The Effect of Structural Complexity, Prey Density, and “Predator-Free Space” on Prey Survivorship at Created Oyster Reef Mesocosms
Interactions between predators and their prey are influenced by the habitat they occupy. Using created oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reef mesocosms, we conducted a series of laboratory experiments that created structure and manipulated complexity as well as prey density and “predator-free space” to...
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ftpubmed:oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:3228732 2023-05-15T18:06:08+02:00 The Effect of Structural Complexity, Prey Density, and “Predator-Free Space” on Prey Survivorship at Created Oyster Reef Mesocosms Humphries, Austin T. La Peyre, Megan K. Decossas, Gary A. 2011-12-01 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3228732 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22145037 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0028339 en eng Public Library of Science http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3228732 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22145037 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0028339 This is an open-access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. PDM CC0 Research Article Text 2011 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0028339 2013-09-03T23:22:12Z Interactions between predators and their prey are influenced by the habitat they occupy. Using created oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reef mesocosms, we conducted a series of laboratory experiments that created structure and manipulated complexity as well as prey density and “predator-free space” to examine the relationship between structural complexity and prey survivorship. Specifically, volume and spatial arrangement of oysters as well as prey density were manipulated, and the survivorship of prey (grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio) in the presence of a predator (wild red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus) was quantified. We found that the presence of structure increased prey survivorship, and that increasing complexity of this structure further increased survivorship, but only to a point. This agrees with the theory that structural complexity may influence predator-prey dynamics, but that a threshold exists with diminishing returns. These results held true even when prey density was scaled to structural complexity, or the amount of “predator-free space” was manipulated within our created reef mesocosms. The presence of structure and its complexity (oyster shell volume) were more important in facilitating prey survivorship than perceived refugia or density-dependent prey effects. A more accurate indicator of refugia might require “predator-free space” measures that also account for the available area within the structure itself (i.e., volume) and not just on the surface of a structure. Creating experiments that better mimic natural conditions and test a wider range of “predator-free space” are suggested to better understand the role of structural complexity in oyster reefs and other complex habitats. Text Red drum Sciaenops ocellatus PubMed Central (PMC) PLoS ONE 6 12 e28339 |
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Research Article Humphries, Austin T. La Peyre, Megan K. Decossas, Gary A. The Effect of Structural Complexity, Prey Density, and “Predator-Free Space” on Prey Survivorship at Created Oyster Reef Mesocosms |
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Research Article |
description |
Interactions between predators and their prey are influenced by the habitat they occupy. Using created oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reef mesocosms, we conducted a series of laboratory experiments that created structure and manipulated complexity as well as prey density and “predator-free space” to examine the relationship between structural complexity and prey survivorship. Specifically, volume and spatial arrangement of oysters as well as prey density were manipulated, and the survivorship of prey (grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio) in the presence of a predator (wild red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus) was quantified. We found that the presence of structure increased prey survivorship, and that increasing complexity of this structure further increased survivorship, but only to a point. This agrees with the theory that structural complexity may influence predator-prey dynamics, but that a threshold exists with diminishing returns. These results held true even when prey density was scaled to structural complexity, or the amount of “predator-free space” was manipulated within our created reef mesocosms. The presence of structure and its complexity (oyster shell volume) were more important in facilitating prey survivorship than perceived refugia or density-dependent prey effects. A more accurate indicator of refugia might require “predator-free space” measures that also account for the available area within the structure itself (i.e., volume) and not just on the surface of a structure. Creating experiments that better mimic natural conditions and test a wider range of “predator-free space” are suggested to better understand the role of structural complexity in oyster reefs and other complex habitats. |
format |
Text |
author |
Humphries, Austin T. La Peyre, Megan K. Decossas, Gary A. |
author_facet |
Humphries, Austin T. La Peyre, Megan K. Decossas, Gary A. |
author_sort |
Humphries, Austin T. |
title |
The Effect of Structural Complexity, Prey Density, and “Predator-Free Space” on Prey Survivorship at Created Oyster Reef Mesocosms |
title_short |
The Effect of Structural Complexity, Prey Density, and “Predator-Free Space” on Prey Survivorship at Created Oyster Reef Mesocosms |
title_full |
The Effect of Structural Complexity, Prey Density, and “Predator-Free Space” on Prey Survivorship at Created Oyster Reef Mesocosms |
title_fullStr |
The Effect of Structural Complexity, Prey Density, and “Predator-Free Space” on Prey Survivorship at Created Oyster Reef Mesocosms |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Effect of Structural Complexity, Prey Density, and “Predator-Free Space” on Prey Survivorship at Created Oyster Reef Mesocosms |
title_sort |
effect of structural complexity, prey density, and “predator-free space” on prey survivorship at created oyster reef mesocosms |
publisher |
Public Library of Science |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3228732 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22145037 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0028339 |
genre |
Red drum Sciaenops ocellatus |
genre_facet |
Red drum Sciaenops ocellatus |
op_relation |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3228732 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22145037 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0028339 |
op_rights |
This is an open-access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. |
op_rightsnorm |
PDM CC0 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0028339 |
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PLoS ONE |
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6 |
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12 |
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e28339 |
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