The responses of polyphagous predators to prey spatial heterogeneity: aggregation by carabid and staphylinid beetles to their cereal aphid prey

Abstract. 1. Discrete patches of aphids were artificially created in winter wheat fields in 1982 and in 1983 using field cages.
2. Aggregation by polyphagous predators at these patches following cage removal was measured using pitfall traps in patch and control areas.
3. Several species of polyphagous beetle (Carabidae and Staphylinidae) aggregated in these patches while other species did not.
4. The consequences of aggregation by polyphagous predators to a single prey species are discussed.     

Development and evaluation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect Pieris rapae remains in guts of arthropod predators

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect remains of Pieris rapae L. (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) immature stages in the guts of field collected arthropod predators. The assay can be used to help ascertain the relative importance of arthropod predator species in suppressing P. rapae in cabbage, Brassica oleracea var. capitata L. The ELISA is sensitive to all immature stages of P. rapae, although first and fifth instars can be detected more readily than eggs or pupae and third instars showed intermediate detectability. Assays on whole body homogenates of predators readily detected predation on P. rapae first instars by all seven of the predator species tested, although response generally declined with increasing predator size. Together the results show that the P. rapae ELISA possesses a sufficiently high level of sensitivity and specificity to be a useful tool in helping to elucidate the roles of arthropod predator species in reducing populations of P. rapae in cabbage.     

Estimation of digestion rates for herring Clupea harengus L. feeding on fish larvae

Two methods for estimating digestion rate were evaluated and the digestion rate to disappearance was estimated to be 0·30 h⁻¹ for herring Clupea harengus feeding on capelin Mallotus villosus larvae. Due to high individual variability in feeding rates in schooling fish species, groups should be fed in separate tanks and stomach contents collected from each group at a predetermined time.     

Decay rates for slug antigens within the carabid predatorPterostichus melanarius monitored with a monoclonal antibody

The rate at which prey antigens decay within a predator during digestion must be calibrated, for a given assay system, in order to define the period within which predation must have occurred. Monoclonal antibodies have great advantages in terms of target specificity, but have often in the past demonstrated impractically abbreviated antigen detection periods. However, the DrW-2D11 monoclonal antibody, which detects all three genera of pest slugs (Mollusca: Pulmonata) in Britain, could clearly identify predation byPterostichus melanarius Illiger (Coleoptera: Carabidae) after 2.5 days at 16°C, a longer interval than has been recorded for any other monoclonal antibody used in predation studies. The half-life, detection period and decay rate were calibrated with and without subsequent feeding on alternative prey. Unrestricted feeding on earthworm, following consumption of the slugDeroceras reticulatum (Müller), significantly reduced the decay rate of slug antigens. These results appear to contradict the assumptions, based on previous studies, that indicate reduced digestion rates in response to starvation. Possible reasons for this failure to comply with the predictions of optimal foraging theories are discussed.     

Prey DNA detection success following digestion by intraguild predators: influence of prey and predator species

Intraguild predation (IGP) has been increasingly recognized as an important interaction in ecological systems over the past two decades, and remarkable insights have been gained into its nature and prevalence. We have developed a technique using molecular gut-content analysis to compare the rate of IGP between closely related species of coccinellid beetles (lady beetles or ladybirds), which had been previously known to prey upon one another. We first developed PCR primers for each of four lady beetle species: Harmonia axyridis, Coccinella septempunctata, Coleomegilla maculata and Propylea quatuordecimpunctata. We next determined the prey DNA detection success over time (DS(50) ) for each combination of interacting species following a meal. We found that DS(50) values varied greatly between predator-prey combinations, ranging from 5.2 to 19.3 h. As a result, general patterns of detection times based upon predator or prey species alone are not discernable. We used the DS(50) values to correct field data to demonstrate the importance of compensation for detection times that are specific to particular predator-prey combinations.     

