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Influence of Intra- and Interspecific Interactions on Short-term Movement of the Amphipod Corophium volutator in Varying Environmental Conditions

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Abstract

Movement of animals on intertidal mudflats can have profound consequences for population and community dynamics. Such movement is often influenced by biotic interactions, but the abiotic environment can also be important, affecting the strength of species’ interactions and even changing their outcome. Here, we focused on two biotic interactions and examined their effect on movement of the burrow-dwelling amphipod Corophium volutator: intraspecific interactions (specifically, the effect of conspecific density) and interspecific interactions with a competitor–predator, the mud snail Ilyanassa obsoleta (=Nassarius obsoletus). We assessed the magnitude of the temporal variation and examined the influence of pertinent abiotic variables (lunar cycle, presence of tide pools). Despite substantial temporal variation in movement levels, density of conspecifics did not influence emigration or immigration rates of C. volutator. Mud snails negatively affected immigration of C. volutator, and this was consistent across all lunar phases. However, mud snails influenced mortality and emigration of C. volutator in a contrasting way relative to lunar phases; sometimes amphipods evaded snails and survived, but at other times did not emigrate and were killed. The presence of tide pools did not change the nature or strength of the snail–amphipod interaction. Our results further clarify the complex interactions between C. volutator and I. obsoleta and suggest that resources on the mudflat are sufficient to sustain high densities of amphipods in a density-independent manner. Further, they highlight the importance of considering multiple environmental variables when examining interspecific interactions.

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Acknowledgments

We thank A. Botta, T. Bringloe, L. Bursey, G. Deleavey, T. Gerwing, J. Horsfall, K. Kennedy, J. Murray, and N. Robar for their help in the field and laboratory. The research was supported by Strategic Project and Discovery grants from the National Science and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) to MAB and DJH, the Science Horizons Internship Program (Environment Canada), and the Canada Summer Jobs program (Human Resources and Skills Development Canada). DD received financial support from a NSERC post-graduate scholarship, a Board of Governor Merit Award (University of New Brunswick [UNB]), and a Marguerite and Murray Vaughan Fellowship in Marine Sciences (UNB). MRSC received financial support from Mprime (a Network of Centres of Excellence for the mathematical sciences), a Marguerite and Murray Vaughan Fellowship in Marine Sciences, and a R.C. Frazee Scholarship (UNB).

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  1. Department of Biology, Mount Allison University, 63B York Street, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 1G7

    David Drolet & Diana J. Hamilton

  2. Biology Department, University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 4400, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, E3B 5A3

    David Drolet, Michael R. S. Coffin & Myriam A. Barbeau

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Drolet, D., Coffin, M.R.S., Barbeau, M.A. et al. Influence of Intra- and Interspecific Interactions on Short-term Movement of the Amphipod Corophium volutator in Varying Environmental Conditions. Estuaries and Coasts 36, 940–950 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-013-9605-4

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