Operculum closing as a defence against predatory leeches in four British freshwater prosobranch snails

Kelly, Paul; Cory, Jenny S.

doi:10.1007/bf00014525

Cited by 20 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(17 reference statements)

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“…B. leachii's de facto invulnerability to predatory attacks by invasive invertebrate predators such as dugesiid planarias in specifically designed experiments (P. Lombardo, unpublished data) supports this hypothesis (V. piscinalis was not tested), as do earlier findings of a combination of operculum shutting and chemical predator recognition for B. tentaculata and/ or V. piscinalis as an effective defense against leech predation (Bro¨nmark and Malmqvist, 1986;Kelly and Cory, 1987). In general, active diurnal species may be more alert against diurnal predators and more vulnerable to nocturnal predators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Diel activity cycles of freshwater gastropods under natural light: Patterns and ecological implications

Lombardo

Miccoli

Giustini

et al. 2010

Ann. Limnol. - Int. J. Lim.

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-Though much is known about freshwater snail ecology, their circadian rhythms remain poorly investigated. Well-fed, stress-free, mid-size adults of six species common in central Italian lakes were exposed to natural sunlight and photoperiod, and their activity status was recorded at 3-h intervals during a 9-d indoor experiment. All species exhibited evident diurnal habits despite high individual variability, with middayto-early-afternoon activity peaks. Activity was correlated with diel light conditions but not with short-term changes in albedo. The prosobranch Bithynia (= Codiella) leachii and the pulmonates Physa (= Physella) acuta and Planorbis planorbis were the most active species and exhibited the longest-lasting response to daytime food addition. The prosobranch Valvata piscinalis exhibited long periods retracted in its shell with the operculum shut, and the remaining taxa (the pulmonates Galba (= Lymnaea) truncatula and Radix (= Lymnaea) auricularia) exhibited an intermediate degree of activity. P. acuta was the most active species at night and exhibited the quicker response to nighttime food addition. Alertedness to (diurnal) predators may be highest for the highly active P. acuta and P. planorbis, whose antipredator defenses are mainly behavioral. Diel activity patterns and other ecological characteristics suggest that P. acuta may be favored in food-rich habitats, while V. piscinalis may not be able to fully exploit food resources, especially if in limiting quantities. All snail species -and P. acuta in particular -may stimulate periphyton metabolism while keeping its biomass low by grazing mainly during the time of maximum photosynthesis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Diel activity cycles of freshwater gastropods under natural light: Patterns and ecological implications

Lombardo

Miccoli

Giustini

et al. 2010

Ann. Limnol. - Int. J. Lim.

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“…A variety of animals can distinguish cues of their predators from those of nonpredatory animals (Appelberg et al, 1993;Buchanan-Smith et al, 1993;Cooper, 1990;Jedrzejewski et al, 1993;Kelly and Cory, 1987;Sullivan, 1986;Ward et al, 1996). In our experiments T. urticae did not avoid leaves exposed to fungivorous mites.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Direct and indirect cues of predation risk influence behavior and reproduction of prey: a case for acarine interactions

1999

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Little is known about the flow of chemical information from higher to lower levels within the animal food chain. However, this information may determine the behavior and distribution of many animals (e.g., that of potential prey) when exposed to direct and indirect cues of predation risk. We used herbivorous spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Tetranychidae) as a model to examine the foraging and oviposition decisions that prey make when exposed to these cues. We conducted laboratory tests to determine if the previous presence of predators (direct cues) on leaf discs or the presence of injured conspecifics (indirect cues) alters the distribution of adults and eggs of T. urticae. When given a choice, after 24 h, fewer adults and eggs were found on leaf discs that had previously contained specialist spider mite predators, Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Phytoseiidae), than on discs unexposed to predators. Also, more T. urticae emigrated from predator-exposed discs than from unexposed discs or from those that had previously contained nonpredatory mites (Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Acaridae). Finally, fewer T. urticae foraged and laid eggs on predator-exposed discs or on those with artificially damaged conspecifics (eggs or dead adults) than on discs with intact conspecifics. Tetranychus urticae probably recognizes infochemicals (kairomones) from its predators or cues from injured spider mites and consequently avoids feeding or ovipositing in areas exposed to these cues. Recognition and avoidance of kairomones from specialist predators by this prey are likely to be hereditary, but avoidance of injured conspecifics may be an adaptation to avoid predators that are not inherently recognized. We discuss the behavioral and ecological implications of our findings.

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“…Leeches can follow the trails left by snails and have been shown to pay a greater interest to snail species that lack opercula (i.e. pulmonates such as R. balthica ; Lai et al 2011a, b) since operculum closing is an efficient morphological defence against leeches (Brönmark and Malmqvist 1986, Kelly and Cory 1987). Shell invading predators, such as water bugs, have been found to induce morphological defences in freshwater snails.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fleeing towards death – leech‐induced behavioural defences increase freshwater snail susceptibility to predatory fish

Ahlgren

Brönmark

2012

Oikos

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Prey species are often exposed to multiple predators, which presents several difficulties to prey species. This is especially true when the response to one predator influences the prey’s susceptibility to other predators. Predator‐induced defences have evolved in a wide range of prey species, and experiments involving predators with different hunting strategies allow researchers to evaluate how prey respond to multiple threats. Freshwater snails are known to respond to a variety of predators with both morphological and behavioural defences. Here we studied how freshwater snails Radix balthica responded behaviourally to fish and leech predators, both separately and together. Our aim was to explore whether conflicting predator‐induced responses existed and, if so, what effect they had on snail survival when both predatory fish and leeches were present. We found that although R. balthica increased refuge use when exposed to predatory fish, they decreased refuge use when exposed to predatory leeches. When both predators were present, snails showed a stronger response towards leech than fish and responded by leaving the refuge. This response made the snails more susceptible to fish predation, which increased snail mortality when exposed to both fish and leech compared to fish only. We show that predators that have a relatively low predation rate can substantially increase mortality rates by indirect effects. By forcing snails out of refuges such as rock and macrophyte habitats, leeches can indirectly increase predation from molluscivorous fish and may thus affect snail densities.

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Operculum closing as a defence against predatory leeches in four British freshwater prosobranch snails

Cited by 20 publications

References 12 publications

Diel activity cycles of freshwater gastropods under natural light: Patterns and ecological implications

Diel activity cycles of freshwater gastropods under natural light: Patterns and ecological implications

Direct and indirect cues of predation risk influence behavior and reproduction of prey: a case for acarine interactions

Fleeing towards death – leech‐induced behavioural defences increase freshwater snail susceptibility to predatory fish

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