Predator-prey interactions shape thermal patch use in a newt larvae-dragonfly nymph model

0392804 - ÚBO 2014 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Gvoždík, Lumír - Černická, Eva - Van Damme, R.
Predator-prey interactions shape thermal patch use in a newt larvae-dragonfly nymph model.
PLoS ONE. Roč. 8, č. 6 (2013), e65079. ISSN 1932-6203. E-ISSN 1932-6203
R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP506/10/2170
Institutional support: RVO:68081766
Keywords : predator-prey interaction * thermoregulatory behavior * patch choice
Subject RIV: EG - Zoology
Impact factor: 3.534, year: 2013

Thermal quality and predation risk are considered important factors influencing habitat patch use in ectothermic prey. However, how the predator’s food requirement and the prey’s necessity to avoid predation interact with their respective thermoregulatory strategies remains poorly understood. In this study, we test predictions of the recent thermal games model in a laboratory setup and an artificial environment that mimics more natural conditions. Similar effects were seen in both settings. The newt larvae spent less time in the warm patch if dragonfly nymphs were present. The patch use of the dragonfly nymphs did not change as a function of prey availability, even when the nymphs were starved prior to the experiment. Our behavioral observations partially corroborate predictions of the thermal game model. In line with asymmetric fitness pay-offs in predator-prey interactions, the prey’s thermal strategy is more sensitive to the presence of predators than vice versa.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0221581