Differential vulnerability of two sympatric tadpoles to an invasive crayfish predator

Ramamonjisoa, Noelikanto; Rakotonoely, Harisoa; Natuhara, Yosihiro

doi:10.1007/s10750-018-3599-7

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…A tadpole was considered active when it was actively swimming or feeding at the instant the animal was observed. Following a similar protocol as in Ramamonjisoa, Rakotonoely, and Natuhara (), we conducted four scans in the morning (at random within 10:00–13:00) and four in the afternoon (at random within 15:00–18:00), resulting in 64 scans (8 scans/day × 8 days) performed on each container in each trial.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal variation in behavioral responses to dietary cues from a gape‐limited predator in tadpole prey: A test of the phylogenetic relatedness hypothesis

Ramamonjisoa

Mori

2019

Ethology

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The ability of prey to recognize and adequately respond to predators determines their survival. Predator‐borne, post‐digestion dietary cues represent essential information for prey about the identity and the level of risk posed by predators. The phylogenetic relatedness hypothesis posits that prey should respond strongly to dietary cues from closely related heterospecifics but respond weakly to such cues from distantly related prey, following a hierarchical pattern. While such responses have mostly been observed in prey at their first encounter with predators, whether prey maintain such hierarchical levels of investment through time remains unclear. We investigated this question by exposing Rhacophorus arboreus tadpoles to the non‐consumptive effect of gape‐limited newt predators Cynops pyrrhogaster that were fed one of five prey diets across a gradient of phylogenetic relatedness: frog tadpoles (Rhacophorus arboreus, Rhacophorus schlegelii, Pelophylax nigromaculatus, and Hyla japonica) and medaka fish (Oryzias latipes). Predators’ diet, time, and their interaction significantly influenced tadpole activity level. We found support for the phylogenetic relatedness hypothesis: Investments in defense were stronger to cues from tadpole diets than to cues from fish diet. However, such a hierarchical response was recorded only in the first four days following predator exposure, then gradually disappear by day 8 on which the tadpoles exhibited similar activity level across all predator treatments. The findings suggest that, at least under the threat of gape‐limited predators, prey use phylogenetic information to evaluate risk and appropriately invest in defense during early encounters with predators; however, energy requirements may prevent prey from maintaining a high level of defense over long exposure to predation risk.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal variation in behavioral responses to dietary cues from a gape‐limited predator in tadpole prey: A test of the phylogenetic relatedness hypothesis

Ramamonjisoa

Mori

2019

Ethology

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“…We started behavioral observations the day after we set the experiment. We followed a similar protocol described in Ramamonjisoa et al (2018a) to characterize tadpole behavior. We used scan sampling to quantify tadpole activity levels, which were defined as the proportion of active individuals in each container at an instant t. Behavioral scans were conducted twice a day: one in the morning 10:00-13:00 and one in the afternoon 15:00-18:00.…”

Section: Behavioral Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predation decreases cohort foraging activity and growth, yet increases individual size variation in prey

et al. 2019

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There is increasing evidence that size variability within a cohort can have important consequences on community ecology and evolution. It is commonly assumed that the threat of predation can influence cohort size variability by homogenizing foraging behavior among members. We combined predictions of growth-defense models with those from models of genesis of size variation to test the non-lethal effects of size-selective newt and gapeunconstrained aeshnid dragonfly larva predators on the size structure of Rhacophorus arboreus tadpoles in a controlled laboratory experiment. We hypothesized that the predators would induce differential growth and behavioral responses in the tadpoles, and would decrease cohort size variation. The tadpoles reduced activity levels in the presence of the predators, but the responses were generally stronger in the presence of dragonfly larvae. Growth costs were commensurate with the levels of behavioral defense investments in the tadpoles. Despite strong reductions in activity levels and growth, cohort size variation increased in the presence of predators, contrasting current models on relationship between foraging rates, growth, and cohort size variation in prey. The underlying mechanisms are unclear, but it is possible that reduced rates of movement limited access to food for some cohort members or that predation risk enhanced the expression of behavioral variation among individuals.

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“…The red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii is among the IAS with the strongest impact both in Europe and on a global scale (Nentwig et al, 2018). This crayfish is a generalist feeder (Alcorlo, Geiger & Otero, 2004;Whitledge & Rabeni, 1997), and its global spread affects a growing number of freshwater communities worldwide (Cruz et al, 2008;Ficetola et al, 2011b;Manenti et al, 2019b;Ramamonjisoa, Rakotonoely & Natuhara, 2018;Vilà et al, 2010). P. clarkii preys on tadpoles of several amphibian species (Cruz et al, 2008); in northern Italy crayfish predation is a major cause of local extinctions and tadpole abundances reduction (Ficetola et al, 2011b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive crayfish does not influence spawning microhabitat selection of brown frogs

Romagnoli

Ficetola

Manenti

2020

PeerJ

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Microhabitat selection is a key component of amphibian breeding biology and can be modulated in response to the features of breeding sites and the presence of predators. Despite invasive alien species being among the major threats to amphibians, there is limited information on the role of invasive species in shaping amphibians' breeding microhabitat choice. The invasive red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) is a major predator of amphibians' larvae, including those of the brown frogs Rana dalmatina and Rana latastei. Although qualitative information about the spawning site preferences and breeding microhabitat choice of brown frogs is available in the literature, only a few studies performed quantitative analyses, and the relationship between microhabitat choice and the presence of alien predators has not been investigated yet. The aims of this study were: (1) to characterize the microhabitats selected for clutch deposition by R. dalmatina and R. latastei and (2) to test if the position and the aggregation of egg clutches differ in sites invaded or not invaded by P. clarkii. During spring 2017, we surveyed multiple times 15 breeding sites of both brown frogs in Northern Italy; in each site we assessed the features of the microhabitat where each egg clutch was laid, considering its position (distance from the shore, depth of the water column) and the degree of aggregation of clutches. In each site we also assessed the presence/absence of the invasive crayfish and the relative abundance in the breeding period. We detected egg clutches in all sites; the crayfish occurred in eight ponds. Our results showed substantial differences between the spawning microhabitat features of the two brown frogs: Rana latastei clutches showed a higher degree of aggregation and were associated with deeper areas of the ponds , while Rana dalmatina deposited more spaced out clutches in areas of the ponds that were less deep. For both species, spawning microhabitat features were not significantly different between sites with and without P. clarkii. Although we did not detect behavioural responses to P. clarkii in the choice of spawning microhabitat , additional studies are required to assess whether these frogs modulate other behavioural traits (e.g. during larval development) in response to the invasive predator. How to cite this article Romagnoli S, Ficetola GF, Manenti R. 2020. Invasive crayfish does not influence spawning microhabitat selection of brown frogs. PeerJ 8:e8985 http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8985 Romagnoli et al. (2020), PeerJ, DOI 10.7717/peerj.8985 2/16Arribas R, Díaz-Paniagua C, Gomez-Mestre I. 2014. Ecological consequences of amphibian larvae and their native and alien predators on the community structure of temporary ponds.

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Differential vulnerability of two sympatric tadpoles to an invasive crayfish predator

Cited by 7 publications

References 41 publications

Temporal variation in behavioral responses to dietary cues from a gape‐limited predator in tadpole prey: A test of the phylogenetic relatedness hypothesis

Temporal variation in behavioral responses to dietary cues from a gape‐limited predator in tadpole prey: A test of the phylogenetic relatedness hypothesis

Predation decreases cohort foraging activity and growth, yet increases individual size variation in prey

Invasive crayfish does not influence spawning microhabitat selection of brown frogs

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