Functional responses of a cosmopolitan invader demonstrate intraspecific variability in consumer-resource dynamics

PeerJ

article

Jaimie T.A. Dick¹  Thomas W. Therriault²  Tamara B. Robinson³  Isabelle M. Côté⁴  Brett R. Howard⁴  Daniel Barrios-O’Neill¹  Mhairi E. Alexander⁵ 

[1]Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, The Queen’s University Belfast

[2]Pacific Biological Station

[3]Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University

[4]Earth to Ocean Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University

[5]Institute of Biomedical and Environmental Health Research ,(IBEHR), School of Science and Sport, University of the West of Scotland

关键词: Biological invasion;    Carcinus maenas;    Morphology;    European green crab;    Prediction;    Prey handling;    Risk assessment;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.5634

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundVariability in the ecological impacts of invasive species across their geographical ranges may decrease the accuracy of risk assessments. Comparative functional response analysis can be used to estimate invasive consumer-resource dynamics, explain impact variability, and thus potentially inform impact predictions. The European green crab (Carcinus maenas) has been introduced on multiple continents beyond its native range, although its ecological impacts appear to vary among populations and regions. Our aim was to test whether consumer-resource dynamics under standardized conditions are similarly variable across the current geographic distribution of green crab, and to identify correlated morphological features.MethodsCrabs were collected from multiple populations within both native (Northern Ireland) and invasive regions (South Africa and Canada). Their functional responses to local mussels (Mytilus spp.) were tested. Attack rates and handling times were compared among green crab populations within each region, and among regions (Pacific Canada, Atlantic Canada, South Africa, and Northern Ireland). The effect of predator and prey morphology on prey consumption was investigated.ResultsAcross regions, green crabs consumed prey according to a Type II (hyperbolic) functional response curve. Attack rates (i.e., the rate at which a predator finds and attacks prey), handling times and maximum feeding rates differed among regions. There was a trend toward higher attack rates in invasive than in native populations. Green crabs from Canada had lower handling times and thus higher maximum feeding rates than those from South Africa and Northern Ireland. Canadian and Northern Ireland crabs had significantly larger claws than South African crabs. Claw size was a more important predictor of the proportion of mussels killed than prey shell strength.DiscussionThe differences in functional response between regions reflect observed impacts of green crabs in the wild. This suggests that an understanding of consumer–resource dynamics (e.g., the per capita measure of predation), derived from simple, standardized experiments, might yield useful predictions of invader impacts across geographical ranges.

【 授权许可】

CC BY