The influence of benthic tundra pond vegetation and prey behavior on Zooplankton predation by the flatworm Mesostoma lingua

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
pp. 1617-1621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh J. MacIsaac ◽  
Thomas C. Hutchinson
Keyword(s):  
Daphnia Pulex ◽  
Chironomus Riparius ◽  
Alternative Prey ◽  
Prey Behavior ◽  
Predation Rates ◽  
Branchinecta Paludosa

Experiments were conducted at the Smoking Hills and Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., to determine if Mesostoma lingua, a common pond inhabitant, preys selectively on co-occurring Zooplankton, and whether predation rates are affected by the presence of pond vegetation. Experiments were conducted in 250-mL containers at the sites. Mesostoma fed heavily on Daphnia pulex and Chironomus riparius, but not on Branchinecta paludosa or Diaptomus arcticus. The presence of alternative prey led to significant reductions in Daphnia predation rates, while the presence of the pond plants Cladophora insignis and Drepanocladus aduncus, which provide shelter and cover, significantly increased predation rates. The advantage of the moss and algal habitat was largely to the predator.

Role of satiation in the functional response of a piscivore, largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 548-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy E Essington ◽  
James R Hodgson ◽  
James F Kitchell
Keyword(s):  
Functional Response ◽  
Largemouth Bass ◽  
Consumption Rate ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Stomach Fullness ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
Prey Behavior ◽  
Natural Settings ◽  
Predation Rates

We evaluated whether satiation regulates the predation rates of a piscivore, largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), in natural settings. A functional response model indicated that predation rates can be reduced by satiation when mean prey density is high or when prey encounters are highly patchy. We then used bioenergetics modeling to estimate the predation rates of individual bass in four lakes during a 16-year period and used stomach content mass in diet samples to evaluate the variability in daily predation rates. Predation rates, expressed as the proportion (p) of the maximum daily consumption rate, were low (mode = 0.3, mean = 0.4). Stomach fullness (s), expressed as the proportion of the stomach fullness associated with the maximum sustainable consumption rate, was highly variable, and 13% of all bass diets had s > 1, indicating that bass could opportunistically forage at rates exceeding their maximum sustainable rate. The low predation rates and the ability to consume prey at rates exceeding the maximum sustainable rate make it unlikely that satiation was an important constraint on bass predation rates. Thus, satiation effects widely represented in modeling studies may be a rare component in piscivore-prey interactions, while prey behavior may be a more important component governing predation rates.

Predation Risk, Prey Behavior, and Feeding Rate in Daphnia pulex

1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles W. Ramcharan ◽  
Stanley I. Dodson ◽  
Jason Lee
Keyword(s):  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
Phenotypic Expression ◽  
Daphnia Pulex ◽  
Spatial Separation ◽  
Antipredator Defense ◽  
Feeding Experiments ◽  
Prey Behavior ◽  
Morphological Defense ◽  
Genetically Determined ◽  
Vulnerable Adults

Exposure to chemical exudates from the planktonic invertebrate predator Chaohorus americanus causes the prey Daphnia pulex to migrate upwards in the water column of laboratory experimental chambers. This behavior is an antipredator defense that results in spatial separation of Daphnia from Chaoborus, since this predator tends to remain near the bottom of the chambers. We test the effects of prey vulnerability, genotype, prior exposure to predators, and predator density on antipredator behavior of D. pulex. To study differences in vulnerability, we compared two genotypes of Daphnia that differed in their ability to produce a morphological defense (growth of neck spines) when exposed to Chaohorus chemical. Overall, behavioral responses to Chaoborus were stronger at higher predator densities. Juvenile Daphnia that are most vulnerable to Chaoborus predation had stronger responses than the less vulnerable adults. Neither genetically determined ability to produce neck spines nor phenotypic expression of neck spines affected strength of antipredator behavior. Vertical migration to avoid Chaoborus may have an ecological cost. Presence of Chaoborus reduced ingestion rates of juvenile Daphnia at low food levels (5 × 103 algal cells∙mL−1). Feeding experiments also showed differences in feeding characteristics of two different clones of D. pulex.

A laboratory study of the feeding behavior of the rhabdocoel Mesostoma ehrenbergii on pond Cladocera

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 1305-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven S. Schwartz ◽  
Paul D. N. Hebert
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Behavior ◽  
Laboratory Study ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
Prey Behavior ◽  
Cladoceran Species ◽  
Predation Rates

The predation rates of the rhabdocoel Mesostoma ehrenbergii were determined on a number of cladoceran species. Two means of capturing prey are employed by the flatworm but only active predation was explored in these experiments. It was found that this flatworm is a size-dependent predator with a preference for prey of about 1.2 mm. It was also observed that prey behavior was not an important factor in determining susceptibility to predation. M. ehrenbergii is a voracious predator; individuals consume more than 10 prey/day.

