. Dragonflies were fed anuran tadpoles from a stock tank, once per day.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pigmentation plasticity enhances crypsis in larval newts: associated metabolic cost and background choice behaviour

Polo‐Cavia

Gómez-Mestre

2017

Sci Rep

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In heterogeneous environments, the capacity for colour change can be a valuable adaptation enhancing crypsis against predators. Alternatively, organisms might achieve concealment by evolving preferences for backgrounds that match their visual traits, thus avoiding the costs of plasticity. Here we examined the degree of plasticity in pigmentation of newt larvae (Lissotriton boscai) in relation to predation risk. Furthermore, we tested for associated metabolic costs and pigmentation-dependent background choice behaviour. Newt larvae expressed substantial changes in pigmentation so that light, high-reflecting environment induced depigmentation whereas dark, low-reflecting environment induced pigmentation in just three days of exposure. Induced pigmentation was completely reversible upon switching microhabitats. Predator cues, however, did not enhance cryptic phenotypes, suggesting that environmental albedo induces changes in pigmentation improving concealment regardless of the perceived predation risk. Metabolic rate was higher in heavily pigmented individuals from dark environments, indicating a high energetic requirement of pigmentation that could impose a constraint to larval camouflage in dim habitats. Finally, we found partial evidence for larvae selecting backgrounds matching their induced phenotypes. However, in the presence of predator cues, larvae increased the time spent in light environments, which may reflect a escape response towards shallow waters rather than an attempt at increasing crypsis.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pigmentation plasticity enhances crypsis in larval newts: associated metabolic cost and background choice behaviour

Polo‐Cavia

Gómez-Mestre

2017

Sci Rep

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“…Red swamp crayfish have a huge impact on aquatic systems, affecting several trophic levels as they are both primary consumers (filter-feeders and macrophyte consumers) and important predators of amphibian eggs and larvae (Geiger et al 2005;Gherardi 2007;Cruz et al 2008;Ficetola et al 2011). Because anti-predator responses critically depend upon predator cue recognition, they may fail against novel invasive species (Cox and Lima 2006;Freeman and Byers 2006;Gomez-Mestre and Díaz-Paniagua 2011). We therefore hypothesized that tadpoles would alter their diet in the presence of competitors and native predators, and to a lesser extent in the presence of non-native predators.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plastic changes in tadpole trophic ecology revealed by stable isotope analysis

et al. 2012

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Amphibian larvae constitute a large fraction of the biomass of wetlands and play important roles in their energy flux and nutrient cycling. Interactions with predators and competitors affect their abundance but also their foraging behaviour, potentially leading to non-consumptive cascading effects on the whole trophic web. We experimentally tested for plastic changes in larval trophic ecology of two anuran species in response to competitors and the non-lethal presence of native and non-native predators, using stable isotope analysis. We hypothesized that tadpoles would alter their diet in the presence of competitors and native predators, and to a lesser extent or not at all in the presence of non-native predators. First, we conducted a controlled diet experiment to estimate tadpole turnover rates and discrimination factors using Pelobates cultripes and Bufo calamita. Turnover rates yielded a half-life of 15-20 days (attaining a quasi-isotopic equilibrium after 2 months), whereas discrimination factors for natural controlled diets resulted in different isotopic values essential for calibration. Second, we did an experiment with P. cultripes and Rana perezi (=Pelophylax perezi) where we manipulated the presence/absence of predators and heterospecific tadpoles using microcosms in the laboratory. We detected a significant shift in trophic status of both amphibian species in the presence of non-native crayfish: the δ(15)N values and macrophyte consumption of tadpoles increased, whereas their detritus consumption decreased. This suggests that tadpoles could have perceived crayfish as a predatory risk or that crayfish acted as competitors for algae and zooplankton. No dietary changes were observed in the presence of native dragonflies or when both tadpole species co-occurred. Stable isotopic analysis is an efficient way to assess variation in tadpoles' tropic status and hence understand their role in freshwater ecosystems. Here we provide baseline isotopic information for future trophic studies and show evidence for plastic changes in tadpoles' use of food resources under different ecological scenarios.

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“…Responses to cues from predators likely arise over long periods of coevolution, however (Sharma et al 2008), and we might not expect to see similar nonlethal effects in a system where the predators and prey have been in contact for a much shorter time period (decades not millennia; Polo-Cavia et al 2010;Gomez-Mestre and Díaz-Paniagua 2011). Alternatively, predators within the introduced range might elicit the same responses as do nativerange predators, especially if the local taxa in invaded communities belong to the same lineages as predators in the native range.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Invasive Cane Toads as Prey for Native Arthropod Predators in Tropical Australia

Cabrera-Guzmán¹,

Crossland²,

Shine³

2015

Herpetological Monographs

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The successful spread of invasive Cane Toads (Rhinella marina) across tropical Australia has been attributed to a lack of biotic resistance, based upon the inability of most anuran-eating vertebrate predators to tolerate the powerful chemical defenses of the toads. However, despite their high species richness, invertebrates have been much less studied than vertebrates as predators of Cane Toads. Our field and laboratory studies show that toads are killed and consumed by a phylogenetically diverse array of arthropod taxa. No arthropod predators consumed toad eggs in our laboratory experiments, but fishing spiders, water beetles, water scorpions, and dragonfly nymphs killed toad tadpoles, and ants and fishing spiders killed metamorph toads. Published accounts report predation on toads by crustaceans and hemipterans also. In our experiments, no predators showed any overt ill effects from consuming toad tissue. Dragonfly nymphs (Pantala flavescens) and fishing spiders (Dolomedes facetus) selectively took Cane Toad tadpoles at higher rates than some simultaneously offered native frog tadpoles. In combination with published data, our experiments suggest that the tadpoles and metamorphs of Cane Toads face high predation rates from the diverse and abundant invertebrate fauna of aquatic and riparian habitats in tropical Australia. The invasion of Cane Toads can potentially have positive effects on populations of many native animal species.

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Invasive predatory crayfish do not trigger inducible defences in tadpoles

Cited by 74 publications

References 43 publications

Pigmentation plasticity enhances crypsis in larval newts: associated metabolic cost and background choice behaviour

Pigmentation plasticity enhances crypsis in larval newts: associated metabolic cost and background choice behaviour

Plastic changes in tadpole trophic ecology revealed by stable isotope analysis

Invasive Cane Toads as Prey for Native Arthropod Predators in Tropical Australia

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