Title

Notonecta Exhibit Threat-Sensitive, Predator-Induced Dispersal

Author Info

Shannon J. McCauley, University of TorontoFollow
Locke Rowe, University of Toronto

Recommended Citation

Postprint version. Published in Biology Letters, Volume 6, August 23, 2010, pages 449-452.

NOTE: At the time of publication, the author Shannon J. McCauley was not yet affiliated with Cal Poly.

The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2009.1082.

Abstract

Dispersal is a central process determining community structure in heterogeneous landscapes, and species interactions within habitats may be a major determinant of dispersal. Although the effects of species interactions on dispersal within habitats have been well studied, how species interactions affect the movement of individuals between habitats in a landscape has received less attention. We conducted two experiments to assess the extent to which predation risk affects dispersal from an aquatic habitat by a flight-capable semi-aquatic insect (Notonecta undulata). Exposure to non-lethal (caged) fish fed conspecifics increased dispersal rates in N. undulata. Moreover, dispersal rate was positively correlated with the level of risk imposed by the fish; the greater the number of notonectids consumed by the caged fish, the greater the dispersal rate from the habitat. These results suggest that risk within a habitat can affect dispersal among habitats in a landscape and thus affect community structure on a much greater scale than the direct effect of predation itself.

Disciplines

Biology

Copyright

2010 The Royal Society.