We examined if water striders were able to recognize food distribution from sensory (surface vibrations and visual cues) information only (i. e. they are prescient foragers). Non-reproductive Aquarius remigis (Gerridae, Heteroptera) were stimulated to defend territories in laboratory conditions by simulating prey items falling down on the water surface so that no prey consumption was possible. In patchy prey distribution water striders were more aggressive than in random prey distribution suggesting that water striders were able to use prescient information to assess food distribution. The tests were conducted in artificial habitats differing in the maximal distance from which information about resources and competitors could be collected through surface vibrations. We showed that territory size was positively correlated with home range size of an individual but not with its aggression, and that this correlation was absent in habitats which allowed long-distance exchange of information between individuals through water surface vibrations.
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