Separate and combined effects of boat noise and a live crab predator on mussel valve gape behavior.

ABSTRACT: Noisy human activities at sea are changing the acoustic environment, which has been shown to affect marine mammals and fishes. Invertebrates, such as bivalves, have so far received limited attention despite their important role in the marine ecosystem. Several studies have examined the impact of sound on anti-predator behavior using simulated predators, but studies using live predators are scarce. In the current study, we examined the separate and combined effects of boat sound playback and predator cues of shore crabs (Carcinus maenas) on the behavior of mussels (Mytilus spp.). We examined the behavior of the mussels using a valve gape monitor and scored the behavior from the crabs in one of two types of predator test conditions from video footage to control for effects from

SUBMITTER: Hubert J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10183211 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature