DOI: 10.5061/dryad.f4qrfj73h
title: Tracing the battle: Role of mucus trails in information warfare between predator snail and prey limpet

description: Predator-prey interactions have long been recognized as important
 selective forces in the evolution and maintenance of multiple traits in
 both predators and prey. Certain animal species leave information
 intentionally or unintentionally, in the form of urine, feces, feeding
 traces, and chemical trails, even after they have moved. This residual
 information, left behind by animals, has the potential to affect predation
 efficiency. However, information warfare—the use of information between
 predator and prey, in which predators exploit prey cues to increase
 predation efficiency, while prey exploit predator cues to reduce
 it—remains largely unexplored, especially in the context of residual
 information. Marine gastropods leave a mucus trail that contains
 individual information as they crawl. In this study, we investigated the
 existence of information warfare between the predator snail Reishia
 clavigera and the prey limpet Siphonaria sirius through mucus trails. We
 observed the responses of predators and prey to their respective mucus
 trails under laboratory conditions. The predators followed the prey’s
 mucus trails. In contrast, the prey exhibited movements, such as looping,
 upon confrontation with the predator’s mucus trails. The looping behavior
 reduced the probability of the predator reaching the endpoint of the
 prey’s mucus trail. These results suggest a potential strategy whereby
 predators exploit prey mucus trails for localization, along with a
 counter-strategy through which prey minimize the risk of detection. Our
 findings provide novel insights into how information shapes predator-prey
 interactions, indicating the potential existence of an information-induced
 arms race.
description: # Raw data: Tracing the Battle: Role of Mucus Trails in Information
 Warfare between Predator Snail and Prey Limpet --- ## Description of the
 data and file structure The raw data in Data_JAE_250926y.w.xlsx consist of
 predator snail and prey limpet trajectories collected in two laboratory
 experiments. Four datasets are included: Data 1: distance, displacement,
 looping, and heading change in Experiment 1 Data 2: probability of
 reaching producer endpoints in Experiment 1 Data 3: distance,
 displacement, looping, and heading change in Experiments 1 and 2 Data 4:
 probability of reaching producer endpoints in Experiments 1 and 2 ### Data
 1 variables date: date of data collection ID: experiment ID on that date
 col_date: date animals were collected sp.provider: species of the producer
 (Predator snail or Prey limpet) sp.user: species of the responder
 (Predator snail or Prey limpet) Role: role of the individual (Provider =
 producer, User = responder) Actual.distance: accumulated distance traveled
 along the trajectory (mm) Direct.distance: straight-line distance between
 start and endpoint (displacement, mm) tdegreeRotation: number of loops
 sumdegree: total degree of heading change ### Data 2 variables date: date
 of data collection ID: experiment ID on that date sp.provider: species of
 the producer (Predator snail or Prey limpet) sp.user: species of the
 responder (Predator snail or Prey limpet) reached: responder reached
 endpoint of producer trail; 1 = reaced, 0 = not reached ### Data 3
 variables Group: role of the prey limpet individual; Exp1.provider =
 producer in Experiment 1, Exp1.user = responder in Experiment 1,
 Exp2.provider = producer in Experiment 2 Actual.distance: accumulated
 distance traveled along the trajectory (mm) Direct.distance: straight-line
 distance between start and endpoint (displacement, mm) tdegreeRotation:
 number of loops sumdegree: total degree of heading change ### Data 4
 variables sp.provider: species of the producer (Predator snail or Prey
 limpet) sp.user: species of the responder (Predator snail or Prey limpet)
 Actual.distance.provider: accumulated distance traveled along the
 trajectory of producer (mm) Direct.distance.provider: straight-line
 distance between start and endpoint of producer (displacement, mm)
 provider.tdegreeRotation: number of loops of producer provider.sumdegree:
 total degree of heading change of the producer Exp: experiment; Exp1 =
 Experiment 1, Exp2 = Experiment 2 reached: responder reached endpoint of
 producer trail; 1 = reaced, 0 = not reached #### Sharing/Access
 information Users are advised to contact the corresponding author if they
 require additional guidance. ## Code/Software No code and software are
 included.