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Fish blood as a chemical signal for Antarctic marine invertebrates

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Abstract

Chemical cues released from dead or injured organisms constitute important signals informing nearby animals about a feeding possibility. The ability to detect the signal, evaluate its meaning and locate its source can help organisms to exploit food resources efficiently, which is especially important to animals living in environments with limited food supply. Experiments were carried out to study the behavioral responses of several Antarctic benthic invertebrates to fish (Notothenia corriceps) blood. Necrophagous species such as sea stars Odontaster validus and Lysasterias sp., amphipod Waldeckia obesa and nemertean Parborlasia corrugatus responded to fish blood with changes in their behavior. The behavior common to all these species was locomotion directed towards the stimulus source. Behavioral components consistent with food consumption were observed in O. validus and P. corrugatus. The reaction of herbivorous limpets Nacella concinna to fish blood depended on the animal size. Large (>10 mm) limpets showed no behavioral response, whereas small ones (<10 mm) reacted to the stimulus by moving a short distance away. These results indicate that blood released from the tissues of injured or dead animals may be an important chemical signal for organisms belonging to different taxa.

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Acknowledgments

Data presented in this study were collected during the XXIX Polish Antarctic Expedition at H. Arctowski Station (King George Island, South Shetlands). The work was financed by the State Committee for Scientific Research grant 3 P04F 023 25 (years 2003–2006). Particular thanks are addressed to three anonymous referees for their most helpful comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Antarctic Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Ustrzycka 10/12, 02-141, Warsaw, Poland

    Anna Kidawa, Marta Markowska & Stanisław Rakusa-Suszczewski

  2. Department of Biological of Marine Resources, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, University of Agriculture in Szczecin, ul. Kazimierza Królewicza 4, 71-550, Szczecin, Poland

    Katarzyna Stepanowska

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  1. Anna Kidawa
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  2. Katarzyna Stepanowska
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  4. Stanisław Rakusa-Suszczewski
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Correspondence to Anna Kidawa.

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Kidawa, A., Stepanowska, K., Markowska, M. et al. Fish blood as a chemical signal for Antarctic marine invertebrates. Polar Biol 31, 519–525 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0383-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0383-y

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