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Warming and predation risk only weakly shape size-mediated priority effects in a cannibalistic damselfly
Mateusz Raczyński1, Robby Stoks2, Szymon Sniegula3
1Department of Ecosystem Conservation, Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, al. Adama Mickiewicza 33, 31-120, Krakow, Poland. raczynski@iop.krakow.pl.
Scientific Reports
|October 15, 2022
Summary
Size-mediated priority effects (SMPE) in damselflies strongly influence survival and emergence, but are not affected by warming or predation. Other traits showed mixed responses to environmental factors.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Intraspecific interactions are shaped by size-mediated priority effects (SMPE), where larger, early-hatched individuals gain advantages.
- The influence of environmental factors like warming and predation risk on SMPE remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of warming and predation risk on SMPE in life history and physiological traits of the damselfly Ischnura elegans.
- To determine the extent to which environmental factors modulate SMPE in this species.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory experiments manipulating hatching dates to create size-mediated priority effects (SMPE).
- Exposure of damselfly larvae to different temperature regimes (low and high) and predator cues (perch).
- Assessment of various life history (survival, emergence success, development rate, mass) and physiological traits (protein content, phenoloxidase activity, fat content).
Main Results:
- Strong SMPE were observed for survival and emergence success, with early larvae in mixed groups benefiting most and late larvae least.
- Temperature and predator cues did not significantly affect SMPE for survival and emergence.
- Development rate and mass at emergence were influenced by temperature and predator cues, but did not exhibit SMPE.
- A trend for SMPE in protein content was noted under high temperatures, while other physiological traits remained unaffected.
Conclusions:
- SMPE are trait-dependent, with significant effects on survival and emergence but not on other life history or physiological traits.
- Warming and predation risk have limited impact on the strength of SMPE in Ischnura elegans.
- Physiological traits appear decoupled from life history responses to environmental changes and SMPE.
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