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Cited by 41Animal Behavior and ReproductionEvolution and Genetic DynamicsPhysiological and biochemical adaptations

Bi-directional plasticity: Rotifer prey adjust spine length to different predator regimes

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Zhang, Huan, Hollander, Johan, Hansson, Lars-Anders·2017·Scientific Reports
DOI 10.1038/s41598-017-08772-7PMC PMC5579284
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Abstract

Numerous prey organisms, including many rotifers, exhibit inducible defensive plasticity, such as spines, in response to predators. Here, we test the hypothesis that prey modify their defence response to different predator sizes with a bi-directional adjustment in spine length. First, we show experimentally, that large-sized predators induce a reduction in prey spine length. Second, we conducted a complementary field monitoring study showing that the spine length of the prey rotifer Keratella cochlearis changed in opposite directions, in response to the shift in dominance between small-sized and large-sized predators. Third, in order to test the generality of our novel findings, we conducted a meta-analysis covering a wide array of rotifer prey taxa, strengthening the conclusions from our experimental and field studies. Hence, by combining evidence from experiments and studies in the field with a meta-analysis, we, for the first time, demonstrate that rotifer prey distinguish between predators and adjust their protective spine length accordingly, i.e. rapidly adjust spine length to escape either below or above the dominant predator’s gape size window. In a broader perspective, our conclusions advance our knowledge on observed spatial and temporal variations in protective morphologies among prey organisms.

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Research works printed but not linked: 38

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Zhang, H., Hollander, J., & Hansson, L.-A.
Affiliations
Lund University (SE)
Corresponding author
Zhang, Huan
ORCID
Venue
Scientific Reports
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2017-08-31
Volume
7
Issue
1
Pages
10254-10254
ISSN
2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s41598-017-08772-7
PMC
PMC5579284
OpenAlex
W2746994045
Cited by
41
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 10
FWCI
0.73
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Lund University Publications (Lund University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Vetenskapsrådet
  • China Scholarship Council
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Physiological and biochemical adaptations
Keywords
rotifers, Keratella cochlearis, spine length, predator size, predator-prey interactions, gape size, morphological defense
MeSH terms
Algorithms, Analysis of Variance, Animals, Models, Theoretical, Predatory Behavior, Rotifera, Spine, Databases, Factual

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