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Updated: May 27, 2026
06:48
Assessing Intertidal Populations of the Invasive European Green Crab
Published on: September 16, 2020
Behavioral plasticity in an invaded system: non-native whelks recognize risk from native crabs
Emily W Grason1, Benjamin G Miner
1Biology Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225, USA. egrason@u.washington.edu
Oecologia
|November 16, 2011
Summary
Invasive oyster drills exhibit inducible defenses, hiding and reducing feeding when detecting predators. They recognize novel threats but lack density-dependent risk assessment, impacting invasion dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Marine Biology
- Invasive Species Research
Background:
- Inducible defenses in invasive prey are crucial for invasion success and community structure.
- Understanding risk-recognition cues for novel threats in invasive species is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate behavioral defenses in invasive oyster drills (Urosalpinx cinerea, Ocinebrina inornata) in response to a native predator.
- Determine the cues that trigger inducible defenses in these invasive marine whelks.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory experiments exposing invasive oyster drills to a native crab predator.
- Assessing behavioral changes (hiding, feeding rates) and cue recognition (kairomones, alarm cues).
Main Results:
- Both invasive drill species displayed inducible defenses, hiding and reducing feeding when predators were detected.
- Urosalpinx cinerea responded to cues from injured conspecifics and recognized the novel crab predator.
- Neither drill species adjusted defensive behavior based on group risk, indicating a lack of density dependence.
Conclusions:
- Invasive prey possess sophisticated risk-assessment strategies, including recognition of novel predators.
- Lack of density-dependent risk assessment in invasive populations may alter community impacts as abundance changes.
- Risk-assessment strategies play a significant role in the establishment and post-establishment dynamics of invasive prey.
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