The hunter and the hunted : A 3D analysis of predator-prey interactions between three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and larvae of different prey fishes
| Autor: | Juergen Geist, Alexander Brinker, Albert Ros, Jorrit Lucas, Sarah Maria Gugele, Julian Dunst |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Life Cycles
Physiology Population Dynamics Predation Social Sciences Larvae Predator-Prey Dynamics Psychology Predator Perch Larva Likelihood Functions Multidisciplinary biology Ecology Animal Behavior Physics Stickleback Eukaryota Classical Mechanics Smegmamorpha Trophic Interactions Community Ecology Osteichthyes Vertebrates Physical Sciences Medicine Rutilus Salmonidae Research Article Science Acceleration Cyprinidae Zoology Gasterosteus Imaging Three-Dimensional ddc:570 Animals Hunting Behavior Coregonus Swimming Sticklebacks Behavior Population Biology Biological Locomotion Ecology and Environmental Sciences Organisms Biology and Life Sciences biology.organism_classification Logistic Models Fish Perches Predatory Behavior Multivariate Analysis Developmental Biology |
| Zdroj: | PLoS ONE PLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 8, p e0256427 (2021) |
| Popis: | Predator-prey interactions play a key life history role, as animals cope with changing predation risk and opportunities to hunt prey. It has recently been shown that the hunting success of sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) targeting fish larvae is dependent on both the size of the prey and the prior exposure of its species to stickleback predation. The purpose of the current study was to identify the behavioural predator-prey interactions explaining the success or failure of sticklebacks hunting larvae of three potential prey species [roach (Rutilus rutilus), perch (Perca fluviatilis) and whitefish (Coregonus wartmannii)] in a 3D environment. Trials were carried out for each prey species at four different size classes in a standardised laboratory setup and were recorded using a slow motion, stereo camera setup. 75 predator-prey interactions including both failed and successful hunts were subject to the analysis. 3D track analysis indicated that sticklebacks applied different strategies. Prey with less complex predator escape responses, i.e. whitefish larvae, were hunted using a direct but stealthy approach ending in a lunge, while the behaviourally more complex roach and perch larvae were hunted with a faster approach. A multivariate logistic regression identified that slow average speed and acceleration of the prey in the initial stages of the hunt increased the probability of stickleback success. Furthermore, predators adjusted their swimming direction more often when hunting larger whitefish compared to smaller whitefish. The results suggest that appropriate and adequately timed avoidance behaviours, which vary between prey species and ontogenetic stages, significantly increase the chances of outmanoeuvring and escaping stickleback predation. Small whitefish larvae can reach similar levels of swimming performance compared to older conspecifics, but display ineffective anti-predator behaviours, resulting in higher hunting success for sticklebacks. Thus, the development of appropriate anti-predator behaviours depending on size appears to be the crucial factor to escaping predation. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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