Ontogenetic predation capacity of Macrobrachium borellii (Caridea: Palaemonidae) on prey from littoral-benthic communities

Carvalho, Débora de Azevedo; Collins, Pablo Agustín

Abstract

Macrobrachium borellii is an abundant prawn of the Paraná River floodplain. Newly hatched juveniles have the general characteristics of adults, and they are proposed to have the same feeding habits. Its natural diet is composed mainly of animals' items rather than vegetals, of which dipteran larvae and oligochaetes are positively selected. However, the oscillations of the hydric cycle imply an adequacy of its selection according to prey availability in all seasons and moments of the ontogenetic development. This work verifies the predation behavior and the ontogenetic predation capacity of M. borellii feeding on three preys (cladoceran, dipteran larvae and oligochaetes) of different bioforms and mobility that represent its natural diet. The prawns were placed individually in containers where was offered one prey type in increasing amounts every 48 hours until any prawn ate the total amount offered. The predation behavior was recorded, and the amount consumed was verified after 24 hours. Both sizes of M. borellii were capable of preying on all food items used in this study. The search and catch was always made with the second queliped, suggesting a non-visual prey perception, and the handling was different for each prey. Cladoceran was the most consumed, followed by dipteran larvae and oligochaetes. The results show that, in both sizes, M. borellii has a trophic plasticity due to its capacity to prey on a variety of bioforms with differing mobility. This capacity could favor the ability of prawns to select the most profitable prey according to the changes in abiotic and ecological factors.