Vertical distributions and zooplankton predation in a small temperate pond

1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (9) ◽  
pp. 1720-1725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy E. Melville ◽  
Edward J. Maly
Keyword(s):  
Daphnia Pulex ◽  
Predation Rate ◽  
Invertebrate Predation ◽  
Chaoborus Americanus ◽  
Vertical Distributions ◽  
Zooplankton Communities ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Predation Rates

Depth-specific sampling in a small Quebec pond between April and October 1977 revealed that instars of Daphnia pulex less than 1.41 mm in length and instars of Diaptomus leptopus greater than 0.64 mm in length consistently had vertical distributions which were different from those of late instars of their predator Chaoborus americanus. Experiments were done to determine to what extent these distributions affected the rate of predation by Chaoborus. Vertical and horizontal 25-L enclosures, 1.4 m long, and 2.5-L enclosures, all containing Chaoborus–prey pairs, were introduced into a pond for 3-day periods weekly from July to September. Predation rates in vertical enclosures were considerably lower than those in small and horizontal enclosures. These results suggest that distributions of Diaptomus and Daphnia in vertical enclosures significantly reduce predation on them by Chaoborus. In horizontal and small enclosures where overlap of predator and prey was increased, predation rate of Chaoborus was higher. Results are discussed in relation to the impact of invertebrate predation on zooplankton and the structure of zooplankton communities.

Predation on Larval Fish by Atlantic Mackerel Scomber scombrus, with a Comparison of Predation by Zooplankton

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 2012-2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Pepin ◽  
S. Pearre jr. ◽  
J. A. Koslow
Keyword(s):  
Larval Fish ◽  
Prey Preference ◽  
Alternative Prey ◽  
Feeding Response ◽  
Feeding Selectivity ◽  
Atlantic Mackerel ◽  
Scomber Scombrus ◽  
Capture Success ◽  
Invertebrate Predators ◽  
Predation Rates

This study reports on the feeding selectivity of Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus, on larval fish (3-10 mm in length) presented as part of natural zooplankton assemblages. As with other vertebrate planktivores, prey preference was positively size selective, contrary to the pattern observed for several invertebrate carnivores. Larval fish density did not significantly influence predation rates. Furthermore, there was no evidence of either switching or saturation of the predator's functional feeding response with changes in alternative prey abundance, again unlike invertebrate predators. A review of previous experiments revealed that capture success of larval fish by predators is a function of the size of larval fish relative to the size of the predator, independent of predator taxa (i.e. vertebrate versus invertebrate).

Larval Mosquitoes as Vulnerable Prey: Chaoborus Predation

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (9) ◽  
pp. 1642-1650 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Helgen
Keyword(s):  
Daphnia Pulex ◽  
Choice Experiments ◽  
Distinct Difference ◽  
Prey Choice ◽  
Temporary Wetlands ◽  
Aedes Vexans ◽  
Selective Force ◽  
Chaoborus Americanus ◽  
Predation Rates

The vulnerability of instar I and II larvae of the mosquito Aedes vexans as prey for Chaoborus americanus is much greater than that of the small coexisting prey, Daphnia pulex. Predation on Aedes larvae could reduce Aedes populations in overlapping habitats, and be a selective force in driving Aedes to lay eggs in muds of more temporary wetlands. Predation rates are great (7–25∙d−1) and ingestion times are rapid (0.8–6 s) on Aedes instars I and II. In prey choice experiments, Chaoborus strongly prefers Aedes I over small Daphnia. An Aedes diet promotes growth of Chaoborus at least as well as a Daphnia diet. Larval Aedes behaviors show a distinct difference between the first two and last two instars. Aedes swimming speeds and swimming distances increase with each instar, but when disturbed, the first two instars significantly reduce their swimming distances. Calculated prey vulnerabilities, based on swimming speeds and reciprocal ingestion times, suggest a much greater vulnerability for Aedes I and II than that for small (0.8 mm) Daphnia or for Aedes III and IV (4.6–6.2 mm).

scholarly journals Prey Behavior, Age‐Dependent Vulnerability, and Predation Rates

2008 ◽  
Vol 172 (5) ◽  
pp. 712-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Lingle ◽  
Alex Feldman ◽  
Mark S. Boyce ◽  
W. Finbarr Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Prey Behavior ◽  
Age Dependent ◽  
Predation Rates

Larvae Chironomus riparius (Diptera: Chironomidae) as Sensitive to Copper Test-Object

2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 99-103
Author(s):  
V. D. Romanenko ◽  
M. T. Goncharova
Keyword(s):  
Test Object ◽  
Chironomus Riparius
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