Post-attack defensive displays in three praying mantis species

O’Hanlon, James C.; Rathnayake, Darshana N.; Barry, Katherine L.; Umbers, Kate D. L.

doi:10.1007/s00265-018-2591-6

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…There are also significant differences in antipredator behaviours in stalk-eyed flies (Teleopsis dalmanni) where males' exaggerated large eye spans allow for an aggressive physical 'jabbing' behaviour to deter predators (Worthington and Swallow 2010). Similar sex differences in deimatic display intensity are found in praying mantises in which females have more elaborate and intense displays (O'Hanlon et al 2018). Such differences in display behaviour between the sexes could be an indirect effect of their morphology, which defines escape capacity; female katydids and mantises have limited flight abilities, while the males are smaller and can fly surprisingly well (Umbers and Mappes 2015;De Bona et al 2020).…”

Section: Mountain Katydid Flight or Fight Response To Repeated Attacksmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…Moreover, displays can vary substantially within a species, because individuals make decisions not only about whether to display or not, but also on how intensely to display: this can be achieved by modulating how many components of their display are deployed, for how long and how many times. For example, different stimuli can elicit displays of different intensities in mountain katydids and praying mantises, which display more intensely when they encounter a tactile stimulus in comparison with visual or auditory ones (Umbers and Mappes 2015;O'Hanlon et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Increasing intensity of deimatic behaviour in response to repeated simulated attacks: a case study on the mountain katydid (Acripeza reticulata)

Mourmourakis

Bona

Umbers

2022

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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How and when deimatic behaviours are performed can change during encounters between predators and prey. Some predators attack repeatedly, investigating and manipulating prey, and in response, an individual’s deimatic behaviour may intensify or may diminish in favour of escaping. The presence of a resource can further force a trade-off between displaying and escaping. Here, we examined the intensity of the katydid’s deimatic behaviour, a visual display, the propensity of their escape response under repeated simulated attacks, and how these responses change in the presence of foraging resources. We found that display intensity increased with repeated simulated attacks and that females displayed at a greater intensity than males. The presence of their preferred food plant had no significant effect on display intensity, but reduced escape probability in both sexes. Some katydids were predictable in their display intensity and at the population level we found that strong display intensity is moderately repeatable. Overall, our results suggest that 1) display intensity increases with repeated attacks and might indicate a cost in performing at maximum intensity upon first attack, 2) deploying a deimatic display while feeding can reduce the need to flee a rich foraging patch and 3) some individuals are consistent in their display intensities. Future experiments that aim to determine causal mechanisms such as limitations to perception of predators, sensitisation to stimuli and physiological constraints to display intensity will provide necessary insight into how deimatic displays function. Significance statement Though often regarded as success or failure, interactions between predators and prey during the attack phase of a predation event are complex, especially when predators make repeated investigative attacks in quick succession. Our study shows that in mountain katydids, intensity of deimatic behaviour increases with repeated attacks, perhaps indicating that prey sensitise or that maximal displays during initial attacks carry high costs such as conspicuousness. The intensity of the display does not change with the introduction of a valuable food resource, but the probability of fleeing decreased, suggesting that displaying may reduce the opportunity costs of leaving a patch. We also show that individuals vary in the repeatability of their display, suggesting that deimatic display may be highly adaptable, nuanced and targeted.

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Section: Mountain Katydid Flight or Fight Response To Repeated Attacksmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing intensity of deimatic behaviour in response to repeated simulated attacks: a case study on the mountain katydid (Acripeza reticulata)

