Respiratory Device or Camouflage?: A Case for the Caddisfly

Williams, D. Dudley; Tavares, Annette F.; Bryant, E. B.

doi:10.2307/3565400

Cited by 59 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…At present, comparative data on the respiration rates of representatives of different corophioid groupings are lacking, so our understanding of the respiratory significance of different tube types and irrigational behaviours by corophioids is nil (cf. Williams et al 1987 on caddisfly larvae).…”

Section: Discussion (A) Tubes and Their Utilization By Corophioid Ampmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative study on the tubes and feeding behaviour of eight species of corophioid Amphipoda and their bearing on phylogenetic relationships within the Corophioidea

Dixon¹,

Moore²

1997

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B

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SUMMARYObservations are presented on mouthpart functional morphology, and on feeding, grooming and defaecatory behaviour of eight species of corophioid Amphipoda, viz. orophium bonnellii, Lembos ebsteri, Aora gracilis, A. spinicornis, Gammaropsis nitida, Ericthonius punctatus, assa falcata and . marmorata. These data are considered in relation to tube structure and amphipod posture in relation to the tube. All these species occupy double-ended cylindrical tubes made from ' amphipod silk ' secreted by the third and fourth peraeopods, incorporating sediment and other debris to varying degrees. Uniquely among this set of species, however, E. punctatus has a tube that is architecturally distinct. It tapers along its length and has a distinctive oblique main entrance at its widest end. This end is used preferentially. The other species studied use either opening with equal facility. Such a feature is adaptive in facilitating deployment of the antennae and shielding the head of E. punctatus.Two groupings of species are proposed : group A which feed inside their tube using pleopod-induced through-tube currents, and group B which feed outside or at the entrance to their tube using external water currents. Group A includes . bonnellii, L. ebsteri and the Aora spp. Group B includes E. punctatus and the assa spp. Gammaropsis nitida exhibits traits from both groups, adding weight to its perceived status as a genus representative of the stem corophioid. The ischyrocerid habit of externalizing food-gathering may be regarded as the first step along an evolutionary line leading to the rod-building podocerid types and ultimately towards the caprellids. All species examined show a degree of flexibility in their feeding habits which helps to explain the success of this taxon, which has radiated into a great diversity of aquatic biotopes.

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Section: Discussion (A) Tubes and Their Utilization By Corophioid Ampmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative study on the tubes and feeding behaviour of eight species of corophioid Amphipoda and their bearing on phylogenetic relationships within the Corophioidea

Dixon¹,

Moore²

1997

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B

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“…These caddisfly larvae use silk to construct portable cases of mineral and vegetation fragments, and although there are several potential functions (see Williams et al 1987;Otto and Johansson 1995), the cases of many species reduce predation (Otto 1976(Otto , 1982Otto and Svensson 1980;Johansson 1991;Nislow and Molles 1993;Johansson and Englund 1995;Otto and Johansson 1995). In this study, we tested the prediction that the case morphologies of different species of caddisflies should be most effective against the predators with which they typically co-occur.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Predator defense along a permanence gradient: roles of case structure, behavior, and developmental phenology in caddisflies

et al. 2006

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Species replacements along freshwater permanence gradients are well documented, but underlying mechanisms are poorly understood for most taxa. In subalpine wetlands in Colorado, the relative abundance of caddisfly larvae shifts from temporary to permanent basins. Predators on caddisflies also shift along this gradient; salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum) in permanent ponds are replaced by predaceous diving beetles (Dytiscus dauricus) in temporary habitats. We conducted laboratory and field experiments to determine the effectiveness of caddisfly cases in reducing vulnerability to these predators. We found that larvae of a temporary-habitat caddisfly (Asynarchus nigriculus) were the most vulnerable to salamanders. Two relatively invulnerable species (Limnephilus externus, L. picturatus) exhibited behaviors that reduced the likelihood of detection and attack, whereas the least vulnerable species (Agrypnia deflata) was frequently detected and attacked, but rarely captured because cases provided an effective refuge. Vulnerability to beetle predation was also affected by cases. The stout cases of L. externus larvae frequently deterred beetle larvae, whereas the tubular cases of the other species were relatively ineffective. Two of these vulnerable species (A. nigriculus and L. picturatus) often co-occur with beetles; thus, case construction alone is insufficient to explain patterns of caddisfly coexistence along the permanence gradient. One explanation for the coexistence of these two species with beetles is that they develop rapidly during early summer and pupate before beetle larvae become abundant. One species (L. picturatus) pupates by burying into soft substrates that serve as a refuge. The other (A. nigriculus) builds stone pupal cases, which in field experiments, more than doubles survival compared to organic pupal cases. The combined results of these experiments suggest that caddisfly distributions along permanence gradients depend on a suite of primary and secondary predator defenses that include larval and pupal case structure, predator-specific escape behaviors, and the phenology of larval development.

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“…Besides reducing predation, larval cases may also serve other functions, e.g. facilitating respiration (Williams et al, 1987).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caddis larvae cases (Trichoptera, Limnephilidae) as anti-predatory devices against brown trout and sculpin

Johansson

1991

Hydrobiologia

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Brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) and sculpin (Cottus gobio L.) predation on the cased limnephilid larvae Glyphotaelius pellucidus (Retz.) (weak, broad leaf case), Limnephilus pantodapus McLachl. (weak, long cylindrical leaf case), L. rhombicus (L.) (rigid, 'hedgehog' case) and Potamophylax cingulatus (Steph.) (rigid, cylindrical mineral case) was studied in the laboratory. The proportion of larvae ingested was significantly higher in brown trout than in sculpin for all four prey species. Brown trout captured larvae of all four species with equal success, but the higher number of unsuccessful captures resulted in a higher survival rate for P. cingulatus. It was significantly more difficult for sculpin than for brown trout to capture L. pantodapus larvae and to ingest all species except L. rhombicus. P. cingulatus larvae were never ingested by sculpins, and had the highest survival rate after capture by both fish species. In brown trout, the handling time of L. pantodapus was significantly longer than that of P. cingulatus. Sculpin had a significantly longer handling time of G. pellucidus than brown trout. L. pantodapus and L. rhombicus larvae feigned dead significantly longer than did those of G. pellucidus and P. cingulatus upon attacks from sculpins. L. rhombicus larvae also feigned dead for a long time upon attacks from brown trout. The survival rate of a larva attacked by sculpin or brown trout depends on both case rigidity as well as its behaviour. Brown trout was a more successful predator of cased caddis larvae than sculpin.

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Respiratory Device or Camouflage?: A Case for the Caddisfly

Cited by 59 publications

References 25 publications

A comparative study on the tubes and feeding behaviour of eight species of corophioid Amphipoda and their bearing on phylogenetic relationships within the Corophioidea

A comparative study on the tubes and feeding behaviour of eight species of corophioid Amphipoda and their bearing on phylogenetic relationships within the Corophioidea

Predator defense along a permanence gradient: roles of case structure, behavior, and developmental phenology in caddisflies

Caddis larvae cases (Trichoptera, Limnephilidae) as anti-predatory devices against brown trout and sculpin

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