Toxin constraint explains diet choice, survival and population dynamics in a molluscivore shorebird
Recent insights suggest that predators should include (mildly) toxic prey when non-toxic food is scarce. However, the assumption that toxic prey is energetically as profitable as non-toxic prey misses the possibility that non-toxic prey have other ways to avoid being eaten, such as the formation of...
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ftunivwagenin:oai:library.wur.nl:wurpubs/607974 2024-02-04T09:59:26+01:00 Toxin constraint explains diet choice, survival and population dynamics in a molluscivore shorebird van Gils, Jan A. van der Geest, Matthijs Leyrer, Jutta Oudman, Thomas Lok, Tamar Onrust, Jeroen de Fouw, Jimmy van der Heide, Tjisse van den Hout, Piet J. Spaans, Bernard Dekinga, Anne Brugge, Maarten Piersma, Theunis 2013 text/html https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/toxin-constraint-explains-diet-choice-survival-and-population-dyn https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.0861 en eng https://edepot.wur.nl/584861 https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/toxin-constraint-explains-diet-choice-survival-and-population-dyn doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.0861 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Wageningen University & Research Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 280 (2013) 1763 ISSN: 0962-8452 Diet choice Hydrogen sulphide Optimal foraging theory Predator-prey interactions Survival rate Toxins info:eu-repo/semantics/article Article/Letter to editor info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2013 ftunivwagenin https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.0861 2024-01-10T23:20:26Z Recent insights suggest that predators should include (mildly) toxic prey when non-toxic food is scarce. However, the assumption that toxic prey is energetically as profitable as non-toxic prey misses the possibility that non-toxic prey have other ways to avoid being eaten, such as the formation of an indigestible armature. In that case, predators face a trade-off between avoiding toxins and minimizing indigestible ballast intake. Here, we report on the trophic interactions between a shorebird (red knot, Calidris canutus canutus) and its two main bivalve prey, one being mildly toxic but easily digestible, and the other being non-toxic but harder to digest. A novel toxin-based optimal diet model is developed and tested against an existing one that ignores toxin constraints on the basis of data on prey abundance, diet choice, local survival and numbers of red knots at Banc d'Arguin (Mauritania) over 8 years. Observed diet and annual survival rates closely fit the predictions of the toxin-based model, with survival and population size being highest in years when the non-toxic prey is abundant. In the 6 of 8 years when the non-toxic prey is not abundant enough to satisfy the energy requirements, red knots must rely on the toxic alternative. Article in Journal/Newspaper Calidris canutus Red Knot Wageningen UR (University & Research Centre): Digital Library Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 280 1763 20130861 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wageningen UR (University & Research Centre): Digital Library |
op_collection_id |
ftunivwagenin |
language |
English |
topic |
Diet choice Hydrogen sulphide Optimal foraging theory Predator-prey interactions Survival rate Toxins |
spellingShingle |
Diet choice Hydrogen sulphide Optimal foraging theory Predator-prey interactions Survival rate Toxins van Gils, Jan A. van der Geest, Matthijs Leyrer, Jutta Oudman, Thomas Lok, Tamar Onrust, Jeroen de Fouw, Jimmy van der Heide, Tjisse van den Hout, Piet J. Spaans, Bernard Dekinga, Anne Brugge, Maarten Piersma, Theunis Toxin constraint explains diet choice, survival and population dynamics in a molluscivore shorebird |
topic_facet |
Diet choice Hydrogen sulphide Optimal foraging theory Predator-prey interactions Survival rate Toxins |
description |
Recent insights suggest that predators should include (mildly) toxic prey when non-toxic food is scarce. However, the assumption that toxic prey is energetically as profitable as non-toxic prey misses the possibility that non-toxic prey have other ways to avoid being eaten, such as the formation of an indigestible armature. In that case, predators face a trade-off between avoiding toxins and minimizing indigestible ballast intake. Here, we report on the trophic interactions between a shorebird (red knot, Calidris canutus canutus) and its two main bivalve prey, one being mildly toxic but easily digestible, and the other being non-toxic but harder to digest. A novel toxin-based optimal diet model is developed and tested against an existing one that ignores toxin constraints on the basis of data on prey abundance, diet choice, local survival and numbers of red knots at Banc d'Arguin (Mauritania) over 8 years. Observed diet and annual survival rates closely fit the predictions of the toxin-based model, with survival and population size being highest in years when the non-toxic prey is abundant. In the 6 of 8 years when the non-toxic prey is not abundant enough to satisfy the energy requirements, red knots must rely on the toxic alternative. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
van Gils, Jan A. van der Geest, Matthijs Leyrer, Jutta Oudman, Thomas Lok, Tamar Onrust, Jeroen de Fouw, Jimmy van der Heide, Tjisse van den Hout, Piet J. Spaans, Bernard Dekinga, Anne Brugge, Maarten Piersma, Theunis |
author_facet |
van Gils, Jan A. van der Geest, Matthijs Leyrer, Jutta Oudman, Thomas Lok, Tamar Onrust, Jeroen de Fouw, Jimmy van der Heide, Tjisse van den Hout, Piet J. Spaans, Bernard Dekinga, Anne Brugge, Maarten Piersma, Theunis |
author_sort |
van Gils, Jan A. |
title |
Toxin constraint explains diet choice, survival and population dynamics in a molluscivore shorebird |
title_short |
Toxin constraint explains diet choice, survival and population dynamics in a molluscivore shorebird |
title_full |
Toxin constraint explains diet choice, survival and population dynamics in a molluscivore shorebird |
title_fullStr |
Toxin constraint explains diet choice, survival and population dynamics in a molluscivore shorebird |
title_full_unstemmed |
Toxin constraint explains diet choice, survival and population dynamics in a molluscivore shorebird |
title_sort |
toxin constraint explains diet choice, survival and population dynamics in a molluscivore shorebird |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/toxin-constraint-explains-diet-choice-survival-and-population-dyn https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.0861 |
genre |
Calidris canutus Red Knot |
genre_facet |
Calidris canutus Red Knot |
op_source |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 280 (2013) 1763 ISSN: 0962-8452 |
op_relation |
https://edepot.wur.nl/584861 https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/toxin-constraint-explains-diet-choice-survival-and-population-dyn doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.0861 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Wageningen University & Research |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.0861 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
container_volume |
280 |
container_issue |
1763 |
container_start_page |
20130861 |
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1789964237437665280 |