Data from: Temperature does not influence functional response of amphipods consuming different trematode prey

• Main Authors: Born-Torrijos, Ana, Paterson, Rachel A., van Beest, Gabrielle S., Schwelm, Jessica, Vyhlídalová, Tereza, Henriksen, Eirik H., Knudsen, Rune, Kristoffersen, Roar, Amundsen, Per-Arne, Soldánová, Miroslava
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Arctic; Norway
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/4002500; https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.pzgmsbcj4

Direct consumption on free-living cercariae stages of trematodes by non-host organisms interferes with trematode transmission and leads to reduced infections in the next suitable hosts. Consumer functional responses provide a useful tool to examine relationships between consumption rates and ecologically relevant prey densities, whilst also accounting for abiotic factors that likely influence consumption rates. We investigated how temperature influences the consumer functional response of the amphipod Gammarus lacustris towards the cercariae of three freshwater trematodes (Diplostomum, Apatemon and Trichobilharzia). Amphipods displayed different functional responses towards the parasites, with Type II responses for Diplostomum and Type I responses for Apatemon prey. Temperature did not alter the consumption rate of the amphipod predator. Trichobilharzia was likely consumed at similar proportions as Diplostomum, however this could not be fully evaluated due to low replication. Whilst Type II responses of invertebrate predators are common to various invertebrate prey types, this is the first time a non-filter feeding predator has been shown to exhibit Type I response towards cercarial prey. The prey-specific consumption patterns of amphipods were related to cercarial distribution in the water column rather than to the size of cercariae or temperature influence. The substantial energy flow into food webs by non-host consumer organisms highlights the importance of understanding the mechanisms that modulate functional responses and direct predation in the context of parasitic organisms. Funding provided by: Czech Science FoundationCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001824Award Number: no. 17-20936YFunding provided by: European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant AgreementCrossref Funder Registry ID: Award Number: no. 663830Funding provided by: Research Council of Norway and UiT The Arctic University of NorwayCrossref Funder Registry ...