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Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
Published on: March 12, 2013
13.7K
Habitat-former effects on prey behaviour increase predation and non-predation mortality
Paul E Gribben1, Jeffrey T Wright2
1Plant Functional Biology and Climate Change Cluster, School of the Environment, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia.
The Journal of Animal Ecology
|October 17, 2013
Summary
Seagrass habitat-formers can negatively impact associated species by altering abiotic conditions, leading to risky behaviors that increase mortality. These negative behavioral effects can outweigh the protective structural benefits of seagrass beds.
Area of Science:
- Marine ecology
- Ecosystem engineering
- Interspecies interactions
Background:
- Habitat-forming species influence associated fauna through structural and non-structural abiotic changes.
- Seagrasses typically benefit associated species by reducing predator encounters.
- The net effect of habitat-formers on predator-prey dynamics, considering behavioral changes, is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how seagrass physical structure and non-structural abiotic changes interact to affect bivalve mortality.
- To determine if seagrass cover influences the burial behavior of the bivalve Katelysia scalarina.
- To assess the combined impact of altered behavior and seagrass structure on predation and non-predation mortality.
Main Methods:
- Field surveys in Tasmania, Australia, to correlate bivalve density with seagrass cover.
- A field experiment manipulating burial depth, seagrass cover, and predator access.
- Measurement of predation and non-predation mortality rates for buried versus unburied clams.
- Analysis of seagrass effects on sediment redox potential.
Main Results:
- Bivalve Katelysia scalarina density was highest at low seagrass cover (33%) and lowest at high cover (100%).
- Unburied clams experienced significantly higher mortality (predation and non-predation) than buried clams.
- Seagrass cover above 33% decreased sediment redox potential, likely inducing shallower burial behavior.
- Reduced tissue biomass was observed in surviving unburied clams.
Conclusions:
- Negative behavioral alterations induced by non-structural abiotic changes in seagrass beds can outweigh structural benefits.
- Habitat-formers can indirectly increase mortality by promoting risky behaviors in associated species.
- Seagrass-mediated changes in sediment conditions are critical drivers of associated species' behavior and survival.
Keywords:
behaviourally meditated indirect effectsclamsdensity dependenceecosystem engineersfoundation speciesseagrasstrophic interactionsMore Related Videos
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