Octopuses and drilling snails as the main suspects of predation traces on shelled molluscs in West Antarctica

The analysis of predation traces on shelled taxa is a primary source of data for studying predator–prey interactions in both modern and past ecosystems, and provides valuable information along ecological and evolutionary timescales. For Antarctica, there is little information about predation traces...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Biology
Main Authors: Gordillo, Sandra, Morán, Ariana Gisela, Malvé, Mariano Ezequiel
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Springer
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Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/169966
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Summary:The analysis of predation traces on shelled taxa is a primary source of data for studying predator–prey interactions in both modern and past ecosystems, and provides valuable information along ecological and evolutionary timescales. For Antarctica, there is little information about predation traces on shelled taxa, and the available studies come almost entirely from fossil remains. We examined traces (holes and cracks) attributed to diferent predators on mollusc shells from bottom benthic communities at 15 stations in West Antarctica, at depths between 71.5 and 754 m. Based on 72 shells with signs of predation, we recognized three diferent patterns: one produced by drilling gastropods (most probably naticids), and two others interpreted as caused by octopuses. Our results indicate that predation traces on bivalves, which were the most common prey, are nonrandomly distributed, suggesting site selectivity by predators. Future work on predation traces by durophages on shelled Antarctic molluscs is still a pending and necessary issue. Fil: Gordillo, Sandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Antropología de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Instituto de Antropología de Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Museo de Antropología; Argentina Fil: Morán, Ariana Gisela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina Fil: Malvé, Mariano Ezequiel. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco". Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Ciencias de la Salud - Sede Esquel. Departamento de Química; Argentina