Cannibalism causes size-dependent intraspecific predation pressure but does not trigger autotomy in the intertidal gastropod<i>Agaronia propatula</i>

Cyrus, Ariel Z.; Swiggs, Jennifer; Tomillo, Pilar Santidrián; Paladino, Frank V.; Peters, Winfried S.

doi:10.1093/mollus/eyv007

Cited by 7 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…2 ). The size distribution of successful predators resembled a previously published distribution of A. propatula foraging in the intertidal zone at Playa Grande ( Cyrus et al, 2015 ), although the peak at intermediate sizes seemed narrower and higher in the distribution of successful predators ( Fig. 2 ).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 81%

“…In the case of the Central American Agaronia spp., we have often found the existing identification literature ( Keen, 1971 ; López, Montoya & López, 1988 ; Sterba, 2004 ) to be ambiguous and not always helpful in the field. Following previous work ( Rupert & Peters, 2011 ; Cyrus et al, 2012 , 2015 ; Cyrus & Peters, 2014 ), we refer to the predatory Agaronia sp. observed in this study as A. propatula (Conrad 1849), albeit with hesitation.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The expected distribution of successful cannibalization events between the different size classes of A. propatula was calculated numerically from the empirical size distribution of successful hunters under the assumption that individuals meet randomly in their habitat. Conditions for successful cannibalistic interactions empirically defined by Cyrus et al (2015) were applied, as detailed in the Discussion section. The calculations are available online as Table S2 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, it exploits wave action to move rapidly using its expanded foot as an underwater sail, and has a pronounced capability of sensing movement and vibrations in the sediment to detect potential prey ( Cyrus et al, 2012 ). It autotomizes the part of its foot that is used to form the pouch in which prey is stored ( Rupert & Peters, 2011 ), but previous studies have failed to identify the natural trigger of autotomy in A. propatula ( Cyrus & Peters, 2014 ; Cyrus et al, 2015 ). The species also exhibits size-dependent cannibalism, resulting in different roles of different size classes of the population in the trophic network of the beach ecosystem ( Cyrus et al, 2015 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It autotomizes the part of its foot that is used to form the pouch in which prey is stored ( Rupert & Peters, 2011 ), but previous studies have failed to identify the natural trigger of autotomy in A. propatula ( Cyrus & Peters, 2014 ; Cyrus et al, 2015 ). The species also exhibits size-dependent cannibalism, resulting in different roles of different size classes of the population in the trophic network of the beach ecosystem ( Cyrus et al, 2015 ). Considering these facts, A. propatula appears to be an easily accessible model species for the study of the behavioral and sensory basis of complex trophic interactions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Complexity of the prey spectrum ofAgaronia propatula(Caenogastropoda: Olividae), a dominant predator in sandy beach ecosystems of Pacific Central America

Robinson

Peters

2018

PeerJ

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Olivid gastropods of the genus Agaronia are dominant predators within invertebrate communities on sandy beaches throughout Pacific Central America. At Playa Grande, on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, we observed 327 natural predation events by Agaronia propatula. For each predation event, we documented prey taxa and body size of both predator and prey. The relationship between predator and prey size differed for each of the four main prey taxa: bivalves, crustaceans, heterospecific gastropods, and conspecific gastropods (representing cannibalism). For bivalve prey, there was increased variance in prey size with increasing predator size. Crustaceans were likely subdued only if injured or otherwise incapacitated. Heterospecific gastropods (mostly Olivella semistriata) constituted half of all prey items, but were only captured by small and intermediately sized A. propatula. Large O. semistriata appeared capable of avoiding predation by A. propatula. Cannibalism was more prevalent among large A. propatula than previously estimated. Our findings suggested ontogenetic niche shifts in A. propatula and a significant role of cannibalism in its population dynamics. Also indicated were size-dependent defensive behavior in some prey taxa and a dynamic, fine-scale zonation of the beach. The unexpected complexity of the trophic relations of A. propatula was only revealed though analysis of individual predation events. This highlights the need for detailed investigations into the trophic ecology of marine invertebrates to understand the factors driving ecosystem structuring in sandy beaches.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Complexity of the prey spectrum ofAgaronia propatula(Caenogastropoda: Olividae), a dominant predator in sandy beach ecosystems of Pacific Central America