prawn; prey; cladoceran; dipteran larvae; oligochaetes

Angrisano, E.B. and Trémouilles, E.R. 1995. Insecta Diptera. p. 1243-1266. In: Lopretto, E.C. and Tell, G. (eds.), Ecosistemas de aguas continentales, Vol. 3. La Plata, Ediciones Sur.
Battistoni, P.A. 1995. Crustacea Copepoda. p. 953-972. In: Lopretto, E.C. and Tell, G. (eds.), Ecosistemas de aguas continentales, Vol. 3. La Plata, Ediciones Sur.
Bond, G. and Buckup, L. 1988. O ciclo da intermuda em Macrobrachium borellii (Nobili, 1896) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Palaemonidae) a influencia da temperatura e do comprimento do animal. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 5(1): 45-59.
Boschi, E.E. 1981. Decapoda Natantia. Serie Fauna de Agua Dulce de la República Argentina, 61 pp.
Carvalho, D.A.; Collins, P.A. and De Bonis, C.J. 2011. Gut evacuation time of Macrobrachium borellii (Caridea: Palaemonidae) feeding on three types of prey form the littoral-benthic community. Journal of Crustacean Biology (in press)
Collins, P.A. 1998. Laboratory evaluation of the freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium borellii, as a predator of mosquitoe larvae. Aquatic Science, 60: 22-27.
Collins, P.A. 2000. Mecanismos de coexistencia en poblaciones de palemónidos dulciacuícolas (Crustacea, Decapada, Caridea). Doctoral Thesis of Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. La Plata. Argentina.
Collins, P.A. 2005. A coexistence mechanism for two freshwater prawns in the Paraná River floodplains, Argentina. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 25(2):219-225.
Collins, P.A. and Paggi, J.C. 1998. Feeding ecology of Macrobrachium borellii (Nobili) (Decapoda: Palaemonidae) in the flood valley of the River Paraná, Argentina. Hydrobiologia, 362: 21-30.
Collins, P.A. and Petriella, A. 1999. Growth pattern of isolated prawns of Macrobrachium borellii (Crustacea, Decapoda, Palaemonidae). Invertebrate Reproduction and Development, 36: 87-91.
Collins, P.A; Williner, V. and Giri, F. 2004. Crustáceos Decápodos del Litoral Fluvial Argentino, In: Acenolaza, F.G. (ed.), Temas de la Biodiversidad del Litoral Fluvial Argentino. INSUGEO - Miscelanea, 12: 253-264.
Collins, P.A.; Giri, F. and Williner, V. 2006. Population dynamics of Trichodactylus borellianus (Crustacea Decapoda Brachyura) and interactions with the aquatic vegetation of the Paraná River (South America, Argentina). Annals of Limnology, 42 (1): 25-31.
Derby, C.D.; Steullet, P.; Horner, A.J. and Cate, H.S. 2001. The sensory basis of feeding behaviour in the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus Marine Freshwater Research, 52: 1339-1350.
Dumont, H.J.; van de Velde, I. and Dumont, S. 1975. The dry weight estimate of biomass in a selection of Cladocera, Copepoda and Rotifera from the plankton, periphyton and benthos of continental waters. Oecologia, 19: 79-97.
Edmonson, W.F. and Winberg, G.G. 1971. A manual for the assesment of secondary productivity in fresh waters. Oxford, Blackwell Scientific Publications, 358p.
Giri, F. and Collins, P.A. 2003. Evaluación de Palaemonetes argentinus (Decapoda, Natantia) en el control biológico de larvas de Culex pipiens (Diptera, Culicidae) en condiciones de laboratorio. Iheringia, Série Zoologia, 93(3): 237-242.
Graso, F.W. and Basil, J.A. 2002. How lobsters, crayfishes, and crabs locate soucers of odor: current perspectives and future directions. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 12: 721-727.
Hammer, Ø., Harper, D.A.T. and Ryan, P.D. 2001. PAST: Paleontological Statistics Software Package for Education and Data Analysis. Palaeontologia Electronica 4: 9pp. http://palaeo-electronica.org/2001_1/past/issue1_01.htm
Hepher, B. 1989. Principles of fish nutrition. p. 146-201. In: Shilo, M. and Sargig, S. (eds.), Fish culture in warm water systems: Problems and trends. Florida, USA. CRC Prens, Boca Raton.
Lopretto, E.C. 1995. Crustacea Conchostraca. p. 903-908. In: Lopretto, E.C. and Tell, G. (eds.), Ecosistemas de aguas continentales, Vol. 3. La Plata, Ediciones Sur.
Loya-Javellana, G.N.; Donald, R.F. and Malcolm, J.T. 1995. Foregut evacuation, return of appetite and gastric fluid secretion in the tropical freshwater crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus Aquaculture, 134: 295-306.
Ishii, Y. and Shimada, M. 2010. The effect of learning and search images on predator-prey interactions. Population Ecology, 52(1): 27-35.
Jalihal, D.R.; Sankolli K.N. and Shenoy, S. 1993. Evolution of larval developmental patterns and the process of freshwaterization in the prawn genus Macrobrachium Bate, 1868 (Decapoda, Palaemonidae). Crustaceana, 65: 365-376.
José de Paggi, S. 1995. Rotíferos. p. 643-668. In: Lopretto, E.C. and Tell, G. (eds.), Ecosistemas de aguas continentales, Vol. 2. La Plata, Ediciones Sur.
Marchese, M.R. 2009. Annelida Oligochaeta. p. 551-566. In: Domínguez, E. and Fernandez, H.R. (eds.), Macroinvertebrados bentónicos sudamericanos: sistemática y biología. Tucumán, Fundación Miguel Lillo.
Moguilevky, A. and Whatley, R. 1995. Crustacea Ostracoda. p. 973-1000. In: Lopretto, E.C. and Tell, G. (eds.), Ecosistemas de aguas continentales, Vol. 3. La Plata, Ediciones Sur.
Paggi, J.C. 1995. Crustacea Cladocera. p. 909-952. In: Lopretto, E.C. and Tell, G. (eds.), Ecosistemas de aguas continentales, Vol. 3. La Plata, Ediciones Sur.
Paine, R.T. 1966. Food web complexity and species diversity. American Naturalist, 100: 65-75.
Pascual, M. and Dunne, J.A. 1996. From small to large ecological networks in a dynamic world. In: Pascual, M. and Dunne, J.A. (eds.), Ecological Networks: linking structure to dynamics in food webs, New York, Oxford University Press.
Pastorino, G.; Darrigran, G.; Martín, S. and Lunaschi, L. 1993. Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857) (Mytilidae), nuevo bivalvo invasor en aguas del río de La Plata. Neotropica, 39: 34.
Ramalho, R.O. and Anastácio, P.M. 2011. Crayfish learning abilities: how does familiarization period affect the capture rate of a new prey item? Ecological Research, 26(1): 53-58.
Rohlf, F. 1997. tpsDIG. New York: Departament of Ecology and Evolution, State University, Stony Brook.
Simon, C.J. and Jeffs, A. 2008. Feeding and gut evacuation of cultured juvenile spiny lobsters, Jasus edwardsii Aquaculture, 280: 211-219.
Williner, V. and Collins, P.A. 2000. ¿Existe jerarquización en poblaciones de palemónidos del valle aluvial del río Paraná? Natutra Neotropicalis, 31(1 and 2): 53-60.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
27 Jan 2015
Date of issue
June 2011

