Abstract
Outcomes of predator–prey interactions depend on biotic and abiotic factors. Habitat complexity, for example, mediates predator functional response type and parameters (attack rate and handling time). However, the relationship between habitat complexity and functional response varies across ecosystems. We assessed interactions between the giant water bug, Belostoma sp., and its prey, rams-horn snails, Helisoma trivolvis, across four prey densities (N = 2, 4, 8, 16 snails) and three habitat complexity levels (No-complexity, Low-complexity, High-complexity) to understand how complexity affected the functional response. We also tested effects of predator and prey body size on number of prey killed. Belostoma exhibited a Type III functional response in all habitat complexity treatments. Attack rate tended to increase with increasing complexity. Handling time was different among treatments, being lowest in the No-complexity treatment and highest in the Low-complexity treatment. Belostoma body size was positively related, while Helisoma body size was inversely related, to the number of Helisoma killed. We show habitat complexity does not affect the shape of predator functional response but impacts response parameters in the Belostoma–Helisoma system. We reaffirm that attack rate, handling time, and mortality outcomes for prey within predator–prey interactions are affected by abiotic factors through habitat complexity.
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References
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Acknowledgements
We thank the Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, for greenhouse access; B. Knapp and the School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, for access to Baskett; R. Abney, M. Clay, C. Crouch, T. Hessler, D. Hicks, J. Horne, E. Kinzinger, Z. Miller, E. Petty, A. Roistacher, D. Smith, J. Wilson, and R. Xu for assisting in experimental set-up, data collection, and discussions related to the project, and J. Hoverman for assisting with snail identification. All experiments conducted for this study are in compliance with the current laws of the United States of America.
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JK was supported by AFRI EWD (2019-67011-29729) from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. SJC was supported by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.
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JCG aided in project design, collected data, conducted preliminary analysis, wrote and reviewed the original draft. SJC aided in project conceptualization, collected data, conducted preliminary analysis, wrote and edited the original draft. JK aided in project design, collected data, conducted preliminary analysis, wrote and edited the original draft. JACG aided in project design, collected data, conducted preliminary analysis, wrote and edited the original draft. TLA aided in project conception, collected data, conducted formal analysis, reviewed and edited the original draft.
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Gunn, J.C., Clements, S.J., Kansman, J.T. et al. Effects of habitat complexity on giant water bug (Belostoma) functional response to rams-horn snail prey (Helisoma). Hydrobiologia 848, 4585–4597 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-021-04663-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-021-04663-1