Environmental and morphological factors influencing predatory behaviour by invasive non-indigenous gammaridean species |
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Authors: | Gerard van der Velde Rob S E W Leuven Dirk Platvoet Karolina Bacela Mark A J Huijbregts Harrie W M Hendriks Dirk Kruijt |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands;(2) National Natural History Museum Naturalis, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands;(3) Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands;(4) Zoological Museum, University of Amsterdam, Mauritskade 57, 1092 AD Amsterdam, The Netherlands;(5) Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, University of Lodz, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Lodz, Poland;(6) Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands |
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Abstract: | Predatory behaviour seems to be more frequent in invasive gammaridean species than in native ones. This results in the exclusion
of other, mostly native gammaridean species and a change in benthic communities. The present study analysed the influence
of environmental factors (water temperature) and morphological factors (sex, body parts involved in catching and holding prey)
on the predatory behaviour of Dikerogammarus villosus. A diet study of invasive relatives of D. villosus showed that predation intensity is especially high in spring and summer, that is, at increasing and high temperatures. Experiments
with D. villosus in climate rooms at various temperatures, using the native Gammarus fossarum as prey, showed that the average predation rate by both sexes gradually increased over the temperature range from 5 to 30°C.
Natural mortality during the experiments was negligible compared to losses due to predation. At each temperature, the predation
rate by females was lower than that by males. Males showed a steep allometric growth of body parts involved in the process
of catching and holding prey, compared to females at increasing body size in a number of measurements. This may explain the
difference in predatory behaviour between males and females, which plays a role in intraguild predation a supposed mechanism
for species displacement. |
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