Sex demographics alter the effect of habitat structure on predation by a temporary pond specialist

Cuthbert, Ross N; Sithagu, Rotondwa; Weyl, Olaf L F; Froneman, P William; Wasserman, Ryan J; Dick, Jaimie T A; Callaghan, Amanda; Foord, Stefan; Dalu, Tatenda

Title: Sex demographics alter the effect of habitat structure on predation by a temporary pond specialist
Creator: Cuthbert, Ross N
Creator: Sithagu, Rotondwa
Creator: Weyl, Olaf L F
Creator: Froneman, P William
Creator: Wasserman, Ryan J
Creator: Dick, Jaimie T A
Creator: Callaghan, Amanda
Creator: Foord, Stefan
Creator: Dalu, Tatenda
Subject: To be catalogued
Date Issued: 2020
Date: 2020
Type: text
Type: article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466968
Identifier: vital:76803
Identifier: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.limno.2020.125747
Description: Habitat structure can profoundly influence interaction strengths between predators and prey. Spatio-temporal habitat structure in temporary wetland ecosystems is particularly variable because of fluctuations in water levels and vegetation colonisation dynamics. Demographic characteristics within animal populations may also alter the influence of habitat structure on biotic interactions, but have remained untested. Here, we investigate the influence of vegetation habitat structure on the consumption of larval mosquito prey by the calanoid copepod Lovenula raynerae, a temporary pond specialist. Increased habitat complexity reduced predation, and gravid female copepods were generally more voracious than male copepods in simplified habitats. However, sexes were more similar as habitat complexity increased. Type II functional responses were exhibited by the copepods irrespective of habitat complexity and sex, owing to consistent high prey acquisition at low prey densities. Attack rates by copepods were relatively unaffected by the complexity gradient, whilst handling times lengthened under more complex environments in gravid female copepods. We demonstrate emergent effects of habitat complexity across species demographics, with predation by males more robust to differences in habitat complexity than females. For ecosystems such as temporary ponds where sex-skewed predator ratios develop, our laboratory findings suggest habitat complexity and sex demographics mediate prey risk.
Format: 4 pages
Format: pdf
Language: English
Relation: Hydrobiologia
Relation: Cuthbert, R.N., Dalu, T., Wasserman, R.J., Weyl, O.L., Froneman, P.W., Callaghan, A. and Dick, J.T., 2020. Sex demographics alter the effect of habitat structure on predation by a temporary pond specialist. Hydrobiologia, 847, pp.831-840
Relation: Hydrobiologia volume 847 number 1 831 840 2020 1873-5851
Rights: Publisher
Rights: Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Springer Terms of Use Statement (https://link.springer.com/termsandconditions)

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