Vertical migration as a refuge from predation in intertidal marsh snails: A field test

Vaughn, Caryn C.; Fisher, Frank M.

doi:10.1016/0022-0981(88)90167-0

Cited by 55 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Vegetation can serve a similar function (Blundon & Kennedy 1982), or it may provide an elevated refuge from benthic predators as in the marsh periwinkle Liftoraria irrorata, which c!imbs stems of S~a r ? i~a alterniflora d m n g periods ~f tidal inundation, presumably to avoid predation by crabs (Hamilton 1976, Warren 1985, Vaughn & Fisher 1988, or the bay scallop Argopecten irradians, the juveniles of which attach themselves several centimeters above the bottom in the canopy of seagrass beds (Pohle et al 1991, Ambrose & Irlandi 1992.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of biogenic structure on prey consumption by the xanthid crabs Eurytium limosum and Panopeus herbstii in a salt marsh

Lee¹,

Kneib²

1994

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The predatory xanthid crabs Eurytjum limosurn and Panopeus herbstii are common components of benthic assemblages in different intertidal habitats within salt marshes around Sapelo Island. Georgia, USA. E. limosum feed primarily on other crabs and are found where cordgrass Spartina altemiflora stems are the dominant structural elements in the environment. P: herbstii feed largely on bivalve molluscs and are abundant in intertidal creeks where oyster Crassostrea virginica reefs are the predominant structural elements. We designed laboratory experiments to measure prey consumption rates by these 2 predators under conditions that simulated those experienced by each species in its respective habitat. Biogenic structure within the environment of each species reduced prey consumption rates. The mean (i. SD) number of fiddler crabs Uca puynax killed in 24 h by E. limosum was less (2.0 t 0.87 individuals) in the presence of stems than in their absence (2.9 + 1.63 individuals).Fiddler crabs had no refuge in size from predation by E. limosum. However, mortality rates of fiddler crabs exposed to predation by E. lirnosum were sex-dependent. Males of U. pugnax sometimes escaped the predator's grasp by autotomizing their prominent major chela and consequently when prey were offered in an equal sex ratio significantly (paired t-test, p = 0.03) fewer males (4.3 f 2.55) than females (5.7 + 2.65) were killed by E. limosurn in 48 h. We believe that predation by mud crabs may contribute to male-biased sex ratios that are commonly observed in natural populations of fiddler crabs. Oyster shell clumps influenced the predator-prey interaction between P herbstil and the ribbed mussel Geukensia dernissa In a simulated intertidal creek environment. Mussels attached to the exterior (exposed) surfaces of an oyster clump suffered a 3.5 times greater mortality than those attached to the inside (concealed) surface of the clump. Results of previous studies in whlch prey were offered as isolated individuals suggest that k ? herbstii should have the greatest impact on small (<20 mm shell length) mussels. However, by simulating natural conditions, we showed that predation by P herbstii inflicted the greatest mortality on mussels of intermediate (20 to 40 mm shell length) size because larger mussels have a refuge in size and small mussels have a spatial refuge within the interstices of oyster clumps. Our findings suggest that xanthid crabs have a greater impact within salt marsh communities than previously recognized and emphasize the importance of using 'context-sensitive' experiments to explore predator-prey interactions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of biogenic structure on prey consumption by the xanthid crabs Eurytium limosum and Panopeus herbstii in a salt marsh

Lee¹,

Kneib²

1994

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…However, the existence of a vertical spatial refuge has also been demonstrated in salt marsh systems for the intertidal marsh periwinkle Littorina irrorata, which climbs shoots of salt marsh cordgrass Spartina alterniflora during high tide (Hamilton 1976). Studies using field tethering (Warren 1985) and caging techniques (Vaughn & Fisher 1988) have shown that the snail's vertical climbing behavior significantly reduces predation by blue crabs Callinectes sapidus and conchs Melongena corona. Vertical refuge from benthic predators has not been previously demonstrated for epifauna in seagrass habitats, which are subtidal and have more flexible aboveground plant structures than do salt marshes.…”

Section: Contribution No 802 From the Marine Sciences Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

The eelgrass canopy an above-bottom refuge from benthic predators for juvenile bay scallops Argopecten irradians

