Induced vertical migration in copepods as a defence against invertebrate predation

Neill, William E.

doi:10.1038/345524a0

Cited by 231 publications

(137 citation statements)

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“…This tradeoff reveals an important and hitherto unappreciated ecological cost for both constitutive and induced predator avoidance behavior in zooplankton, one that may explain the often strikingly high levels of genetic polymorphism reported for this habitat selection behavior (5,(11)(12)(13). Parasitic infections may, in addition to other known costs (e.g., reduced food intake and lower growth rates associated with residing at lower temperatures), also explain why DVM is a conditional response in many populations and species, being induced by the presence of the predator itself (2,5,6,8,10). It may further explain why there are several alternative inducible predatoravoidance and escape mechanisms exhibited by Daphnia clones in various combinations (e.g., change in size at maturity, hiding in macrophyte beds, DVM; ref.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this strategy, the zooplankton reside at greater depths during the day, thus reducing their chance of being detected by visual predators (4,5). It has been shown that DVM can be induced in several taxa by exposing them to predator kairomones (6)(7)(8), i.e., chemical cues that indicate the presence of the predator. Phenotypic variation in induced and constitutive (not dependent on environmental stimuli for activation; ref.…”

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In deep trouble: Habitat selection constrained by multiple enemies in zooplankton

Decaestecker

Meester

Ebert

2002

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

153

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Habitat selection behavior is an important predator-avoidance strategy for many organisms. Its particular expression is often explained as the result of a tradeoff between avoiding antagonists and acquiring resources. However, there is need for a broader perspective on this behavior, as organisms are often simultaneously involved in complex antagonistic relationships with multiple types of enemies. We show experimentally that a tradeoff between predator and parasite avoidance may be important in the evolution of habitat selection behavior in the waterflea, Daphnia magna. In this species, negatively phototactic clones suffer less from visually hunting predators by residing in deeper and darker portions of the water column during the day. However, this behavior increases the risk of parasitic infections when the Daphnia are exposed to pond sediments containing parasite spores. Positively phototactic clones, which are at a higher risk of predation, are less exposed to parasite spores in the sediment and consequently suffer less from parasitic infection. We show that the increased risk of infection remains even if the animals change their phototactic behavior on exposure to chemical cues from fish. This tradeoff highlights a substantial cost of predator-induced changes in habitat selection behavior. Tradeoffs caused by multiple enemies may explain genetic polymorphism for habitat selection behavior in many natural populations.I n the face of antagonistic interactions, habitat selection strategies in time and space are essential for the survival of many organisms. Many studies on predation have documented the ecological costs of antipredatory habitat selection behavior, such as reduced food intake, reduced competitive strength, and increased susceptibility to predation by a different kind of predator (1, 2). It has been suggested that such costs favor the evolution of inducible defenses (2) such as diel vertical migration (DVM), which is generally considered to be a predatoravoidance strategy of zooplankton (3-5). In this strategy, the zooplankton reside at greater depths during the day, thus reducing their chance of being detected by visual predators (4, 5). It has been shown that DVM can be induced in several taxa by exposing them to predator kairomones (6-8), i.e., chemical cues that indicate the presence of the predator. Phenotypic variation in induced and constitutive (not dependent on environmental stimuli for activation; ref. 9) DVM has a strong genetic component (8,(10)(11)(12), and the trait shows rapid evolutionary response to changing predator regimes (13).Predators are not the only antagonists that the zooplankton face. Parasites (including pathogens) are common in zooplankton populations, and the fitness costs of infection are severe (14-19). Many parasites produce infective stages within the bottom sediments, where they form long-lasting spore banks (14-16). Because DVM is often so pronounced that the zooplankton reside in, at, or near the bottom sediments during the day (20, 21), we hypothesized that t...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

In deep trouble: Habitat selection constrained by multiple enemies in zooplankton

