Abstract
Crucian carp (Carassius carassius) develop a deeper body in response to chemical cues from piscivores. This change in body morphology has been suggested to be a predator-induced defence. Here we investigate the possible benefits of the induced body morphology in laboratory experiments. Pike foraging behaviour when feeding on crucian carp of different body depths was recorded using video. Further, in a preference experiment pike were allowed to choose between shallow-bodied and deep-bodied crucian carp of similar lengths. Crucian carp body morphology did not affect predatory behaviours (activity, searching, following, observing, capture success) in northern pike, but an increase in crucian carp body depth led to an increase in handling time in pike. In the preference experiment, pike preferred shallow-bodied crucian carp over deep-bodied. Thus, a change in body morphology, induced by the presence of piscivores, benefits crucian carp by increasing piscivore handling times and an avoidance of the deep-bodied phenotype.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adler FR, Harvell CD (1990) Inducible defenses, phenotypic variability and biotic environments. Trends Ecol Evol 5: 407–410
Appleton RD, Palmer AR (1988) Water-borne stimuli released by predatory crabs and damaged prey induce more predator-resistant shells in a marine gastropod. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 85: 4387–4391
Beyerle GB, Williams JE (1968) Some observations of food selectivity by northern pike in aquaria. Trans Am Fish Soc 97: 28–31
Brönmark C, Miner JG (1992) Predator-induced phenotypical change in body morphology in crucian carp. Science 258: 1348–1350
Brönmark C, Pettersson LB (1994) Chemical cues from piscivores induce a change in morphology in crucian carp. Oikos 70: 396–402
Chesson J (1983) The estimation and analysis of preference and its relationship to foraging models. Ecology 64: 1297–1304
Dodson S (1989) Predator-induced reaction norms. Bioscience 39: 447–452
Gillen AL, Stein RA, Carline RF (1981) Predation by pellet-reared tiger muskellunge on minnows and bluegills in experimental systems. Trans Am Fish Soc 110: 197–209
Grimm MA (1994) The characteristics of the optimum habitat of northern pike (Esox lucius L.). In: Cowx IG (ed) Rehabilitation of freshwater fisheries. (Fishing New Books) Blackwell, Oxford, pp 235–243
Hambright KD (1991) Experimental analysis of prey selection by largemouth bass: role of predator mouth width and prey body depth. Trans Am Fish Soc 120: 500–508
Hambright KD, Drenner RW, McComas SR, Hairston NG Jr (1991) Gape-limited piscivores, planktivore size refuges, and the trophic cascade hypothesis. Arch Hydrobiol 121: 389–404
Harper DG, Blake RW (1991) Prey capture and the fast-start performance of northern pike Esox lucius. J Exp Biol 155: 175–192
Hart P, Hamrin SF (1988) Pike as a selective predator. Effects of prey size, availability, cover and pike jaw dimensions. Oikos 51: 220–226
Harvell CD (1984) Predator-induced defense in a marine bryozoan. Science 224: 1357–1359
Harvell CD (1986) The ecology and evolution of inducible defences in a marine bryozoan: cues, costs, and consequences. Am Nat 128: 810–823
Harvell CD (1990) The ecology and evolution of inducible defences. Q Rev Biol 65: 323–340
Havel JE, Dodson SI (1984) Chaoborus predation on typical and spined morphs of Daphnia pulex: behavioral observations. Limnol Oceanogr 29: 487–489
Holopainen IJ, Pitkänen AK (1985) Population size and structure of crucian carp (Carassius carassius (L.)) in two small, natural ponds in eastern Finland. Ann Zool Fenn 22: 397–406
Hoyle JA, Keast A (1986) The effect of prey morphology and size on handling time in a piscivore, the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Can J Zool 65: 1972–1977
Hoyle JA, Keast A (1987) Prey handling time in two piscivores, Esox americanus vermiculatus and Micropterus salmoides, with contrasting mouth morphologies. Can J Zool 66: 540–542
Kerfoot C, Sih A (eds) (1987) Predation: direct and indirect impacts on aquatic communities. University Press of New England, Hanover, New Hampshire
Krueger DA, Dodson SI (1981) Embryological induction and predation ecology in Daphnia pulex. Limnol Oceanogr 26:219–223
Lelek A (1987) The freshwater fishes of Europe. AULA, Wiesbaden
Lively CM (1986a) Competition, comparative life histories, and maintenance of shell dimorphism in a barnacle. Ecology 67: 858–864
Lively CM (1986b) Predator-induced shell dimorphism in the acorn barnacle Chthalamus anisopoma. Evolution 40: 232–242
Magurran AE (1990) The adaptive significance of schooling as an anti-predator defence in fish. Ann Zool Fenn 27: 51–66
Manly BJF (1974) A model for certain types of selection experiments. Biometrics 30: 281–294
Moody RC, Helland JM, Stein RA (1983) Escape tactics used by bluegills and fathead minnows to avoid predation by tiger muskellunge. Environ Biol Fish 8: 61–65
Palmer AR (1985) Adaptive value of shell variation in Thais lamellosa: effect of thick shells on vulnerability to and preference by crabs. Veliger 27: 349–356
Piironen J, Holopainen IJ (1988) Length structure and reproductive potential of crucian carp (Carassius carassius (L.)) populations in some small forest ponds. Ann Zool Fenn 25: 203–208
Riessen HP (1992) Cost-benefit model for the induction of an antipredator defense. Am Nat 140:349–362
Raat AJP (1988) Synopsis of biological data on the northern pike, Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758. (FAO Fisheries Synopsis, vol 30, part 2), FAO, Rome
Tonn WM, Paszkowski CA (1986) Size-limited predation, winter-kill, and the organization of Umbra — Perca fish assemblages. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 43: 194–202
Tonn WM, Paszkowski CA, Holopainen IJ (1989) Responses of crucian carp populations to differential predation pressure in a manipulated pond. Can J Zool 67: 2841–2849
Tonn WM, Paszkowski CA, Holopainen IJ (1991) Selective piscivory by perch: effects of predator size, prey size, and prey species. Verh Int Ver Limnol 24: 2406–2411
Wahl DH, Stein RA (1988) Selective predation by three esocids: the role of prey behaviour and morphology. Trans Am Fish Soc 117: 142–151
Webb PW (1986) Effect of body form and response threshold on the vulnerability of four species of teleost prey attacked by largemouthed bass (Micropterus salmoides). Can J Fish Aquat Sci 43: 763–771
Webb PW, Skadsen JM (1980) Strike tactics of Esox. Can J Zool 58: 1462–1469
Weihs D (1973) The mechanisms of rapid starting of slender fish. Biorheology 10: 343–350
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nilsson, P.A., Brönmark, C. & Pettersson, L.B. Benefits of a predtor-induced morphology in crucian carp. Oecologia 104, 291–296 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00328363
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00328363