Pohle¹,

Bricelj²,

García-Esquivel³

1991

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

111

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Juvenile bay scallops Argopecten irradians commonly attach to shoots of eelgrass Zostera marina using byssal threads. Although this behavior has long been recognized, its adaptive value is poorly understood. This study examined (1) the size-specif~c nature of scallop attachment on eelgrass, and (2) the possible role of vertical attachment in providing refuge from benthic predators. Laboratory experiments using artificial eelgrass showed strong, inverse relationships between scallop size (over the range 6 to 20 mm) and several measures of attachment performance (percent attachment, rate of attachment, and height-above-bottom attained). Field experiments in which 10 to 15 mm scallops were tethered to natural eelgrass in Lake Montauk, Long Island, New York (USA), demonstrated a dramatic, highly significant enhancement of scallop survival at greater heights of attachment. Scallops tethered at 20 to 35 cm above bottom experienced > 59 O/ O survival over 4 d, compared to < l 1 O/O sunrival near the sediment surface. A similar pattern was observed in laboratory tethering experiments using transplanted natural eelgrass and 3 crab predators common in mid-Atlantic embayments: Carcinus maenas, Libinia dubia, and Dyspanopeus sayi. The refuge value of vertical attachment was found, however, to b e less with D. sayi than with the other predators tested, since individuals of t h s species climbed eelgrass to feed on scallops in the upper canopy. These data demonstrate that vertical attachment on eelgrass functions as an effective predator-avoidance mechanism for juvenile bay scallops by placing them out of reach of many benthic predators. It has also been previously shown that scallop predatory risk decreases with scallop size, with a partial size refuge attained at about 40 mm. It is therefore suggested that scallops undergo a n ontogenetic shift from a spatial to a size refuge from predation a s they move from the eelgrass canopy to the sediment surface over the course of their post-settlement life history. We hypothesize that this shift may result in a critical window of high predatory risk between ca 15 and 40 mm, when scallops are expected to be most susceptible to benthic predators.

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“…Survival of dislodged individuals is, nevertheless, typically high, as 233 the majority of dislodged individuals are able to navigate back to their preferred shore 234 levels, suggesting a net selective benefit of this behaviour in littorinids (Evans, 1961; 235 warmer rather than cooler refuges on the shore were preferred by Echinolittorina 257 peruviana during cold periods (Soto and Bozinovic, 1998 (Vaughn and Fisher, 1988). Crevices appear to be more 267 important refuges in winter than in summer for high shore littorinids in Hong Kong 268 due to the overall stronger wave action at this time (T.P.T.…”

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confidence: 99%

Linking behaviour and climate change in intertidal ectotherms: insights from littorinid snails

Lau

Seuront

et al. 2017

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

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22A key element missing from many predictive models of the impacts of climate change 23 on intertidal ectotherms is the role of individual behaviour. In this synthesis, using 24 littorinid snails as a case study, we show how thermoregulatory behaviours may 25 buffer changes in environmental temperatures. These behaviours include either a 26 flight response, to escape the most extreme conditions and utilize warmer or cooler 27 environments; or a fight response, where individuals modify their own environments 28 to minimize thermal extremes. A conceptual model, generated from studies of 29 littorinid snails, shows that various flight and fight thermoregulatory behaviours may 30 allow an individual to widen its thermal safety margin (TSM) under warming or 31 cooling environmental conditions and hence increase species' resilience to climate 32 change. Thermoregulatory behaviours may also buffer sublethal fitness impacts 33 associated with thermal stresses. Through this synthesis, we emphasise that future 34 studies need to consider not only animals' physiological limits but also their capacities 35 to buffer the impact of climate change through behavioural responses. Current 36 generalizations, made largely on physiological limits of species, often neglect the 37 buffering effects of behaviour and may, therefore, provide an over-estimation of 38 vulnerability, and consequently poor prediction of the potential impacts of climate 39 change on intertidal ectotherms. 40 41

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Vertical migration as a refuge from predation in intertidal marsh snails: A field test

Cited by 55 publications

References 28 publications

Effects of biogenic structure on prey consumption by the xanthid crabs Eurytium limosum and Panopeus herbstii in a salt marsh

Effects of biogenic structure on prey consumption by the xanthid crabs Eurytium limosum and Panopeus herbstii in a salt marsh

The eelgrass canopy an above-bottom refuge from benthic predators for juvenile bay scallops Argopecten irradians

Linking behaviour and climate change in intertidal ectotherms: insights from littorinid snails

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