Overcoming prey naiveté: Free‐living marsupials develop recognition and effective behavioral responses to alien predators in Australia

Bytheway, Jenna P.; Banks, Peter B.

doi:10.1111/gcb.14607

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 93 publications

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“…In contrast, evolutionary responses of native species to invaders are less frequently considered and most evidence involves animals (Strauss et al 2006). Thereby, high impacts of alien species are frequently explained by the native species being naïve with regards to the novel threat (which, however, can be overcome over time, for example, Bytheway and Banks 2019). The few studies investigating evolutionary adaptation to competition between plants have mostly focused on invasive plants that produce allelochemicals (Callaway et al 2005;Lankau 2012;Dostál et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competitive ability of native and alien plants: effects of residence time and invasion status

Sheppard¹,

Brendel²

2021

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Competition is commonly thought to underlie the impact of plant invasions. However, competitive effects of aliens and competitive response of natives may also change over time. Indeed, as with time, the novelty of an invader decreases, the accumulated eco-evolutionary experience of resident species may eventually limit invasion success. We aimed to gain insights on whether directional changes in biotic interactions over time or more general differences between natives and aliens, for instance, resulting from an introduction bias, are relevant in determining competitive ability. We conducted a pairwise competition experiment in a target-neighbour design, using 47 Asteraceae species with residence times between 8 years-12,000 years in Germany. We first tested whether there are differences in performance in intraspecific competition amongst invasion status groups, that is casual and established neophytes, archaeophytes or native species. We then evaluated whether competitive response and effects depend on residence time or invasion status. Lastly, we assessed whether competitive effects influence range sizes. We found only limited evidence that native target species tolerate neighbours with longer potential co-existence times better, whereas differences in competitive ability were mostly better explained by invasion status than residence time. Although casual neophytes produced most biomass in intraspecific competition, they had the weakest per-capita competitive effects on natives. Notably, we did not find differences between established neophytes and natives, both of which ranked highest in interspecific competitive ability. This lack of differences might be explained by a biased selection of highly invasive or rare native species in previous studies or because invasion success may result from mechanisms other than interspecific competitive superiority. Accordingly, interspecific per-capita competitive effects did not influence range sizes. Further studies across a broader range of environmental conditions, involving other biotic interactions that indirectly influence plant-plant interactions, may clarify when eco-evolutionary adaptations to new invaders are a relevant mechanism.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competitive ability of native and alien plants: effects of residence time and invasion status

Sheppard¹,

Brendel²

2021

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“…Some species of passerine birds have been shown to learn responses to novel predators in evolutionarily short time frames Maloney & McLean, 1995;Massaro et al, 2008), while others appear to have innate responses to novel predators (Veen, Richardson, Blaakmeer, & Komdeur, 2000). Mammals have also shown the ability to respond appropriately to novel predators after evolutionary short time frames (Bytheway & Banks, 2019), indicating this phenomenon is not unique to one taxonomic lineage. Our study cannot distinguish whether the endemic birds we studied had learned to recognize rats based on direct experience or whether an innate, genetically based response has been selected for over the last few Assuming the ancestors of endemic Hawaiian birds were able to recognize rats and snakes as predators, the loss of recognition of those predators occurred even though other predator types were present on the islands, indicating these responses may not follow the multipredator hypothesis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses to terrestrial nest predators by endemic and introduced Hawaiian birds

Cummins

Theimer

Paxton

2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Birds free from nest predators for long periods may either lose the ability to recognize and respond to predators or retain antipredator responses if they are not too costly. How these alternate scenarios play out has rarely been investigated in an avian community whose members have different evolutionary histories. We presented models of two nest predators (rat and snake) and a negative control (tree branch) to birds on Hawaiʻi Island. Endemic Hawaiian birds evolved in the absence of terrestrial predators until rats were introduced approximately 1,000 years ago. Introduced birds evolved with diverse predator communities including mammals and snakes, but since their introduction onto the island approximately one century ago have been free from snake predation. We found that (a) endemic and introduced birds had higher agitation scores toward the rat model compared with the branch, and (b) none of the endemic birds reacted to the snake model, while one introduced bird, the Red‐billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea), reacted as strongly to the snake as to the rat. Overall, endemic and introduced birds differ in their response to predators, but some endemic birds have the capacity to recognize and respond to introduced rats, and one introduced bird species retained recognition of snake predators from which they had been free for nearly a century, while another apparently lost that ability. Our results indicate that the retention or loss of predator recognition by introduced and endemic island birds is variable, shaped by each species' unique history, ecology, and the potential interplay of genetic drift, and that endemic Hawaiian birds could be especially vulnerable to introduced snake predators.

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“…If interactions between predator and prey are altered or novel, such as in urban ecosystems, there can be deleterious impacts to the prey species (Bridges, 1999;Carthey and Blumstein, 2018), that can cascade through the ecosystem (Brown et al, 2015), at least for an initial period. With time, repeat encounters with a stressor, such as a novel predator, can incite an adaptive response (West et al, 2018;Bytheway and Banks, 2019;Tay et al, 2021). However, when predation pressures are strong and persistent, as with numerous different predators in a novel system, they can deplete prey species' energy budgets for reproduction and health management either via energy exhaustion from repeat stress (i.e., the predation stress hypothesis: Moberg, 1991;Boonstra et al, 1998;Clinchy et al, 2004;Romero, 2004), or via reduced nutrition from foraging compromises (i.e., the predator-sensitive food hypothesis: Sinclair and Arcese, 1995;Brown and Kotler, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influences of roaming domestic cats on wildlife activity in patchy urban environments

2023

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Roaming domestic cats (Felis catus) are recognised as a threat to wildlife globally. Yet management of pet cats in urbanised areas is not regularly mandated, and management of feral cats in urbanised areas is rarely implemented. Mounting evidence emphasises the value of urban environments as hot spots of wildlife activity, which as the human population continues to grow may become the best or only habitats available to some wildlife species. Wildlife in urban environments must navigate introduced stressors that can compound with natural stressors. Additional, often novel, predators such as free-roaming pet and feral cats that are prevalent in urban environments could have high nonconsumptive fear/stress impacts on urban wildlife that influence their activity and adversely affect their health and reproduction capabilities, possibly more so than direct predation effects do. Cat roaming activity, particularly that of pet cats, could be managed with the support of the community, though motivation needs to be ensured. Understanding if roaming cat activity influences urban wildlife activity via perceived fear/stress impacts will help to build community motivation for the need for domestic cat management in urbanised areas. Using infrared motion sensor cameras positioned in both yards and green space edge habitats, we observed whether the presence and times active of native and introduced small mammals, and native birds, were impacted by domestic cat activity within a 24-h period and by their activity in the prior-24-h period. We found evidence of cat roaming activity during the hours of most wildlife activity, and show that wildlife navigated “landscapes of fear” relative to cat activity, as wildlife observed across a 24-h period increased their activity in the absence of cats in the same 24-h period and in the previous 24-h period. We also tested if cat activity was relative to previous cat activity, or disturbances, and found that cats reduced activity in response to each, but were still consistently present. Our results provide justification for the need to increase management of domestic cats in urbanised areas and offer fear/stress impacts as a novel approach to engender community support of such management.

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Overcoming prey naiveté: Free‐living marsupials develop recognition and effective behavioral responses to alien predators in Australia

Cited by 12 publications

References 93 publications

Competitive ability of native and alien plants: effects of residence time and invasion status

Competitive ability of native and alien plants: effects of residence time and invasion status

Responses to terrestrial nest predators by endemic and introduced Hawaiian birds

Influences of roaming domestic cats on wildlife activity in patchy urban environments

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