Effectiveness of zebra mussels to act as shelters from fish predators differs between native and invasive amphipod prey

Kobak, Jarosław; Jermacz, Łukasz; Płąchocki, Dariusz

doi:10.1007/s10452-014-9492-1

Cited by 36 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Kobak et al (2014) showed that sand does not provide gammarids with effective protection against goby. Thus, the negative effect of the stronger competitor upon P. robustoides, though reduced in the presence of a higher predator, still resulted in the increased mortality of the weaker species in the unfavorable substrate.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The art of choice: predation risk changes interspecific competition between freshwater amphipods

et al. 2015

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Predators shape the behavior and distribution of prey organisms, driving their evolution and environmental impact. We studied relationships between interspecific competition and predation risk in Ponto-Caspian invasive gammarid crustaceans: Pontogammarus robustoides and Dikerogammarus villosus. We hypothesized that a stronger competitor D. villosus would displace P. robustoides from a preferred habitat, but the frequency of this displacement would be reduced in the presence of a higher fish predator, the racer goby. We studied gammarid preferences for stone or sand substrata in 24-h pairwise-choice tests in single-species or mixed-species treatments, at 2 densities (12 or 24 individuals per tank), in the presence or absence of a predator. D. villosus displaced P. robustoides from the stone habitat, even at the low density. As P. robustoides tested separately preferred stones at both densities, its displacement resulted from active avoidance of a stronger competitor even when the substratum was not actually a limited resource. The presence of a predator reduced the number of instances of displacement of P. robustoides by D. villosus, allowing the weaker species to stay on its preferred substratum. Nevertheless, the presence of D. villosus still increased fish predation on P. robustoides. The presence of a predator modifies relationships between prey organisms, allowing a weaker competitor to stay in its preferred habitat. Thus, antipredator responses of prey organisms may have cascading effects on the functioning of the community, affecting habitat choice and competition among species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The art of choice: predation risk changes interspecific competition between freshwater amphipods

et al. 2015

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“…In an area rich in alternative food resources, the predation pressure on amphipods can be rather low. Furthermore, D. villosus is able to utilize available anti-predator shelters, such as stones and zebra mussel beds, more efficiently than other amphipods (Kinzler & Maier, 2006;Kobak et al, 2014). The presence of food was also found to inhibit avoidance reactions of Gammarus pulex to fish predators (Szokoli et al, 2015), confirming that food cues can constitute a stronger stimulus than predator kairomones.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…In such a situation, amphipods attracted to fish may benefit from feeding directly on fish faeces or from finding an area rich in their prey. Apparently, such behaviour seems to be associated with an increased risk, however, experimental data (Błońska et al, 2015) indicate that D. villosus is not an optimal prey item for fish, having harder exoskeleton than other freshwater amphipods, which may result in the lower predation pressure on this species (Kobak et al, 2014). In an area rich in alternative food resources, the predation pressure on amphipods can be rather low.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predator diet, origin or both? Factors determining responses of omnivorous amphipods to predation cues

Jermacz

Dzierżyńska‐Białończyk

Kobak

2016

Hydrobiologia

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Detection of chemical cues of predators and food resources is a key for the behaviour of many species in aquatic ecosystems. We checked whether predator origin and diet, containing potential food and/ or alarm signals, affect the behaviour of omnivorous prey partly sharing their diet with a top predator. We conducted y-maze experiments to study the responses of invasive omnivorous and cannibalistic amphipods (Dikerogammarus villosus and Pontogammarus robustoides) to chemical cues of fish predators, injured amphipods and chironomid larvae (common amphipod food). As the predators, we used the goby Babka gymnotrachelus (sympatric with the amphipods) and piranha Pygocentrus nattereri (allopatric to the amphipods). The fish were either starved or fed amphipods or chironomids. D. villosus preferred predators fed chironomids and conspecifics as well as crushed conspecifics and chironomids, but avoided both hungry predators. Thus, D. villosus may perceive the presence of a top predator as an indication of both food resource and predation risk. P. robustoides avoided predators fed both amphipods (particularly conspecifics) and their alarm substances. The responses of both species depended more on the predator diet than on its species, which is likely to facilitate the recognition of allopatric predators and survival in newly invaded areas.

