Defense Date

1-7-2021

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Type

Master of Science

Degree Name

Marine Science

First Advisor

David Kerstetter, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Bernhard Riegl, Ph.D.

Keywords

Lutjanus synagris, predator-prey relationship, habitat complexity, acidification, warming, oxygen

Abstract

Changes in the ocean including acidification, increasing temperatures, loss of habitat, and increased hypoxic events has the potential to change predator-prey relationships. These changes in single interactions can then have effects on population sizes, community structures, and changes in trophic cascades. Understanding how changing abiotic factors impact predator-prey relationships will be crucial for understanding what populations and communities will look like under future ocean conditions. In this review, the goals are to (1) summarize the current knowledge on how changing ocean conditions affect predator-prey relationships; (2) describe an example predator-based approach to examine how changing these changing factors impact predator-prey relationships; and (3) test the effectiveness of this method on a simple predator-prey relationship between the marine mesopredator fish lane snapper (Lutjanus synagris) and ghost shrimp prey (Palaemonetes paludosus). The results of this study summarize over 60 studies relating to factors affecting predator-prey relationships and outlines a methodology appropriate for studying predator-prey interactions. The results of the predation trials revealed that predation efficiency of the lane snapper was significantly impacted by temperature, while habitat complexity was found not to be statistically significant.

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