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Ink secretion by the marine snail Aplysia californica enhances its ability to escape from a natural predator

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Abstract

  1. 1.

    Aplysia californica incorporates toxins and pigments from its red seaweed diet into its body and ink, purportedly as a defense against predation. We tested ink's potential defensive function by assessing the survival of green seaweed-fed (red algal toxin deprived) snails in encounters with a natural predator, the sea anemone Anthopleura xanthogrammica.

  2. 2.

    Red seaweed-fed Aplysia secreted copious amounts of ink when ensnared in anemone tentacles. A similar amount of ink applied to “inkless” (green-fed) snails as they were engulfed by an anemone enhanced their survival [71% survived (ink) vs 7% (seawater control)]. Ink caused anemones to reject whitefish (a familiar food) [50% rejected (ink) vs 10% (seawater control)], triggering gastrovascular eversions, which ejected ink as well as prey from their digestive cavities. Snails with only a passive chemical defense (algal toxins, no ink) escaped less often than snails with only an active chemical defense (ink, no red algal toxins) (20% survived vs 71%) and about as often as “red algal toxin deprived” snails (20% vs 12%). Snails avoided ink by chemical orientation, thus avoiding potential sites of ongoing predation.

  3. 3.

    The survival value of ink and the snail's aversion to it supports ink's proposed anti-predator function.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, The University of Miami, PO Box 249118, 33124, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    T. G. Nolen, P. M. Johnson & C. E. Kicklighter

  2. The Neurosciences Program, The University of Miami, PO Box 249118, 33124, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    T. G. Nolen

  3. The Marine Sciences Program, The University of Miami, PO Box 249118, 33124, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    P. M. Johnson & C. E. Kicklighter

  4. Department of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, The University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, 33149, Miami, FL, USA

    T. Capo

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  1. T. G. Nolen
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  3. C. E. Kicklighter
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  4. T. Capo
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Nolen, T.G., Johnson, P.M., Kicklighter, C.E. et al. Ink secretion by the marine snail Aplysia californica enhances its ability to escape from a natural predator. J Comp Physiol A 176, 239–254 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00239926

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