Organismic Ecology I
Presiding: G De Jong, Chadwick Ecological Consultants; R Ferrer, University of California, Los Angeles
NB22D-01 10:30h
The Effect of the Crayfish Orconectes virilis (Crustacea: Decapoda: Cambaridae) in the Decomposition and Succession of Submerged Small Mammal Carrion
The role of the crayfish Orconectes virilis in the decomposition of submerged rat carrion and succession of other benthic macroinvertebrates was experimentally investigated in Slaughterhouse Gulch, a small, urban stream in Littleton, Colorado. Crayfish participation in carrion decomposition significantly altered the decomposition rate of the carrion. Nine carcasses were exposed in anchored minnow traps at three degrees of crayfish access: crayfish always present, crayfish having free access, and crayfish excluded. These three treatments required 23 days, 29 days, and 65 days, respectively, for complete decomposition of the rat carrion (<2% original biomass). Sample variability increased with number of crayfish present, especially as decomposition proceeded. Seven other macroinvertebrate taxa were collected from the carcasses, but their presence or absence could not be correlated with crayfish presence. The leech Haemopis marmoratus was generally the first macroinvertebrate to arrive at the carrion, being present in densities of <5 individuals/carcass early in succession and in larger densities (up to 25 individuals/carcass) after extensive decomposition and exposure of the viscera.
NB22D-02 10:45h
Arginine: A Potent Prey Attractant to Predatory Newts in Mountain Streams
Chemoreception of aquatic organisms has been well-studied in the laboratory, but rarely in the field. The California newt, Taricha torosa, in natural stream habitats is an excellent animal for exploring behavioral responses to prey odors. Here, we selected 13 amino acids for field bioassays based on their concentrations in prey tissue extracts. Bioassays were calibrated for stimulus dilution by means of fluorescent dye releases and flow-through spectrofluorometry. Moreover, hydrodynamic properties of stream flows were determined using an electromagnetic current meter. Of all amino acids tested, only arginine, alanine and glycine were significantly attractive (relative to stream water controls). These three substances caused free-ranging newts to turn upstream and swim towards the odor sources. Additional experiments showed that arginine was the most effective attractant, evoking plume-tracking behavior at concentrations as low as 10 nM. In subsequent trials, nine arginine analogs were tested, but each compound failed to elicit a significant response. Even subtle changes to arginine, such as the addition of a single carbon to the side chain, destroyed all bioactivity. Within its natural habitat, the California newt thus exhibits keen sensitivity and narrow tuning to the free amino acid, arginine, a chemical signal of its prey.
NB22D-03 11:00h
Water Temperature, Invertebrate Drift, and the Scope for Growth for Juvenile Spring Chinook Salmon.
We present a bioenergetic assessment of habitat quality based on the concept of the scope for growth for juvenile Chinook salmon. Growth of juvenile salmonids during the freshwater phase of their life history depends on a balance between two main factors: energy intake and metabolic costs. The metabolic demands of temperature and the availability of food play integral roles in determining the scope for growth of juvenile salmonids in stream systems. We investigated differences in size of juvenile spring Chinook salmon in relation to water temperature and invertebrate drift density in six unique study reaches in the Metolius River Basin, a tributary of the Deschutes River in Central Oregon. This project was initiated to determine the relative quality and potential productivity of habitat in the Metolius Basin prior to the reintroduction of spring Chinook salmon, which were extirpated from the middle Deschutes basin in the early 1970's due to the construction of a hydroelectric dam. Variations in the growth of juvenile Chinook salmon can be described using a multiple regression model of water temperature and invertebrate drift density. We also discuss the relationships between our bioenergetic model, variations of the ideal free distribution model, and physiological growth models.
http://www.oregonstate.edu/~lovtangj
NB22D-04 11:15h
The Developmental Performance of the Milfoil Weevil, Euhrychiopsis lecontei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), on Northern Watermilfoil, Eurasian Watermilfoil, and Hybrid (Northern x Eurasian) Watermilfoil
The aquatic milfoil weevil (Euhrychiopsis lecontei) has expanded its range from the native northern watermilfoil (Myriophyllum sibiricum) to the non-native Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum). Previous studies show that it prefers M. spicatum over M. sibiricum for feeding and oviposition and that weevils that develop on M. spicatum are larger and have shorter development times. Eurasian and northern watermilfoil have hybridized, and this hybrid has been hypothesized to be more invasive by exhibiting resistance to the milfoil weevil. To test for resistance, we compared development times, mass, and survival of the milfoil weevil on Eurasian, northern and hybrid watermilfoils. Weevil development was followed from egg to adult on individual rooted plants (n = 17 to 20 for each taxa). Mean development times (19.7 to 20.3 d) and mean adult eclosion mass (1.3 to 1.5 mg) were comparable and not significantly different. Weevil survival rates differed significantly among the taxa and were lowest on northern (45%), intermediate on the hybrid (61%), and highest on Eurasian watermilfoil (88%), but stem diameter may account for some of these differences. This study suggests that hybrid watermilfoil is not exceptionally resistant to milfoil weevil herbivory; rather it possesses resistance intermediate between the native and exotic hosts.
NB22D-05 11:30h
Adaptive Radiation in the Larval Feeding Habits of the Snail-Killing Fly Genus Tetanocera (Diptera: Sciomyzidae)
The genus Tetanocera consists of 29 species in North America. The genus is unusual in that its larvae occupy five of the 17 feeding groups recognized in the family, as most other genera of the family occupy only one or two trophic guilds. Seven species have larvae that attack pulmonate aquatic snails, three species attack pulmonate snails stranded on shorelines, four species attack amber snails of the family Succineidae, three species attack slugs, and two species are predators of terrestrial snails. The larval feeding behavior of representative species of each of the five trophic guilds will be described and illustrated.
NB22D-06 11:45h
Parallel Evolution of Larval Feeding Behavior, Morphology, and Habitat in the Snail-Kiling fly Genus Tetanocera
Sciomyzid larvae (Diptera: Acalyptratae) display a wide range of feeding behaviors, typically preying on a wide variety of gastropods. The genus Tetanocera is particularly interesting because its species occupy five larval feeding groups with each species' larvae living in one of two habitat types (aquatic or terrestrial). We constructed a molecular phylogeny for Tetanocera, estimated evolutionary transitions in larval feeding behaviors and habitats that occurred during Tetanocera phylogenesis, and investigated potential correlations among larval habitat and morphological characteristics. Approximately 3800 base pairs (both mitochondrial and nuclear) of sequence data were used to build the phylogeny. Larval feeding groups and habitat type were mapped onto the phylogeny and pair-wise comparisons were used to evaluate potential associations between habitat and morphology. Feeding and habitat groups within Tetanocera were usually not monophyletic and it was estimated that Tetanocera lineages made at least three independent aquatic to terrestrial transitions. These parallel habitat shifts were typically accompanied by parallel character state changes in four morphological characteristics (larval color and three posterior spiracular disc characters). These larval habitat-morphology associations were statistically significant and consistent with the action of natural selection in facilitating the morphological changes that occurred during aquatic to terrestrial habitat transitions in Tetanocera.