Dataset Information

Predator-prey interactions between shell-boring beetle larvae and rock-dwelling land snails.

ABSTRACT: Drilus beetle larvae (Coleoptera: Elateridae) are specialized predators of land snails. Here, we describe various aspects of the predator-prey interactions between multiple Drilus species attacking multiple Albinaria (Gastropoda: Clausiliidae) species in Greece. We observe that Drilus species may be facultative or obligate Albinaria-specialists. We map geographically varying predation rates in Crete, where on average 24% of empty shells carry fatal Drilus bore holes. We also provide first-hand observations and video-footage of prey entry and exit strategies of the Drilus larvae, and evaluate the potential mutual evolutionary impacts. We find limited evidence for an effect of shell features and snail behavioral traits on inter- and intra-specifically differing predation rates. We also find that Drilus predators adjust their predation behavior based on specific shell traits of the prey. In conclusion, we suggest that, with these baseline data, this interesting predator-prey system will be available for further, detailed more evolutionary ecology studies.

SUBMITTER: Baalbergen E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4070943 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Predator-prey interactions between shell-boring beetle larvae and rock-dwelling land snails.

Baalbergen Els E Helwerda Renate R Schelfhorst Rense R Castillo Cajas Ruth F RF van Moorsel Coline H M CH Kundrata Robin R Welter-Schultes Francisco W FW Giokas Sinos S Schilthuizen Menno M

PloS one 20140625 6

Drilus beetle larvae (Coleoptera: Elateridae) are specialized predators of land snails. Here, we describe various aspects of the predator-prey interactions between multiple Drilus species attacking multiple Albinaria (Gastropoda: Clausiliidae) species in Greece. We observe that Drilus species may be facultative or obligate Albinaria-specialists. We map geographically varying predation rates in Crete, where on average 24% of empty shells carry fatal Drilus bore holes. We also provide first-hand o ...[more]

PMID: 24964101

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Project description:AimTaxon co-occurrence analysis is commonly used in ecology, but it has not been applied to range-wide distribution data of partly allopatric taxa because existing methods cannot differentiate between distribution-related effects and taxon interactions. Our first aim was to develop a taxon co-occurrence analysis method that is also capable of taking into account the effect of species ranges and can handle faunistic records from museum databases or biodiversity inventories. Our second aim was to test the independence of taxon co-occurrences of rock-dwelling gastropods at different taxonomic levels, with a special focus on the Clausiliidae subfamily Alopiinae, and in particular the genus Montenegrina.LocationBalkan Peninsula in south-eastern Europe (46N-36N, 13.5E-28E).MethodsWe introduced a taxon-specific metric that characterizes the occurrence probability at a given location. This probability was calculated as a distance-weighted mean of the taxon's presence and absence records at all sites. We applied corrections to account for the biases introduced by varying sampling intensity in our dataset. Then we used probabilistic null-models to simulate taxon distributions under the null hypothesis of no taxon interactions and calculated pairwise and cumulated co-occurrences. Independence of taxon occurrences was tested by comparing observed co-occurrences to simulated values.ResultsWe observed significantly fewer co-occurrences among species and intra-generic lineages of Montenegrina than expected under the assumption of no taxon interaction.Main conclusionsFewer than expected co-occurrences among species and intrageneric clades indicate that species divergence preceded niche partitioning. This suggests a primary role of non-adaptive processes in the speciation of rock-dwelling gastropods. The method can account for the effects of distributional constraints in range-wide datasets, making it suitable for testing ecological, biogeographical, or evolutionary hypotheses where interactions of partly allopatric taxa are in question.

Dataset Information

Predator-prey interactions between shell-boring beetle larvae and rock-dwelling land snails.

Publications

Predator-prey interactions between shell-boring beetle larvae and rock-dwelling land snails.

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