Predator avoidance by the freshwater snailPhysella virgata in response to the crayfishProcambarus simulans

Abstract

We examined predator avoidance behavior of the freshwater snailPhysella (=Physa) virgata in response to the crayfishProcambarus simulans. In both laboratory and field enclosure experiments snails crawled above the waterline for 2 h or longer, then returned to the water.Physella virgata react to chemical signals given off by crayfish actively foraging on conspecific snails; they do not react to inactive crayfish. Low dissolved oxygen, crowding, and disturbance of the sediments did not elicit “crawlout” behavior. Crawling above the waterline, by reducing the probability of encounter between vulnerable, thin-shelled snails and crayfish, is an adaptive response to predation.