Behavioral variation affects persistence of an experimental food-chain

Intraspecific behavioral variation in prey could alter predator-prey interactions, yet its effects on temporal dynamics and food-web persistence remain underexplored. Pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) exhibit dropping behavior in response to predators like the seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata). This response could be an effective anti-predator defense but could be costly in terms of energy expenditure and time not available for feeding. To investigate the impact of behavioral variation on food-chain persistence and dynamics, we used a tri-trophic experimental system with Vicia faba (plant), pea aphids (prey), and seven-spot ladybirds (predator), implementing three aphid behavioral treatments: droppers, non-droppers, and a mix of both droppers and non-droppers. To minimize genetic differences, we used clonal aphid populations across all treatments. We then tracked predator-prey population dynamics and species persistence over 25 days. Our results showed that aphid dropping behavior reduced food-chain persistence, with extinction risk significantly higher in dropper treatments than in the mix or non-dropper treatments. Ladybirds persisted across treatments, although they showed a steeper decline in abundance in the dropper treatment. In the mixed behavioral treatment, they had an intermediate persistence, suggesting a buffering effect of behavioral variation. Trophic food-chain state transitions also differed by treatment, with tri-trophic states most stable in the non-dropper, and least frequent in the dropper treatment. Furthermore, our results showed a trend of dropper treatments becoming more stable and robust towards the end of the experiment. These results demonstrate that prey behavior influences the persistence and dynamics of food-chains, with important implications for behavior-driven community dynamics.