History

Received
24 Mar 2011
Accepted
24 July 2011

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

[1] Angrisano, E.B. and Trémouilles, E.R. 1995. Insecta Diptera. p. 1243-1266. In: Lopretto, E.C. and Tell, G. (eds.), Ecosistemas de aguas continentales, Vol. 3. La Plata, Ediciones Sur.

[2] Battistoni, P.A. 1995. Crustacea Copepoda. p. 953-972. In: Lopretto, E.C. and Tell, G. (eds.), Ecosistemas de aguas continentales, Vol. 3. La Plata, Ediciones Sur.

[3] Bond, G. and Buckup, L. 1988. O ciclo da intermuda em Macrobrachium borellii (Nobili, 1896) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Palaemonidae) a influencia da temperatura e do comprimento do animal. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 5(1): 45-59.

[4] Boschi, E.E. 1981. Decapoda Natantia. Serie Fauna de Agua Dulce de la República Argentina, 61 pp.

[5] Carvalho, D.A.; Collins, P.A. and De Bonis, C.J. 2011. Gut evacuation time of Macrobrachium borellii (Caridea: Palaemonidae) feeding on three types of prey form the littoral-benthic community. Journal of Crustacean Biology (in press)

[6] Collins, P.A. 1998. Laboratory evaluation of the freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium borellii, as a predator of mosquitoe larvae. Aquatic Science, 60: 22-27.

[7] Collins, P.A. 2000. Mecanismos de coexistencia en poblaciones de palemónidos dulciacuícolas (Crustacea, Decapada, Caridea). Doctoral Thesis of Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. La Plata. Argentina.

[8] Collins, P.A. 2005. A coexistence mechanism for two freshwater prawns in the Paraná River floodplains, Argentina. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 25(2):219-225.

[9] Collins, P.A. and Paggi, J.C. 1998. Feeding ecology of Macrobrachium borellii (Nobili) (Decapoda: Palaemonidae) in the flood valley of the River Paraná, Argentina. Hydrobiologia, 362: 21-30.

[10] Collins, P.A. and Petriella, A. 1999. Growth pattern of isolated prawns of Macrobrachium borellii (Crustacea, Decapoda, Palaemonidae). Invertebrate Reproduction and Development, 36: 87-91.

[11] Collins, P.A; Williner, V. and Giri, F. 2004. Crustáceos Decápodos del Litoral Fluvial Argentino, In: Acenolaza, F.G. (ed.), Temas de la Biodiversidad del Litoral Fluvial Argentino. INSUGEO - Miscelanea, 12: 253-264.

[12] Collins, P.A.; Giri, F. and Williner, V. 2006. Population dynamics of Trichodactylus borellianus (Crustacea Decapoda Brachyura) and interactions with the aquatic vegetation of the Paraná River (South America, Argentina). Annals of Limnology, 42 (1): 25-31.

[13] Derby, C.D.; Steullet, P.; Horner, A.J. and Cate, H.S. 2001. The sensory basis of feeding behaviour in the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus Marine Freshwater Research, 52: 1339-1350.

[14] Dumont, H.J.; van de Velde, I. and Dumont, S. 1975. The dry weight estimate of biomass in a selection of Cladocera, Copepoda and Rotifera from the plankton, periphyton and benthos of continental waters. Oecologia, 19: 79-97.

[15] Edmonson, W.F. and Winberg, G.G. 1971. A manual for the assesment of secondary productivity in fresh waters. Oxford, Blackwell Scientific Publications, 358p.

[16] Giri, F. and Collins, P.A. 2003. Evaluación de Palaemonetes argentinus (Decapoda, Natantia) en el control biológico de larvas de Culex pipiens (Diptera, Culicidae) en condiciones de laboratorio. Iheringia, Série Zoologia, 93(3): 237-242.