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“…This bivalve can be beneficial for many invasive (Ricciardi & MacIsaac, 2000) and native (Karatayev, Burlakova & Padilla, 2002; Gergs & Rothhaupt, 2008) macroinvertebrates (Table 1) by providing them with suitable food (e.g. mussel pseudofaeces) and efficient antipredator shelters in a 3D structure of shells and byssally attached mussels (González & Burkart, 2004; Kobak, Jermacz & Płąchocki, 2014). Therefore, the abundance, biomass and richness of the bottom fauna associated with mussel colonies, including chironomids, oligochaetes, gastropods, amphipods and mayflies, is usually greater than in areas adjacent to mussel beds (Wolnomiejski, 1970; Karatayev, Burlakova & Padilla, 2002; González & Burkart, 2004; Kestrup & Ricciardi, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Zebra mussel colonies often occur on sandy substratum, with bivalves attached to one another (Garton, McMahon & Stoeckmann, 2013). Sand provides invertebrates with minimum antipredation protection (Kinzler & Maier, 2006; Kobak, Jermacz & Płąchocki, 2014), constituting potentially the easiest feeding area for fish. Thus, we compared goby feeding in a mussel bed with their performance on the sandy substratum that often occurs in the vicinity of mussel colonies and constitutes the closest alternative and the easiest feeding ground for the fish.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zebra mussel beds: an effective feeding ground for Ponto-Caspian gobies or suitable shelter for their prey?

Kobak

Poznańska

Jermacz

et al. 2016

PeerJ

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Aggregations of the Ponto-Caspian invasive zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) constitute a suitable habitat for macroinvertebrates, considerably increasing their abundance and providing effective antipredator protection. Thus, the overall effect of a mussel bed on particular predator species may vary from positive to negative, depending on both prey density increase and predator ability to prey in a structurally complex habitat. Alien Ponto-Caspian goby fish are likely to be facilitated when introduced into new areas by zebra mussels, provided that they are capable of utilizing mussel beds as habitat and feeding grounds. We ran laboratory experiments to find which prey (chironomid larvae) densities (from ca. 500 to 2,000 individuals m−2) in a mussel bed make it a more beneficial feeding ground for the racer goby Babka gymnotrachelus (RG) and western tubenose goby Proterorhinus semilunaris (WTG) compared to sandy and stone substrata (containing the basic prey density of 500 ind. m−2). Moreover, we checked how food availability affects habitat selection by fish. Mussel beds became more suitable for fish than alternative mineral substrata when food abundance was at least two times higher (1,000 vs. 500 ind. m−2), regardless of fish size and species. WTG was associated with mussel beds regardless of its size and prey density, whereas RG switched to this habitat when it became a better feeding ground than alternative substrata. Larger RG exhibited a stronger affinity for mussels than small individuals. WTG fed more efficiently from a mussel bed at high food abundances than RG. A literature review has shown that increasing chironomid density, which in our study was sufficient to make a mussel habitat an attractive feeding ground for the gobies, is commonly observed in mussel beds in the field. Therefore, we conclude that zebra mussels may positively affect the alien goby species and are likely to facilitate their establishment in novel areas, contributing to an invasional meltdown in the Ponto-Caspian invasive community.

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Effectiveness of zebra mussels to act as shelters from fish predators differs between native and invasive amphipod prey

Cited by 36 publications

References 58 publications

The art of choice: predation risk changes interspecific competition between freshwater amphipods

The art of choice: predation risk changes interspecific competition between freshwater amphipods

Predator diet, origin or both? Factors determining responses of omnivorous amphipods to predation cues

Zebra mussel beds: an effective feeding ground for Ponto-Caspian gobies or suitable shelter for their prey?

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