Summary
Predation by naticid gastropods shows evidence of adaptation to maximize the rate of energy intake. The predation rate of Polinices duplicatus feeding on artificially altered, thin-shelled Mercenaria mercenaria was faster than the predation rate on normal Mercenaria. The rate of energy intake was limited by handling time. The time saved by predation on thin-shelled prey was used to forage. Thus time was shown to be valuable to P. duplicatus, and cost-benefit functions using time and energy as currencies are appropriate for estimating dietary efficiency and predicting prey choice.
Despite the clear superiority of thin-shelled prey, P. duplicatus did not learn to prefer this novel prey type, suggesting that predator choices are sterotyped, reflecting optima selected over evolutionary time.
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Boggs, C.H., Rice, J.A., Kitchell, J.A. et al. Predation at a snail's pace: what's time to a gastropod?. Oecologia 62, 13–17 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00377366
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00377366