Direct and indirect effects of predation on mosquitofish behavior and survival |
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Authors: | Dana L Winkelman John M Aho |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Zoology and Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, 30602 Athens, GA, USA;(2) Present address: Department of Biology, Auburn University at Montgomery, 36117 Montgomery, AL, USA |
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Abstract: | Predation can have strong direct and indirect effects on the behavior of prey. We investigated whether predation by chain
pickerel (Esox niger) caused adult eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) to alter their habitat use and whether pickerel predation influenced survival of adult and neonate mosquitofish. The number
of adult mosquitofish using the riskier of three habitats was lowest when two predators occupied the risky habitat, intermediate
in the treatment with one predator, and highest when no predators occurred there. More mosquitofish neonates survived high
predation treatments than treatments lacking pickerel. We conclude that pickerel predation causes adult mosquitofish to shift
to refuge habitats. The pattern of neonate survival suggests that adult habitat use may create a refuge from cannibalism for
neonate mosquitofish, resulting in higher neonate survival in treatments with more pickerel. Hence, pickerel predation has
a direct effect on adult mosquitofish behavior and a strong indirect effect on neonate survival. Both interspecific and intraspecific
predation can effect prey populations and can interact to produce important indirect effects. |
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Keywords: | Gambusia Esox Predation Cannibalism Indirect effects |
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