[17] Graso, F.W. and Basil, J.A. 2002. How lobsters, crayfishes, and crabs locate soucers of odor: current perspectives and future directions. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 12: 721-727.

[18] Hammer, Ø., Harper, D.A.T. and Ryan, P.D. 2001. PAST: Paleontological Statistics Software Package for Education and Data Analysis. Palaeontologia Electronica 4: 9pp. http://palaeo-electronica.org/2001_1/past/issue1_01.htm

[19] Hepher, B. 1989. Principles of fish nutrition. p. 146-201. In: Shilo, M. and Sargig, S. (eds.), Fish culture in warm water systems: Problems and trends. Florida, USA. CRC Prens, Boca Raton.

[20] Lopretto, E.C. 1995. Crustacea Conchostraca. p. 903-908. In: Lopretto, E.C. and Tell, G. (eds.), Ecosistemas de aguas continentales, Vol. 3. La Plata, Ediciones Sur.

[21] Loya-Javellana, G.N.; Donald, R.F. and Malcolm, J.T. 1995. Foregut evacuation, return of appetite and gastric fluid secretion in the tropical freshwater crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus Aquaculture, 134: 295-306.

[22] Ishii, Y. and Shimada, M. 2010. The effect of learning and search images on predator-prey interactions. Population Ecology, 52(1): 27-35.

[23] Jalihal, D.R.; Sankolli K.N. and Shenoy, S. 1993. Evolution of larval developmental patterns and the process of freshwaterization in the prawn genus Macrobrachium Bate, 1868 (Decapoda, Palaemonidae). Crustaceana, 65: 365-376.

[24] José de Paggi, S. 1995. Rotíferos. p. 643-668. In: Lopretto, E.C. and Tell, G. (eds.), Ecosistemas de aguas continentales, Vol. 2. La Plata, Ediciones Sur.

[25] Marchese, M.R. 2009. Annelida Oligochaeta. p. 551-566. In: Domínguez, E. and Fernandez, H.R. (eds.), Macroinvertebrados bentónicos sudamericanos: sistemática y biología. Tucumán, Fundación Miguel Lillo.

[26] Moguilevky, A. and Whatley, R. 1995. Crustacea Ostracoda. p. 973-1000. In: Lopretto, E.C. and Tell, G. (eds.), Ecosistemas de aguas continentales, Vol. 3. La Plata, Ediciones Sur.

[27] Paggi, J.C. 1995. Crustacea Cladocera. p. 909-952. In: Lopretto, E.C. and Tell, G. (eds.), Ecosistemas de aguas continentales, Vol. 3. La Plata, Ediciones Sur.

[28] Paine, R.T. 1966. Food web complexity and species diversity. American Naturalist, 100: 65-75.

[29] Pascual, M. and Dunne, J.A. 1996. From small to large ecological networks in a dynamic world. In: Pascual, M. and Dunne, J.A. (eds.), Ecological Networks: linking structure to dynamics in food webs, New York, Oxford University Press.

[30] Pastorino, G.; Darrigran, G.; Martín, S. and Lunaschi, L. 1993. Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857) (Mytilidae), nuevo bivalvo invasor en aguas del río de La Plata. Neotropica, 39: 34.

[31] Ramalho, R.O. and Anastácio, P.M. 2011. Crayfish learning abilities: how does familiarization period affect the capture rate of a new prey item? Ecological Research, 26(1): 53-58.

[32] Rohlf, F. 1997. tpsDIG. New York: Departament of Ecology and Evolution, State University, Stony Brook.

[33] Simon, C.J. and Jeffs, A. 2008. Feeding and gut evacuation of cultured juvenile spiny lobsters, Jasus edwardsii Aquaculture, 280: 211-219.

[34] Williner, V. and Collins, P.A. 2000. ¿Existe jerarquización en poblaciones de palemónidos del valle aluvial del río Paraná? Natutra Neotropicalis, 31(1 and 2): 53-60.

Brasil

Brasil

Ontogenetic predation capacity of Macrobrachium borellii (Caridea: Palaemonidae) on prey from littoral-benthic communities

Abstract

Publication Dates

History