Life Sciences Commons^™

Variable Functional Responses Of A Marine Predator In Dissimilar Homogeneous Microhabitats, Rn Lipcius, Anson Hines

VIMS Articles

Adult soft-shelled clams (Mya arenaria) persist at low densities in Chesapeake Bay sandy habitats despite Intense predation by blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus). Clam persistence may be a consequence of variation in blue crab foraging rates as a function of clam density and sediment composition. In laboratory aquaria, we measured the functional responses (prey consumption per predator as a function of prey density) of large blue crabs to six densities of adult soft-shelled clams buried at natural depths in two sediment types (mud and sand). Functional responses in sand and mud were differentiated statistically by analyses of(1) residuals and residual sums …