Responses of Acilius sulcatus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) to chemical cues from perch (Perca fluviatilis) |
| |
Authors: | Kajsa Åbjörnsson Bálint M A Wagner Anna Axelsson Rickard Bjerselius K Håkan Olsén |
| |
Institution: | (1) Limnology, Department of Ecology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden Fax: +46 46 2224536; e-mail: Kajsa.Abjornsson@limnol.lu.se, SE;(2) Department of Limnology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, SE |
| |
Abstract: | In this study we tested the hypothesis that the presence of chemical stimuli from a hungry predator would initiate anti-predator
responses, while stimuli from a satiated predator would not. We used chemical stimuli released from starved perch (Perca fluviatilis) and from satiated perch (predator). As prey we used adult Acilius sulcatus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). The reaction of the beetles to different predator conditions was tested during daytime. We also
tested the reaction to starved perch during the night. A. sulcatus activity decreased when it was exposed to stimuli released from starved perch during daytime when visibility was poor, due
to the presence of artificial vegetation. There was, however, no reaction to satiated perch under the same experimental conditions.
These results indicate that A. sulcatus can discriminate between chemical cues from hungry and satiated fish predators. When visibility was good and the concentration
of chemical cues was constant, the beetles did not react to starved perch in the daytime, but their activity decreased at
night in response to stimuli released from starved perch. Visual as well as chemical cues seem to be important for detecting
a potential predator. When visibility is good, beetles seem to rely on visual stimuli, while in darkness they seem to use
chemical stimuli to detect the presence of predators.
Received: 4 October 1996 / Accepted: 7 February 1997 |
| |
Keywords: | Chemical cues Predator avoidance Hunger Satiation Day-night |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|