The responses of intertidal scavengers to damaged conspecifics in the field
Titel:
The responses of intertidal scavengers to damaged conspecifics in the field
Auteur:
McKillup, Stephen C. McKillup, Ruth V.
Verschenen in:
Marine & freshwater behaviour & physiology
Paginering:
Jaargang 27 (1995) nr. 1 pagina's 49-57
Jaar:
1995-12
Inhoud:
Previous studies have shown that some marine scavengers avoid damaged conspecifics. Intriguingly, however, none of these species have responded unanimously to damaged conspecifics in the field; some individuals of each have shown avoidance, but others have fed. The generality of avoidance of damaged conspecifics among species, and the unanimity of this behaviour within each species, were assessed in the field for seven species of intertidal scavenging snails from four sites within latitudes 16-36°S and longitudes 137-180°E. The effect of starvation on the responses of four of these species to damaged conspecifics were examined in the laboratory. In the field, some snails of each species avoided damaged conspecifics, but the remainder fed. In the laboratory, snails readily fed on damaged herbivores but would only eat damaged conspecifics after at least 4 days of starvation. It is suggested that some individuals fed on damaged conspecifics in the field because their innate response to avoid such carcasses had been overridden by hunger.
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