Mourmourakis

Bona

Umbers

2022

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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“…Both of these interpretations rely on the potential prey modifying predator behavior to facilitate survival. However, predator responses to deimatic displays have only rarely been assessed (Holmes et al., 2018; Kang et al., 2016; Kim et al., 2020; O’Hanlon et al., 2018), probably for a variety of logistical reasons (e.g., selection of appropriate predator, accurately assessing predator response and cognition). In general, research on predator cognition has lagged behind research on prey species that exhibit antipredator traits (e.g., mimicry, decoy coloration).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tactile stimuli induce deimatic antipredator displays in ringneck snakes

et al. 2021

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Adaptations for predator defense are often complex traits with integrated display components spanning multiple signaling modalities. For antipredator coloration like deimatic or startle coloration, behavioral variation controlling dynamic color displays is an important but poorly understood component of the predator defense in most taxa. We studied antipredator behavior in North American ringneck snakes (Diadophis punctatus), which possess a brightly colored (red to yellow) ventral surface of the body and the tail compared to the mostly gray dorsal coloration. We sought to (a) characterize intraspecific variation in antipredator behaviors in ringneck snakes and (b) test which stimuli can induce antipredator displays. First, we assessed antipredator displays in the field and during routine handling during data collection by comparing categorical classifications of all displayed behavior across 25 individuals. Second, we performed experimental assays with tactile and visual stimuli to determine the cues that can elicit an antipredator display in ringneck snakes. We found that antipredator displays include ventral displays and tail‐coiling and that these components were induced by tactile cues in the field and the lab, but not visual cues. Our work is the first to show that a snake species with bright ventral coloration uses this behavior in response to tactile cues from a potential predator, but only in response to relatively strong stimuli (i.e., handling). This experimental evidence that tactile stimuli can induce a behavior revealing bright ventral coloration highlights the importance of correlated evolution of antipredator coloration and behavior.

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“…For example, stimuli used to entice mantises to perform displays vary and but are often not ecologically relevant, e.g. physical stimuli applied by human experimenters (the 'science poke' [13,65]) or looming objects [66]. This leaves us with the question as to whether or not the descriptions truly reflect how and in response to what stimuli displays are used in the wild.…”

Section: (C) Do Evolutionary Patterns Differ Between Behavioural and Colour Pattern Display Components?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The charismatic nature of startle displays is at odds with our poor understanding of the mechanisms by which they function, their evolutionary correlates, and the conditions under which they are performed and evolve [4,13]. Phylogenetic comparative methods provide powerful opportunities to develop and test hypotheses on the evolution of complex traits like startle displays and their components [14].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of startle displays: a case study in praying mantises

et al. 2020

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Anti-predator defences are typically regarded as relatively static signals that conceal prey or advertise their unprofitability. However, startle displays are complex performances that deter or confuse predators and can include a spectacular array of movements, colours and sounds. Yet, we do not fully understand the mechanisms by which they function, their evolutionary correlates, or the conditions under which they are performed and evolve. Here, we present, to our knowledge, the first phylogenetically controlled comparative analyses of startle displays including behavioural data, using praying mantises as a model system. We included 58 species that provide a good representation of mantis diversity and estimated the strength of phylogenetic signal in the presence and complexity of displays. We also tested hypotheses on potential evolutionary correlates, including primary defences and body size. We found that startle displays and morphological traits were phylogenetically conserved, whereas behavioural traits were highly labile. Surprisingly, body size was not correlated with display presence or complexity in phylogenetically controlled analyses. Species-rich clades were more likely to exhibit displays, suggesting that startle displays were probably involved in lineage diversification. We suggest that to further elucidate the conditions under which startle displays evolve, future work should include quantitative descriptions of multiple display components, habitat type, and predator communities. Understanding the evolution of startle displays is critical to our overall understanding of the theory behind predator–prey dynamics.

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Post-attack defensive displays in three praying mantis species

Cited by 11 publications

References 25 publications

Increasing intensity of deimatic behaviour in response to repeated simulated attacks: a case study on the mountain katydid (Acripeza reticulata)

Increasing intensity of deimatic behaviour in response to repeated simulated attacks: a case study on the mountain katydid (Acripeza reticulata)

Tactile stimuli induce deimatic antipredator displays in ringneck snakes

The evolution of startle displays: a case study in praying mantises

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