Parry Victor, Schlägel Ulrike E, Tiedemann Ralph, Weithoff Guntram
Unit of Ecology and Ecosystem Modelling, University of Potsdam, 14469 Potsdam, Germany.
Unit of Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.
Biology (Basel). 2022 Aug 13;11(8):1217. doi: 10.3390/biology11081217.
Predation is a strong species interaction causing severe harm or death to prey. Thus, prey species have evolved various defence strategies to minimize predation risk, which may be immediate (e.g., a change in behaviour) or transgenerational (morphological defence structures). We studied the behaviour of two strains of a rotiferan prey () that differ in their ability to develop morphological defences in response to their predator . Using video analysis, we tested: (a) if two strains differ in their response to predator presence and predator cues when both are undefended; (b) whether defended individuals respond to live predators or their cues; and (c) if the morphological defence (large spines) has an effect on the swimming behaviour. We found a clear increase in swimming speed for both undefended strains in predator presence. However, the defended specimens responded neither to the predator presence nor to their cues, showing that they behave indifferently to their predator when they are defended. We did not detect an effect of the spines on the swimming behaviour. Our study demonstrates a complex plastic behaviour of the prey, not only in the presence of their predator, but also with respect to their defence status.
捕食是一种强大的物种间相互作用，会给猎物带来严重伤害或导致其死亡。因此，猎物物种进化出了各种防御策略，以将被捕食风险降至最低，这些策略可能是即时性的（例如，行为改变），也可能是跨代的（形态防御结构）。我们研究了一种轮虫猎物（）的两个品系的行为，这两个品系在针对其捕食者（）形成形态防御的能力上存在差异。通过视频分析，我们测试了：（a）当两个品系都未形成防御时，它们对捕食者存在和捕食者线索的反应是否不同；（b）已形成防御的个体对活体捕食者或其线索是否有反应；以及（c）形态防御（大刺）是否对游泳行为有影响。我们发现，在有捕食者存在的情况下，两个未形成防御的品系的游泳速度都明显加快。然而，已形成防御的标本对捕食者的存在及其线索均无反应，这表明当它们形成防御时，对捕食者表现得无动于衷。我们未检测到刺对游泳行为的影响。我们的研究表明，猎物不仅在有捕食者存在时，而且在其防御状态方面，都表现出复杂的可塑性行为。