Improved estimates of digestion correction factors and passage rates for harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) prey in the northeast Atlantic

Diet composition in pinnipeds is widely estimated using hard prey remains recovered from feces. To estimate the size and number of prey represented in fecal samples accurately, digestion correction factors (DCFs) must be applied to measurements and counts of fish otoliths and cephalopod beaks. In this study, 101 whole prey feeding trials were conducted with six harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and 18 prey species. We derived species‐ and grade‐specific estimates of digestion coefficients (DCs) and species‐specific recovery rates (RRs) to account for partial and complete digestion, respectively. Greater than 98% of otoliths were passed within three days of consumption. RRs were smallest for Atlantic salmon smolts (RR = 0.306, SE = 0.031) and increasingly larger for sandeels (RR = 0.494, SE = 0.017), flatfish (RR = 0.789, SE = 0.033), and large gadoids (RR = 0.944, SE = 0.034). Species‐specific otolith width DCs were smallest for Trisopterus species (DC = 1.14, SE = 0.015) and increasingly larger for flatfish (DC = 1.27, SE = 0.045), large gadoids (DC = 1.32, SE = 0.067) and sandeels (DC = 1.57, SE = 0.035). RRs were similar to those from gray seals (Halichoerus grypus), but harbor seal species‐ and grade‐specific DCs were generally smaller. Differences in partial and complete digestion rates among prey species and between seal species highlight the importance of applying DCFs when reconstructing diet.     

Differential digestion and evacuation rates of prey in a warm-temperate grouper, gag Mycteroperca microlepis (Goode & Bean)

Prey-specific gastric evacuation rates and digestion state indices were modelled for gag Mycteroperca microlepis , a large warm-temperate grouper, consuming meals of either baitfish (scaled sardine Harengula jaguana ) or crab (purple swimmer crab Portunus gibbesii ). Power exponential models best fit the wet and dry mass gastric evacuation data and the average digestion indices over post-prandial time (PPT), regardless of prey type or gag size (Adjusted R² ≥ 0·79). Gag mass ( M ) or total length ( L _T) incorporated into an expanded power exponential model, along with exponential scalars, resulted in highly predictive ( R² ≥ 0·87) gastric evacuation and average digestion state models. The expanded power exponential models fit to the baitfish and crab wet mass gastric evacuation data differed significantly (Kimura's likelihood ratio test (LRT), both P < 0·001). Gag consuming crab showed a digestive lag period of at least 4 h (wet mass) and took a longer time to complete digestion relative to gag consuming baitfish. Gag, as well as many other warm-temperate and tropical groupers, consume a mixture of fish and crab prey and they will therefore require the development of a consumption model that incorporates mixed-prey gastric evacuation models.     

Temperature dependency of predation: Increased killing rates and prey mass consumption by predators with warming

Temperature dependency of consumer–resource interactions is fundamentally important for understanding and predicting the responses of food webs to climate change. Previous studies have shown temperature‐driven shifts in herbivore consumption rates and resource preference, but these effects remain poorly understood for predatory arthropods. Here, we investigate how predator killing rates, prey mass consumption, and macronutrient intake respond to increased temperatures using a laboratory and a field reciprocal transplant experiment. Ectothermic predators, wolf spiders (Pardosa sp.), in the lab experiment, were exposed to increased temperatures and different prey macronutrient content (high lipid/low protein and low lipid/high protein) to assess changes in their killing rates and nutritional demands. Additionally, we investigate prey mass and lipid consumption by spiders under contrasting temperatures, along an elevation gradient. We used a field reciprocal transplant experiment between low (420 masl; 26°C) and high (2,100 masl; 15°C) elevations in the Ecuadorian Andes, using wild populations of two common orb‐weaver spider species (Leucauge sp. and Cyclosa sp.) present along the elevation gradient. We found that killing rates of wolf spiders increased with warmer temperatures but were not significantly affected by prey macronutrient content, although spiders consumed significantly more lipids from lipid‐rich prey. The field reciprocal transplant experiment showed no consistent predator responses to changes in temperature along the elevational gradient. Transplanting Cyclosa sp. spiders to low‐ or high‐elevation sites did not affect their prey mass or lipid consumption rate, whereas Leucauge sp. individuals increased prey mass consumption when transplanted from the high to the low warm elevation. Our findings show that increases in temperature intensify predator killing rates, prey consumption, and lipid intake, but the responses to temperature vary between species, which may be a result of species‐specific differences in their hunting behavior and sensitivity to temperature.     

