Body size, body size ratio, and prey type influence the functional response of damselfly nymphs.

Abstract

Predator-prey interactions play a crucial role in structuring food webs, and the functional response is one way to measure the strength of this interaction. Here, we examine how predator and prey body size affects the functional response of a generalist predator-damselfly nymphs-feeding on three prey types: copepods, Daphnia, and Chydorus. Our results suggest that consumption of copepods is independent of predator body size, while increased predator body size is associated with an increased space clearance rate for Daphnia and a reduced space clearance rate for Chydorus. When considered together, foraging rates on Daphnia and Chydorus (both cladocerans) are consistent with a hump-shaped functional response, with peak foraging rates occurring at an intermediate predator-prey size ratio. Thus, although most food web theory assumes allometric predator-prey links or peaked functional responses at intermediate predator-prey size ratios, our results suggest that both relationships may occur in food webs, in addition to size-independent functional responses.