Surface activity of some intertidal invertebrates in relation to temperature and the foraging behaviour of their shorebird predators

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Abstract
Effects of environmental conditions on the behavior of the prey animals of ringed and gray plovers Charadrius hiaticula and Pluvialis squatarola were investigated in the field at Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve, Northumberland, England [Great Britain, UK]. The plovers detected and caught prey by watching for, and exploiting, the brief periods of surface activity. The cues used include cast production by Arenicola marina, outflows of water from the holes of Notomastus latericeus and other polychaetes, and swimming movements by small amphipods and isopods. The intertidal polychaetes A. marina and N. latericeus, the amphipod Bathyporeia pelagica and the isopod Eurydice pulchra increased their surface activity in relation to variations in environmental conditions, particularly warmer temperatures. When activity of the surface-living small Crustacea was low, ringed plovers used foot-vibration to stimulate movement of these animals, making them visible.