Effect of size-dependent muskrat (Ondatra zibethica) predation on the spatial distribution of a freshwater clam, Anodonta piscinalis Nilsson (Unionidae, Bivalvia)

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Abstract
We studied the effect of central-place foraging by muskrats on the spatial distribution of freshwater clam Anodonta piscinalis. We also analysed the prey-size preference of muskrats. We collected A. piscinalis shells from four muskrat middens representing different prey populations and sampled the clam populations quantitatively. Muskrats had clear effects on the spatial distribution of the clams. At all study sites the area close to shore had no clams. The width of the empty area was correlated with the number of shells found in the muskrat midden. The density of clams decreased and their mean size increased with the distance from muskrat midden at two of the sites. Muskrats did not prey on clams smaller than 50 mm. Muskrats preferred 60- to 70-mm clams at three of the sites and 85- to 90-mm clams at the fourth. In an analysis conducted using ages, a selection gradient on the growth rate of clams was found for three of the study populations. However, spatial refuge from predation and inconsistency of selection may slow down or counterbalance the evolutionary response to predation.