Summary
Predation on four species of triclads was investigated by exposing them to likely predators in the laboratory. The only serious littoral predators would seem to be dragonfly nymphs and adult Dytiscus marginalis. Although fish devoured triclads to some extent it is argued that predation by these in nature is unlikely. The slow movement and distastefulness of triclads contribute to their protection.
Zusammenfassung
Als raubtierhafte Beute wurden vier Trikladen-Arten untersucht, indem these im Laboratorium geeigneten Raubtieren ausgesetzt wurden. Die Libellennymphe und die Dysticus marginalis-Imago sind in der Uferregion des Sees anscheinend die einzigen Raubtiere von Belang. Zwar haben auch Fische Trikladen einigermassen verschlungen; dass jene in der Natur von Trikladen futtern, wird aber hier bezweifelt. Zu den Schutzmitteln der Trikladen tragen die langsame Bewegung und der unangenehme Geschmack bei.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bolen, H. M. - 1938 - Planarians of the Reelfoot Lake region. J. Tenn. Acad. Sci. 13: 164–165.
Dempster, J. P. - 1960 - A quantitative study of the predators on the eggs and larvae of the broom beetle, Phytodecta olivacea Forster, using the precipitin test. J. Anim. Ecol. 29: 149–167.
Hartley, P. H. T. - 1940 - The food of coarse fish. Freshw. Biol. Assoc. Sci. Publ. No. 3.
Hartley, P. H. T. - 1947 - The natural history of some British freshwater fishes. Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 117: 129–206.
Hartley, P. H. T. - 1948 - Food and feeding relationships in a community of fresh-water fishes. J. Anim. Ecol. 17: 1–13.
Rolling, C. S. - 1964 - The analysis of complex population processes. Canad. Ent. 96: 335–347.
Hyman, L. H. - 1951 - The Invertebrates: Platyhelminthes and Rhynchocoela, Vol. 2. McGraw-Hill, New York, Toronto, London.
Jennings, J. B. - 1957 - Studies on feeding, digestion, and food storage in free-living flatworms (Platyhelminthes: Turbellaria). Biol. Bull. Woods Hole 112: 63–80.
Reynoldson, T. B. - 1958 - The quantitative ecology of lake-dwelling triclads in northern Britain. Oikos 9: 94–138.
Taylor, M. C. - 1960 - An ecological study of the triclad population of an Anglesey lake. Ph. D. thesis, University of Wales.
Weitz, B. - 1964 - Feeding habits of tsetse flies. Endeavour 23: 38–42.
Whitehead, H. - 1922 - The British fresh-water planarians (Tricladida). Essex Nat. 20: 1–20.
Young, J. O., Morris, I. & Reynoldson, T. B. - 1964 - A serological study of Asellus in the diet of lake-dwelling triclads. Arch. Hydrobiol. 60: 366–373.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Young, J.O., Reynoldson, T.B. A laboratory study of predation on lake-dwelling triclads. Hydrobiologia 26, 307–313 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00142274
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00142274