Habitat complexity reduces aggression and enhances consumption in crayfish |
| |
Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">Lynda?D?CorkumEmail author Daniel?J?Cronin |
| |
Institution: | (1) Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4, Canada |
| |
Abstract: | We tested the hypothesis that increased habitat complexity would reduce intraspecific interactions among crayfish (Orconectes propinquus), and result in an increase in the consumption rate of prey at different crayfish densities. The effect of crayfish density,
food level (trout eggs), and habitat complexity on prey consumption by crayfish was quantified in the laboratory. There was
a significant difference in the consumption rate between different food levels. When food was scarce, almost all trout eggs
were consumed regardless of crayfish density or habitat complexity. When food was unlimited, there was a significant positive
linear relationship between eggs consumed per crayfish and habitat complexity. However, the relationship was not significant
when trials without habitat were deleted from the analysis. We found that habitat complexity significantly reduced intraspecific
aggression. Our findings suggest that a minimal amount of habitat complexity can reduce interactions among predators, ultimately
resulting in increased prey consumption. |
| |
Keywords: | Density Habitat Interactions Orconectes propinquus Prey consumption |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|