Weak swimming response of a bdelloid rotifer to chemical cues of a native copepod predator
Abstract Whether bdelloid rotifers can detect and respond to the chemical cues of predators has not been studied, and research on their behaviour is scarce in general. To test for such response, we observed the behaviour of Philodina megalotrocha rotifers in either control or copepod-conditioned wat...
| Published in: | Journal of Ethology |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
2020
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10164-020-00676-w https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10164-020-00676-w.pdf https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10164-020-00676-w/fulltext.html |
| Summary: | Abstract Whether bdelloid rotifers can detect and respond to the chemical cues of predators has not been studied, and research on their behaviour is scarce in general. To test for such response, we observed the behaviour of Philodina megalotrocha rotifers in either control or copepod-conditioned water. We then introduced a mechanical disturbance to test if predator odour sensitises rotifers to subsequent cues. We found intensified swimming in P. megalotrocha exposed to Macrocyclops fuscus -conditioned water, i.e. the larger and more predatory of the tested copepods. Such response may be adaptive, depending on the predominant hunting mode of the predator in the particular habitat. |
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