Behavioral avoidance of injured conspecific and predatory chemical stimuli by larvae of the aquatic caddisfly Hesperophylax occidentalis

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (11) ◽  
pp. 1009-1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. Gall ◽  
E. D. Brodie, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
Predator Recognition ◽  
Aquatic Life ◽  
Chemical Alarm Cue ◽  
Behavioral Avoidance ◽  
Caddisfly Larvae ◽  
Chemical Stimuli ◽  
Similar Decrease

Prey animals often encounter situations that hinder their ability to conduct normal fitness-enhancing behaviors. Mating and foraging are frequently interrupted by predator vigilance and avoidance, and antipredator behavior. Many caddisfly larvae build protective cases that are carried with them throughout the aquatic life cycle. However, they are still vulnerable to predation, yet it is unknown the extent caddisflies use chemical cues for predator recognition and avoidance. We exposed larval caddisfly Hesperophylax occidentalis (Banks, 1908) to predatory, conspecific, and heterospecific chemical cues to determine if caddisfly larvae can use chemical stimuli alone for predator recognition and avoidance. Exposure to predator and injured conspecific chemicals elicited significant decreases in activity, while exposure to injured and uninjured heterospecific chemicals yielded no significant change in activity. The extended latency to move following exposure to predator kairomones indicates larval caddisflies utilize chemical cues for predator recognition and avoidance, and a similar decrease in movement associated with exposure to injured conspecifics suggests the presence of a chemical alarm cue.

The shadow of the shell: a cue for a new home

2019 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 1165-1169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monserrat Suárez-Rodríguez ◽  
Karla Kruesi ◽  
Guillermina Alcaraz
Keyword(s):  
Visual Perception ◽  
Hermit Crab ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Chemical Signals ◽  
Hermit Crabs ◽  
The Real ◽  
Chemical Stimuli ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Intertidal Environments

AbstractHermit crabs use different senses to search for and find shells. In most cases, chemical cues have been proven to act as a very efficient way of finding new shells. However, in intertidal environments, the water transports chemical signals in different directions and velocities may make it harder to track the source of the cue, so visual stimuli may be a more precise source of information. The hermit crab Calcinus californiensis shows a preference for the biconical shells of Stramonita biserialis, although the crabs may also use the less preferred shell of Nerita scabricosta. We were interested in exploring if C. californiensis identify the preferred shell species through vision in the absence of chemical stimuli. We presented both shell species to hermit crabs in two different sets of experiments. In one experiment, we presented to the hermit crabs real shells of N. scabricosta and S. biserialis, and in another, we presented only the silhouettes of the same shells. The hermit crabs discriminated between the real shells and the silhouettes of N. scabricosta and S. biserialis. Females attended with higher frequency to real shells and silhouettes of S. biserialis; while males attended more to shells and silhouettes of N. scabricosta. Although, larger males biased their attendance toward shells of S. biserialis. Our results show that visual perception may be more important than we have thought in intertidal animals.

Comment on "Predator classification by the sea pen Ptilosarcus gurneyi (Cnidaria): role of waterborne chemical cues and physical contact with predatory sea stars"

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 556-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E Dalby Jr ◽  
Joel K Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Predator Recognition ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Sea Stars ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
The 1960S

In their study of behavioural responses of pennatulaceans to physical contact with asteroids in 2002, Weightman and Arsenault claim to be the first to demonstrate that cnidarians have the ability to distinguish predators from nonpredators. In fact, it has been known since at least the 1960s that cnidarians are capable of predator recognition. We briefly describe some of the abundant literature on this topic, especially studies on anthozoans.

Antipredator behavior of chytridiomycosis-infected northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) tadpoles

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J Parris ◽  
Elisheva Reese ◽  
Andrew Storfer
Keyword(s):  
Rana Pipiens ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
Host Susceptibility ◽  
Leopard Frog ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Fish Predator ◽  
Northern Leopard Frog

We investigated the effects of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Longcore, Pessier & Nichols, a pathogen implicated in global amphibian population declines, on antipredator behavior of northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens Schreber, 1782) tadpoles in response to visual and chemical cues of a fish predator, bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque, 1819). We placed infected and uninfected tadpoles in containers partitioned with a transparent divider and measured tadpole activity and distance from the center. Infected tadpoles had significantly lower activity levels across all treatments. When exposed to only visual cues, uninfected tadpoles positioned themselves farther from the center divider (and thus the predator) than infected animals. All tadpoles were at similar distances from the center when exposed to chemical cues only, likely because chemical cues alone do not provide spatial information on the location of predators. Infected tadpoles were significantly farther from the center divider than uninfected ones when exposed to visual and chemical cues together, suggesting that, although the mechanism is unknown, both cues are necessary to stimulate predator avoidance behavior for infected animals. In a second experiment, infected tadpoles experienced lower mortality than uninfected ones in the lethal presence of fish. Thus, effects of infection on behavioral antipredator responses are complex, but lower host susceptibility to predation, low activity, and greater distance from predators when both chemical and visual predator cues are present likely benefits B. dendrobatidis, which relies on host survival for transmission.

