Predator Cues Induce Defensive Responses in Marine Prey: A Metabolomics Decoding of Blue Crab Urine Biomarkers.
5 affiliations
- 1School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia30332, United States.
- 2School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia30332, United States.
- 3Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island, Alabama36528, United States.
- 4Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia30332, United States.
- 5School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama36608, United States.
Abstract
Prey rely on chemical cues to detect predators, especially in coastal ecosystems where danger is concealed by turbid waters. Juvenile oysters (Crassostrea virginica) respond to blue crab (Callinectus sapidus) chemical cues by growing stronger shells, while mud crabs (Panopeus herbstii) reduce foraging to avoid detection. However, the chemical composition of marine fear cues is largely unknown, partly due to methodological challenges. In this study, metabolomics was used to pinpoint predator metabolites that correlated with induced juvenile oyster defenses when exposed to the urine of blue crabs fed either oysters or mud crabs and to determine the chemical composition of these fear cues. Genetic algorithms applied to urine mass spectra coupled with bioassay data confirmed that metabolites from blue crab urine are responsible for fear responses by oysters. Sixteen compounds (of over 700) were determined to be potentially important cues used by juvenile oysters to detect blue crabs, with 3-(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl) propanoic acid identified as the most important contributor to this effect. These results indicate that oysters rely on certain metabolites that are ubiquitous in a variety of chemical blends to evaluate predation risk, and the response of juvenile oysters is not dependent on a singular metabolite but on numerous metabolites working in conjunction.
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BibTeX
@article{cepeda2026predator,
title = {{Predator Cues Induce Defensive Responses in Marine Prey: A Metabolomics Decoding of Blue Crab Urine Biomarkers.}},
author = {Marisa R Cepeda and Benton R Jaco and Benjamin A Belgrad and Maria E Branch and Samuel G Moore and Sarah H Roney and David A Gaul and Delbert L Smee and Marc J Weissburg and Julia Kubanek},
journal = {Journal of proteome research},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1021/acs.jproteome.6c00084},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42918102},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Predator Cues Induce Defensive Responses in Marine Prey: A Metabolomics Decoding of Blue Crab Urine Biomarkers.
AU - Marisa R Cepeda
AU - Benton R Jaco
AU - Benjamin A Belgrad
AU - Maria E Branch
AU - Samuel G Moore
AU - Sarah H Roney
AU - David A Gaul
AU - Delbert L Smee
AU - Marc J Weissburg
AU - Julia Kubanek
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Journal of proteome research
DO - 10.1021/acs.jproteome.6c00084
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42918102
AB - Prey rely on chemical cues to detect predators, especially in coastal ecosystems where danger is concealed by turbid waters. Juvenile oysters (Crassostrea virginica) respond to blue crab (Callinectus sapidus) chemical cues by growing stronger shells, while mud crabs (Panopeus herbstii) reduce foraging to avoid detection. However, the chemical composition of marine fear cues is largely unknown, partly due to methodological challenges. In this study, metabolomics was used to pinpoint predator metabolites that correlated with induced juvenile oyster defenses when exposed to the urine of blue crabs fed either oysters or mud crabs and to determine the chemical composition of these fear cues. Genetic algorithms applied to urine mass spectra coupled with bioassay data confirmed that metabolites from blue crab urine are responsible for fear responses by oysters. Sixteen compounds (of over 700) were determined to be potentially important cues used by juvenile oysters to detect blue crabs, with 3-(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl) propanoic acid identified as the most important contributor to this effect. These results indicate that oysters rely on certain metabolites that are ubiquitous in a variety of chemical blends to evaluate predation risk, and the response of juvenile oysters is not dependent on a singular metabolite but on numerous metabolites working in conjunction.
SN - 1535-3893
SN - 1535-3907
ER -