Decaestecker

Meester

Ebert

2002

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

153

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“…Most publications deal with fish as predators and fewer with invertebrate predators (Ohman et al, 1983;�eill, 1990Ohman, 1990). The lower overlap resulting from distinct occupation of the water column by predator and prey could represent a significant decrease in predation, increasing prey survival and population success.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Quick shifts of prey migratory behaviour in the absence and presence of predators (Bollens and Frost, 1991;�eill, 1990) indicated a phenotipic response possibly related to substances excreted by predators, known as kairomones. There is evidence that prey is able to detect kairomones and, therefore, the presence of predators (�eill, 1990;Ringelberg, 1991b, c;Larsson and Dodson, 1993;Loose, 1993;Loose et al, 1993;von Elert and Pohnert, 2000). Kairomones, whose chemical structure is unknown (Lass and Spaak, 2003), are soluble in water, non-volatile, with low molecular weight, provoking behavioural and physiological reactions on the receptor, being favourable to prey but not to predators.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Experiments on the influence of Chaoborus brasiliensis Theobald, 1901 (Diptera: Chaoboridae) on the diel vertical migration of microcrustaceans from Lake Monte Alegre, Brazil

Arcifa

Perticarrari

2010

Braz. J. Biol.

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The aim of this work was to evaluate whether diel vertical migration of microcrustaceans from Lake Monte Alegre is related to invertebrate predators, namely larvae of Chaoborus brasiliensis. The hypothesis tested in the experiments was that the migratory behaviour of prey would depend on physical contact with Chaoborus brasiliensis larvae or with kairomones released by them. Two experiments were undertaken in the laboratory, with two treatments and three replicates each. Experiments were carried out in acrylic cylinders 1.5 m high and 0.20 m in diameter. Treatments in Experiment I were: A) predator and kairomones present and B) predator and kairomones present, but predator isolated in net tube inside the cylinder, having no physical contact with prey. Treatments in Experiment II were: A) predator and kairomones absent and B) the same as in experiment I. Physical and chemical factors (temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, electrical conductivity) and food (algae) did not influence vertical distribution of prey, as they were almost homogeneously distributed in the water column in both experiments; food concentrations were not limiting. Adult copepods (Tropocyclops prasinus meridionalis and Thermocyclops decipiens) showed reverse migration in the treatment B of both experiments; the cladoceran Daphnia gessneri migrated nocturnally in the treatment A of the Experiment I; vertical migration was undetectable for copepodites, as well as for Chaoborus larvae. The experiments indicated that Daphnia responded to physical contact with Chaoborus larvae but not to kairomones alone. Adult copepods seemed to be more sensitive to kairomones. Keywords

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Predator coexistence through emergent fitness equalization

Velzen

2020

Ecology

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The competitive exclusion principle is one of the oldest ideas in ecology and states that without additional self-limitation two predators cannot coexist on a single prey. The search for mechanisms allowing coexistence despite this has identified niche differentiation between predators as crucial: without this, coexistence requires the predators to have exactly the same R* values, which is considered impossible. However, this reasoning misses a critical point: predators' R* values are not static properties, but affected by defensive traits of their prey, which in turn can adapt in response to changes in predator densities. Here I show that this feedback between defense and predator dynamics enables stable predator coexistence without ecological niche differentiation. Instead, the mechanism driving coexistence is that prey adaptation causes defense to converge to the value where both predators have equal R* values ("fitness equalization"). This result is highly general, independent of specific model details, and applies to both rapid defense evolution and inducible defenses. It demonstrates the importance of considering long-standing ecological questions from an eco-evolutionary viewpoint, and showcases how the effects of adaptation can cascade through communities, driving diversity on higher trophic levels. These insights offer an important new perspective on coexistence theory.

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Induced vertical migration in copepods as a defence against invertebrate predation

Cited by 231 publications

References 17 publications

In deep trouble: Habitat selection constrained by multiple enemies in zooplankton

In deep trouble: Habitat selection constrained by multiple enemies in zooplankton

Experiments on the influence of Chaoborus brasiliensis Theobald, 1901 (Diptera: Chaoboridae) on the diel vertical migration of microcrustaceans from Lake Monte Alegre, Brazil

Predator coexistence through emergent fitness equalization

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