Tradeoff between foraging and antipredator behaviour in a macrophyte dwelling ostracod
(1996) Archiv fuer Hydrobiologie — Vol. 137, n° 1, p. 119-133 (1996)
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- Abstract
- The ostracod Cypridopsis vidua is a highly mobile crustacean which frequently occurs in beds of submerged macrophytes in lakes or ponds. A laboratory experiment consisting of eight different treatments was performed to test if this species responds to fluctuations in predation risk, food abundance, hunger, and plant structure by trading off conflicting demands such as searching for food in the sheltered lower zone of a macrophyte or shifting to nutritionally more rewarding patches in the exposed upper zone of this plant. Stems of the macrophyte Chara fragilis covered with a variable amount of periphyton were used as plant structures. To signal predation risk, chemical stimuli derived from tanks containing cyprinid fish were used. The ostracods responded to predator signals by spending significantly more time in the lower zone of the aquaria and by increasing swimming activity especially during the initial phase of encountering the signals. Both with increased hunger level and high food abundance the time spent on Chara increased. When only a single stem of Cham was offered, time spent swimming in the lower zone of the aquarium increased markedly compared to the presence of three stems. In response to different predation risk and food abundance, C. vidua ostracods performed shifts in their vertical microhabitat use as a result of a tradeoff between foraging and antipredator demands. In three experimental treatments the ostracods showed considerable temporal variations in microhabitat choice indicating additional behavioural fine-tuning after a quick preliminary adjustment. In agreement with earlier experimental studies our data support the conclusion that these phytophilous crustaceans are characterized by a well developed capability for exploring their surroundings and by responding to external and internal factors in a flexible and behaviourally dynamic manner.
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Uiblein, F., Roca, J., Baltanas, A., & Danielopol, D. (1996). Tradeoff between foraging and antipredator behaviour in a macrophyte dwelling ostracod. Archiv fuer Hydrobiologie, 137(1), 119-133. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/63665 (Original work published 1996)