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Pre-Exposure to Heavy Metal Pollution and the Odor of Predation Decrease the Ability of Snails to Avoid Stressors

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Abstract

Many organisms appear to exhibit adaptive cost–benefit behaviors that balance foraging, safety, and pollution avoidance. However, what if the cognitive facilities needed to make decisions are compromised by industrial pollutants? Are the resulting decisions altered? Similarly, does exposure to kairomones from predators alter an organism’s ability to avoid toxicants? Furthermore, how long an exposure is necessary: A few minutes, hours, or even a lifetime? We wondered if there was an interaction between the ability to respond to a predatory event and the ability to avoid heavy metals.

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Acknowledgments

We thank John Shea for graciously providing us with Planorbidae snails. We also thank Joey Haydock and two anonymous reviewers for critically reading and improving an earlier draft of this manuscript. We are grateful to Beth Sobba for creating Fig. 1. This study was funded by a grant by the Gonzaga Summer Research Program and The Merck Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA, 99258, USA

    Hugh Lefcort, Elizabeth A. Wehner & Paul L. Cocco

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  1. Hugh Lefcort
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  2. Elizabeth A. Wehner
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  3. Paul L. Cocco
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Correspondence to Hugh Lefcort.

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Lefcort, H., Wehner, E.A. & Cocco, P.L. Pre-Exposure to Heavy Metal Pollution and the Odor of Predation Decrease the Ability of Snails to Avoid Stressors. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 64, 273–280 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-012-9821-0

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