Evidence of the peptide identity of the epidermal alarm cue in tadpoles of the toad Rhinella arenarum

2020 ◽  
pp. 230-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilina Raices
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Release Mechanism ◽  
Chemical Alarm Cue ◽  
Antipredator Response ◽  
Alarm Cue ◽  
Tissue Source ◽  
Rhinella Arenarum ◽  
Amphibian Tadpole ◽  
Defensive Behaviours ◽  
Sustained Inhibition

Chemical cues associated with predation attempts allow prey to trigger defensive behaviours. Accordingly, tadpoles of several species of anurans display strong behavioural responses to chemical cues of injured conspecifics. As part of the antipredator response, tadpoles show rapid and sustained inhibition of activity when exposed to chemical cues of predation. Although the ability to respond to cues of conspecifics has been confirmed in a wide variety of anuran species, studies about the tissue source and the chemical aspects of the molecules involved are scarce and contradictory. In the present work, we analysed the chemical characteristics, tissue source and release mechanism of the chemical alarm cue in Rhinella arenarum tadpoles. Our results support the hypothesis that a peptide of epidermal origin in mediates amphibian tadpole communication.

Predator recognition of chemical cues in crayfish: diet and experience influence the ability to detect predation threats

Behaviour ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 155 (6) ◽  
pp. 505-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly C. Beattie ◽  
Paul A. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Predator Recognition ◽  
Potential Predator ◽  
Dietary Cues ◽  
Predator Response ◽  
Threat Levels

AbstractAquatic prey often alter their morphology, physiology, and/or behaviour when presented with predatory chemical cues which are heavily influenced by the diet of the predator. We tested the roles that diet and prey familiarity with predators play in the ability of prey to recognize predator threats. Odours from two fish, bass and cichlid fed a vegetarian, protein, heterospecific, and a conspecific diet, were collected and presented to virile crayfish in a choice arena. Our results show that crayfish altered their behaviour in the presence of odours containing conspecific, as opposed to heterospecific diets, but only from familiar predators. A reduced anti-predator response was measured with odours from an unfamiliar predator fed conspecific crayfish. Therefore, crayfish may be able to determine different threat levels based on the different dietary cues from a potential predator, but only when the prey have familiarity with the predators.

Riverine barriers to gene flow in a salamander with both aquatic and terrestrial reproduction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara Figueiredo Vázquez ◽  
André Lourenço ◽  
Guillermo Velo-Anton
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Gene Flow ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Genetic Barrier ◽  
Aquatic Life ◽  
Barrier Effects ◽  
Crossing Structures ◽  
Terrestrial Life ◽  
Survival And Reproduction ◽  
In Fire

Abstract The riverine barrier hypothesis (RBH) posits that rivers comprise geographical barriers to gene flow for terrestrial organisms, thus promoting genetic differentiation between populations. Here, we explored the RBH on larviparous and pueriparous populations of the live-bearing fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra). While larviparous fire salamanders exhibit a semi-aquatic life cycle (females deposit pre-metamorphic larvae on water), pueriparous salamanders present a fully terrestrial life cycle (females deliver terrestrial juveniles) and, therefore, a greater independence from water for survival and reproduction. We performed a fine-scale sampling of opposite transects in 11 rivers (six and five for larviparous and pueriparous populations, respectively) to test the hypothesis that rivers are more effective barriers for pueriparous salamanders due to their fully terrestrial life cycle. We carried out individual- and population-based genetic analyses using 14 microsatellites and a mitochondrial marker to examine the extent to which rivers hinder short- and long-term gene flow. We found that rivers are semi-permeable obstacles for both larviparous and pueriparous populations, although they appear to be more effective barriers for the latter when rivers with similar attributes are compared. We also found that river width and possibly the presence of crossing structures may influence the genetic barrier effects of rivers in fire salamanders. This is one of the very few studies in amphibians showing how different reproductive strategies influence the barrier effects imposed by rivers.

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