Kleptopredation: a mechanism to facilitate planktivory in a benthic mollusc

Willis, T. J., Berglöf, K. T.L., McGill, R. A.R. , Musco, L., Piraino, S., Rumsey, C. M., Vega Fernández, T. and Badalamenti, F. (2017) Kleptopredation: a mechanism to facilitate planktivory in a benthic mollusc. Biology Letters, 13(11), 20170447. (doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0447) (PMID:29093176)

Abstract

Predation occurs when an organism completely or partially consumes its prey. Partial consumption is typical of herbivores but is also common in some marine microbenthic carnivores that feed on colonial organisms. Associations between nudibranch molluscs and colonial hydroids have long been assumed to be simple predator–prey relationships. Here we show that while the aeolid nudibranch Cratena peregrina does prey directly on the hydranths of Eudendrium racemosum, it is stimulated to feed when hydranths have captured and are handling prey, thus ingesting recently captured plankton along with the hydroid polyp such that plankton form at least half of the nudibranch diet. The nudibranch is thus largely planktivorous, facilitated by use of the hydroid for prey capture. At the scale of the colony this combines predation with kleptoparasitism, a type of competition that involves the theft of already-procured items to form a feeding mode that does not fit into existing classifications, which we term kleptopredation. This strategy of subsidized predation helps explain how obligate-feeding nudibranchs obtain sufficient energy for reproduction from an ephemeral food source.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: McGill, Dr Rona
• Authors: Willis, T. J., Berglöf, K. T.L., McGill, R. A.R., Musco, L., Piraino, S., Rumsey, C. M., Vega Fernández, T., and Badalamenti, F.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre
• Journal Name: Biology Letters
• Publisher: The Royal Society
• ISSN: 1744-9561
• ISSN (Online): 1744-9561
• Published Online: 01 November 2017
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2017 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Biology Letters 13(11):20170447
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher