Title: | Cue reduction or general cue masking do not underlie generalized chemical camouflage in pirate perch |
Author(s): | Resetarits WJ; Breech TM; Bohenek JR; Pintar MR; |
Address: | "Department of Biology and Centers for Water and Wetlands Resources, and Biodiversity and Conservation Research, The University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi, USA" |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1939-9170 (Electronic) 0012-9658 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Avoiding detection is perhaps the ultimate weapon for both predators and prey. Chemosensory detection of predators via waterborne or airborne cues (predator-released kairomones) is a key prey adaptation in aquatic ecosystems. Pirate perch, Aphredoderus sayanus, a largely insectivorous mesopredatory fish, are considered to be chemically camouflaged because they are unavoided by all colonizing organisms tested, including treefrogs and aquatic insects, despite stronger predatory effects on target taxa than several avoided fish. To address the mechanism behind camouflage we used aquatic insect colonization as a bioassay to test (1) whether increasing pirate perch density/biomass leads to increased avoidance, and (2) whether pirate perch mask heterospecific fish kairomones. Insect abundances, species richness, and community structure showed no response to pirate perch density. Last, pirate perch did not mask the kairomones of heterospecific predatory fish. Results support the idea that fish kairomones are species-specific, and chemical camouflage is driven by a unique chemical signature that is either undetectable or has no negative associations for colonists" |
Keywords: | Animals *Cues Ecosystem *Perches Predatory Behavior/physiology Species Specificity chemical camouflage chemoreception colonization crypsis habitat selection oviposition site choice predation predator-released kairomones predator-risk effects semiochemical; |
Notes: | "MedlineResetarits, William J Jr Breech, Tyler M Bohenek, Jason R Pintar, Matthew R eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2022/01/01 Ecology. 2022 Apr; 103(4):e3625. doi: 10.1002/ecy.3625. Epub 2022 Feb 21" |