Gastropod grazing on a benthic alga leads to liberation of food‐finding infochemicals
Gastropod grazing on a benthic alga leads to liberation of food‐finding infochemicals
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腹足动物吃底栖藻类会释放出寻找食物的信息化学物质
DOI：
10.1111/oik.02069
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发表时间：
2015
期刊：
影响因子：
3.4
通讯作者：
Patrick Fink
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Jana Moelzner ;Patrick Fink
化学信息传递是自然生态系统种间和种内相互作用的主要调节因子。在陆地和水生生态系统中，一类重要的信息化学物质是所谓的挥发性有机化合物（VOC），它可以引起行为或生理反应，如捕食者回避和交配或宿主位置。在以前的工作中，我们已经证明，淡水腹足类利用底栖藻类释放的VOC作为食物寻找线索，虽然VOC释放和感知的具体性质尚不清楚。因此，我们测试了腹足动物在生物膜上的进食是否会导致藻类细胞损伤以及随后释放与创伤相关的VOC。在生物测定中，我们调查了藻类VOC花束水平，这是必要的，以引起淡水腹足类动物的行为反应。释放实验结果表明，腹足类的摄食导致了VOCs的释放。我们还发现，一定的阈值水平的挥发物是必要的蜗牛识别挥发性信息化合物，随后响应定向觅食行为对气味。最后，一个计算的质量平衡模型表明，放牧介导的VOC释放产生的信号浓度，是足以被识别的同种和用作觅食信息化学品。排放的生态相关的挥发性物质通过蜗牛放牧与随后的吸引力的其他腹足类食草动物藻类生物膜表明一个重要的，但到目前为止研究不足的化学信号机制的生态重要性。
Chemical information transfer is a major agent in the regulation of interspecific and intraspecific interactions in natural ecosystems. One important group of such infochemicals both in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are so‐called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can evoke behavioral or physiological responses like predator avoidance and mate or host location. In previous work, we have demonstrated that freshwater gastropods utilize VOCs released from benthic algae as food finding cues, although the specific nature of the VOC release and perception were not yet clear. Therefore we tested whether gastropod grazing on biofilms leads to algal cell damage and a subsequent liberation of wounding‐associated VOCs. In bioassays we investigated the algal VOC bouquet level which is necessary to elicit a behavioural response of freshwater gastropods. The results of the liberation experiment showed that gastropod grazing leads to VOCs release. We also found that a certain threshold level of volatiles is necessary for snails to recognise the volatile infochemicals and subsequently respond with a directed foraging behaviour towards the odour. Finally, a calculated mass balance model demonstrated that the grazer mediated VOC release produced a signal concentration that is sufficient to be recognized by conspecifics and utilized as foraging infochemicals. The emission of ecologically relevant volatiles through snail grazing with subsequent attraction of other gastropod grazers to algal biofilms indicates an important but so far understudied chemical signaling mechanism of ecological importance.