INVESTIGADORES
AVERBUJ Andres
artículos
Título:
Energetic trade-offs: Implications for selection between two bivalve prey species by a carnivorous muricid gastropod
Autor/es:
AVERBUJ, A.; BÜCHNER-MIRANDA, J. A.; SALAS-YANQUIN, L. P.; NAVARRO, J. M.; PARDO, L. M.; MATOS, A. S.; PECHENIK, J. A.; CHAPARRO, O. R.
Revista:
PLOS ONE
Editorial:
PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
Referencias:
Año: 2021 vol. 16
ISSN:
1932-6203
Resumen:
Heterotrophic animals, in particular active predators, obtain energy and nutrients from prey tissues through complex processes in which the energy gained must exceed the investment. The muricid gastropod Acanthina monodon inhabits rocky shores, where they routinely fed on abundant beds of the mytilids Semimytilus algosus and Perumytilus purpuratus. In this study S. algosus was highly preferred by the predator (over 90% were eaten) versus P. purpuratus (9%) in a mixed diet. The energetic cost of attacking one S. algosus individual was 91 J bivalve-1 while for P. purpuratus was 95 J bivalve-1. Also, whereas A. monodon required on average 19 h to consume S. algosus, successful attacks on P. purpuratus required a significantly longer time: 25 h; also, a shorter resting time was needed by the predator after preying on S. algosus. Moreover, the active metabolic costs associated with successfully attacking the prey increased 3.2 times over the basal metabolic costs for S. algosus, but only by 2.5 times for P. purpuratus. The shells of the S. algosus were thinner in the areas that were drilled. Based on those results we estimated the energetic profit associated with preying on each species. Considering those profit values, it seems clear that the energetic gain per unit time likely accounts for the preference for attacking S. algosus, eventhoughpredation on both species provided net gains for the predator. However, as S. algosus occurs seasonaly at our study site, P. purpuratus would probably be commonly consumed due to its constant availability throughout the whole year.