Robinson

Peters

2018

PeerJ

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Warming and predation risk only weakly shape size-mediated priority effects in a cannibalistic damselfly

Raczyński

Stoks²,

Śniegula³

2022

Sci Rep

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Differences in hatching dates can shape intraspecific interactions through size-mediated priority effects (SMPE), a phenomenon where bigger, early hatched individuals gain advantage over smaller, late hatched ones. However, it remains unclear to what extent and how SMPE are affected by key environmental factors such as warming and predation risk imposed by top predators. We studied effects of warming (low and high temperature) and predation risk (presence and absence of predator cues of perch) on SMPE in life history and physiological traits in the cannibalistic damselfly Ischnura elegans. We induced SMPE in the laboratory by manipulating hatching dates, creating following groups: early and late hatchlings reared in separate containers, and mixed phenology groups where early and late hatchlings shared the same containers. We found strong SMPE for survival and emergence success, with the highest values in early larvae of mixed phenology groups and the lowest values in late larvae of mixed phenology groups. Neither temperature nor predator cues affected SMPE for these two traits. The other life history traits (development rate and mass at emergence) did not show SMPE, but were affected by temperature and predator cues. A tendency for SMPE was found for protein content, in the high temperature treatment. The other physiological traits (phenoloxidase activity and fat content) showed fixed expressions across treatments, indicating decoupling between physiology and life history. The results underline that SMPEs are trait-dependent, and only weakly or not affected by temperature and predation risk.

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Size-dependent locomotory performance creates a behaviorally mediated prey size refuge in the marine snail Olivella semistriata: a study in the natural habitat

Veelenturf

Peters

2019

Current Zoology

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The effects of the variability of individual prey locomotory performance on the vulnerability to predation are poorly understood, partly because individual performance is difficult to determine in natural habitats. To gain insights into the role(s) of individual variation in predatory relationships, we study a convenient model system, the neotropical sandy beach gastropod Olivella semistriata and its main predator, the carnivorous snail Agaronia propatula. The largest size class of O. semistriata is known to be missing from A. propatula’s spectrum of subdued prey, although the predator regularly captures much larger individuals of other taxa. To resolve this conundrum, we analyzed predation attempts in the wild. While A. propatula attacked O. semistriata of all sizes, large prey specimens usually escaped by ‘sculling’, an accelerated, stepping mode of locomotion. Olivella semistriata performed sculling locomotion regardless of size, but sculling velocities determined in the natural environment increased strongly with size. Thus, growth in size as such does not establish a prey size refuge in which O. semistriata is safe from predation. Rather, a behaviorally mediated size refuge is created through the size-dependence of sculling performance. Taken together, this work presents a rare quantitative characterization in the natural habitat of the causal sequence from the size-dependence of individual performance, to the prey size-dependent outcome of predation attempts, to the size bias in the predator’s prey spectrum.

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Cannibalism causes size-dependent intraspecific predation pressure but does not trigger autotomy in the intertidal gastropodAgaronia propatula

Cited by 7 publications

References 36 publications

Complexity of the prey spectrum ofAgaronia propatula(Caenogastropoda: Olividae), a dominant predator in sandy beach ecosystems of Pacific Central America

Complexity of the prey spectrum ofAgaronia propatula(Caenogastropoda: Olividae), a dominant predator in sandy beach ecosystems of Pacific Central America

Warming and predation risk only weakly shape size-mediated priority effects in a cannibalistic damselfly

Size-dependent locomotory performance creates a behaviorally mediated prey size refuge in the marine snail Olivella semistriata: a study in the natural habitat

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