Article
Temperature and prey morphology influence attack rate and handling time in a predator–prey interaction
Hydrobiologia
(2021)
Abstract
Functional responses describe how the proportion of prey consumed by a predator changes as prey density changes. For predators consuming a single prey species, functional responses are determined by two parameters: attack rate and handling time. These parameters may be influenced by morphological and behavioral differences in prey stemming from interspecific or environmentally-driven processes. Here we investigate how interspecific morphological differences and changes in movement rate impact a predator’s functional response. Using a flatworm predator (Stenostomum virginianum) consuming either Paramecium aurelia or P. multimicronucleatum we show that movement rate changes significantly with temperature, leading to changes in attack rate. We also show how body size affects the amount of time predators require to handle prey. We fit a mechanistic functional response model to demonstrate how changes in attack rate and handling time affect overall rates of predation. Our results demonstrate that S. virginianum attack rates are greater for P. aurelia than P. multimicronucleatum. In addition, higher temperature increases S. virginianum attack rates on both species, and reduces the time needed to handle P. aurelia. These differences in predation rate appear related to prey species’ traits, and the temperature-mediated changes in these traits, highlighting the complex processes that underpin predator–prey interactions.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2021
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-021-04666-y
Citation Information
Edd Hammill. "Temperature and prey morphology influence attack rate and handling time in a predator–prey interaction" Hydrobiologia Vol. 848 (2021) p. 4637 - 4646 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/edd-hammill/105/