Sympatric predator detection alters cutaneous respiration in Lymnaea

Abstract

The ability of an organism to detect a predator and then to take the appropriate vigilance actions is paramount for survival of the species. Lab-reared snails (> 250 generations) maintain their ability to detect predators and alter both aerial and cutaneous respiration. However, only the scent of a sympatric predator altered aerial respiration in freshly collected ‘wild’ snails. Here we test the hypothesis that the detection of a sympatric predator but not an allopatric predator will alter cutaneous respiration in freshly collected ‘wild’ snails. We find that Alberta snails while altering their cutaneous respiration to the scent of a sympatric predator (Tiger salamander) do not alter respiration to the scent of a crayfish (an allopatric predator). In Dutch snails there is a greater alteration to the scent of crayfish (sympatric predator) than to an allopatric predator (Tiger salamander).

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Figures and Tables

Figure 1 Non-aerial oxygen consumption in a closed chamber between three populations of Lymnaea stagnalis in PW, CE and SE. (A) O₂ consumption of Dutch snails in three water treatments (N = 9, p < 0.01 for each pair-wise comparison). All three water treatments are significantly different from one another. The rate of O₂ decrease in Dutch snails is lowest in CE (top red trace) then SE (middle black trace) and is highest in PW (bottom blue trace). (B) O₂ consumption on Belly snails was significantly reduced in SE (N = 9, p < 0.01 for each pair-wise comparison, top black trace) but were not significantly different between PW and CE (N = 9, p > 0.05, bottom red and blue overlapping traces). (C) O₂ consumption in Jackson snails is similar to that of Belly snails in that SE was significantly reduced compared to PW and CE (N = 9, p < 0.01 for each pair-wise comparison, top black trace) but were not significantly different between PW and CE (N = 9, p > 0.05, bottom red and blue overlapping traces).

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