The impact of food availability on risk-induced trait responses in prey.

This article investigates how food availability influences prey responses to predation risk in an intertidal system involving green crab (Carcinus maenas) predators, dogwhelk snail (Nucella lapillus) prey, and blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) as a basal resource. Using a 28-day mesocosm experiment, the study found that snails exposed to predation risk exhibited greater risk-aversion behavior when food was available compared to when it was not, while food availability alone did not affect risk behavior in the absence of risk. Additionally, predation risk reduced snail growth only when food was present, indicating that resource availability magnifies the nonconsumptive effects of predation risk by increasing the costs of risk avoidance. These findings highlight the importance of environmental context, such as resource availability, in shaping prey behavioral and growth responses to predation risk.