Effect of the presence of the shore crab, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carcinus maenas</Emphasis>, on burrowing behaviour and clearance rate of the common cockle, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cerastoderma edule</Emphasis> |
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Authors: | C Romano G Sarà G Salvo J Bishop A Mazzola J Widdows |
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Institution: | 1.Centre d’Estudis Avan?ats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC),Blanes (Girona),Spain;2.Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare,Viale delle Scienze Ed 16,Palermo,Italy;3.Department of Biological Sciences,University of Plymouth,Plymouth,UK;4.Marine Biological Association,Plymouth,UK;5.Institut für Systematische Botanik,Universit?t Zürich,Zürich,Switzerland;6.Plymouth Marine Laboratory,Plymouth,UK |
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Abstract: | Bivalves demonstrate various morphological and behavioural adaptations to reduce the risk of being attacked by predators.
This paper examines how the presence of the crab Carcinus maenas (L.), a natural predator of the cockle Cerastoderma edule (L.), affects its burrowing depth and clearance or feeding rate. Cockles were placed in experimental tanks and treated with
three levels of predatory disturbance: (1) unfed crab loose inside the tank, (2) unfed crab inside a cage suspended in the
water column and (3) no crab present. Cockles’ burrowing depth was measured in two sediment types: mud and sand. Cockles burrowed
more deeply in treatments with no crabs. Burrowing depth in sand was significantly greater than in mud. Two factors may contribute
to the reduction in burial depth of C. edule in the presence of C. maenas: the change in the vertical orientation of the cockle and the ‘cough response’. No significant difference was found in the
cockles’ clearance rate among the different levels of predator threat. |
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