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The selective advantage of avoiding lethal predation typically outweighs the benefits of obtaining food. Many aquatic organisms reduce their foraging activity after detecting the presence of injured conspecifics, but responses of cannibalistic animals are less obvious because injury-related cues might attract rather than deter alerted consumers. We investigated the effect of injured con- specifics on the foraging responses of blue crabs Callinectes sapidus, which are ecologically impor- tant consumers known for their aggressive behavior and cannibalistic tendencies. In estuarine tidal channels, we presented natural foragers with a choice between baited control traps and baited treat- ment traps that included an additional odor source. Traps containing an injured blue crab captured significantly fewer blue crabs than paired control traps deployed for periods of up to 18 h. Injured blue crabs that were aged prior to trap deployment confirmed that deterrent cues related to the injury had dissipated within 22 h. Traps containing chemical solutions derived from injured blue crabs elicited avoidance by conspecifics, but neither uninjured blue crabs nor injured stone crabs Menippe mercenaria were deterrent. Together these data demonstrate that blue crabs reduce foraging activ- ity in the presence of odors released from freshly injured conspecifics. Not only should such avoid- ance responses facilitate survival by distancing unharmed individuals from areas of intense conflict, but the associated changes in blue crab foraging behavior could also have broader ecological conse- quences through impacts on other trophic levels.

Cannibalistic crabs respond to the scent of injured conspecifics: danger or dinner?