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Predator avoidance behavior in the pea aphid: costs, frequency, and population consequences

  • Population Ecology
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Abstract

Induced prey defenses can be costly. These costs have the potential to reduce prey survival or reproduction and, therefore, prey population growth. I estimated the potential for predators to suppress populations of pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) in alfalfa fields through the induction of pea aphid predator avoidance behavior. I quantified (1) the period of non-feeding activity that follows a disturbance event, (2) the effect of frequent disturbance on aphid reproduction, and (3) the frequency at which aphids are disturbed by predators. In combination, these three values predict that the disturbances induced by predators can substantially reduce aphid population growth. This result stems from the high frequency of predator-induced disturbance, and the observation that even brief disturbances reduce aphid reproduction. The potential for predators to suppress prey populations through induction of prey defenses may be strongest in systems where (1) predators frequently induce prey defensive responses, and (2) prey defenses incur acute survival or reproductive costs.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to Doug Tallamy for suggesting pea aphids as a study system. The development and execution of the project benefited from discussions with the UC Davis Plant–Insect Group, the Rosenheim Lab Group, and Kai Cha. In the field, I received assistance from Chris Matthews, Kelly Lister, and Kate Chmiel, and our activities were kindly accommodated by Mark Rubio and the UC Davis Animal Science farm crew. I am grateful for the financial support I received from the UC Davis Center for Population Biology, NRI Competitive Grants Program/USDA grants 96-35302-3816 and 2001-35302-10955 to Jay Rosenheim, the San Francisco ARCS Foundation, and Kai Cha. The Rosenheim Lab Group, Rick Karban, Sharon Lawler, and Andy Sih induced changes in this paper by commenting on drafts of the manuscript. The experiments reported here comply with the current USA law.

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  1. Erik H. Nelson

    Present address: Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 137 Mulford Hall #3114, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Population Biology, Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Erik H. Nelson

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  1. Erik H. Nelson
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Correspondence to Erik H. Nelson.

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Communicated by Oswald Schmitz.

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Nelson, E.H. Predator avoidance behavior in the pea aphid: costs, frequency, and population consequences. Oecologia 151, 22–32 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-006-0573-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-006-0573-2

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