Exponential decay of GC content detected by strand-symmetric substitution rates influences the evolution of isochore structure

The distribution of guanine and cytosine nucleotides throughout a genome, or the GC content, is associated with numerous features in mammals; understanding the pattern and evolutionary history of GC content is crucial to our efforts to annotate the genome. The local GC content is decaying toward an equilibrium point, but the causes and rates of this decay, as well as the value of the equilibrium point, remain topics of debate. By comparing the results of 2 methods for estimating local substitution rates, we identify 620 Mb of the human genome in which the rates of the various types of nucleotide substitutions are the same on both strands. These strand-symmetric regions show an exponential decay of local GC content at a pace determined by local substitution rates. DNA segments subjected to higher rates experience disproportionately accelerated decay and are AT rich, whereas segments subjected to lower rates decay more slowly and are GC rich. Although we are unable to draw any conclusions about causal factors, the results support the hypothesis proposed by Khelifi A, Meunier J, Duret L, and Mouchiroud D (2006. GC content evolution of the human and mouse genomes: insights from the study of processed pseudogenes in regions of different recombination rates. J Mol Evol. 62:745-752.) that the isochore structure has been reshaped over time. If rate variation were a determining factor, then the current isochore structure of mammalian genomes could result from the local differences in substitution rates. We predict that under current conditions strand-symmetric portions of the human genome will stabilize at an average GC content of 30% (considerably less than the current 42%), thus confirming that the human genome has not yet reached equilibrium.     

Quantification of Bt-protein digestion and excretion by the primary decomposer Porcellio scaber,fed with two Bt-corn varieties

Despite increasing use and fabrication of new transgenic plants, there are still concerns about a potential accumulation of Bt-proteins in the soils. Even previous studies have revealed that some phytophagous animals ingest and excrete Bt-protein. Neither the digested proportion of Bt-protein nor the potential amount of an insecticidal activity of the feces excreted by soil arthropods is known. For a period of 15?days, we fed the primary decomposer woodlouse Porcellio scaber (Latreille) with leaves of two transgenic Bt-corn varieties (N4640Bt and Max88Bt) and one non-transgenic control variety (N4640). The Bt-protein in the leaves and in feces was quantified using ELISA. The Bt-protein digestion rate was obtained as a ratio of the Bt-protein ingested to the Bt-protein excreted. Additionally we quantified the naturally occurring Bt-protein dissipation in the leaves of the two transgenic corn varieties over a period of 15 days. Finally bioassays using the susceptible species Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae) were carried out to determine if the Bt-protein in the decomposer feces is still active. We calculated that P. scaber feeding on N4640Bt corn leaves digests a mean of 61.1±16.8% of the Bt-protein they ingest, while P. scaber feeding on Max88Bt corn leaves digests 80.5±14.4%, which is significantly more (P<0.05). At an average temperature of 18.3°C, the Bt-protein concentration in the leaves shows a rapid and constant Bt-protein decrease of approximately 40±15% per 3?days in both transgenic corn plants. This accumulates to a Bt-protein loss of more than 90% after 15?days. The bioassays indicate that the Bt-protein excreted with the feces is still insecticidally active. Our study suggests that a part of the Bt-protein taken up by primary decomposers is not digested and is released in its active form into the soils. Under the much cooler field conditions in autumn and winter, it stays active and remains available to soil organisms until the next field season.