Effects of varying habitats on feeding preferences of Belostoma

Belostoma flumineum, the giant water bug, feed on the internal fluids of other invertebrates, small amphibians, fish, and mollusks. Feeding preference experiments were performed in the laboratory to determine if habitat variation has an effect on Belostoma's preferences of varying sizes and mobility rates of its prey. In a controlled mesocosm, a common snail species, Helisoma trivolvis, one small and one large Odonate larvae and one beetle were offered to the predator in different habitats to determine if the environment has an effect on the preferences of Belostoma. The three habitats consisted of different plant densities: a densely vegetated habitat, a moderately vegetated habitat, and a lightly vegetated habitat. The average size varied about fifty percent between the small, medium, and large prey. Three trials, using six different Belostomatids and two of each habitat, were performed. The type and size of the prey consumed by Belostoma in each tank was recorded to determine if there was a preference in prey size or prey type in the three environments. A two way ANOVA test and a two-sample t-test will be used on the collected data. It is hypothesized that Belostoma will consume larger, more mobile prey in the denser vegetated habitats. Belostomatids will be able to see larger prey easier in addition to mobility increasing the occurrence of predator-prey interaction. It is also hypothesized that Belostomatids will consume the less mobile prey in the less vegetated habitats, because the prey will not be able to escape the predator as easily and there will be less vegetation to hide in.