Predation risk assessment based on uncertain information: interacting effects of known and unknown cues

Feyten, Laurence E A; Demers, Ebony E.M.; Ramnarine, Indar W.; Brown, G. E.

doi:10.1093/cz/zoy083

Cited by 18 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…For both populations tested, guppies exhibited an increased latency to inspect and reduced inspection rates and inspecting group sizes when the model predator was paired with disturbance cues versus a stream water control. Previous studies have shown similar predator inspection patterns towards model predators paired with known (damage‐released chemical alarm cue) and unknown (phenotypically plastic neophobic predator avoidance) cues during in situ observations of natural Trinidadian guppy populations (Brown et al, , ; Feyten et al, ). The consistency of response patterns among these studies provides strong evidence that disturbance cues do indeed act as a source of chemosensory risk assessment information under fully natural conditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…Likewise, inspecting fish are extremely sensitive to perceived risk and therefore should exhibit inspection behaviours that vary commensurately based on the level of perceived risk (Dugatkin & Godin, , ). Consequently, predator inspection behaviour has been used as a reliable test to measure the perception and assessment of predation risk by prey fish, such as Trinidadian guppies (Brown et al, ; Brown & Godin, ; Dugatkin, , ; Dugatkin & Godin, , ; Feyten, Demers, Ramnarine, & Brown, ). We conducted in situ observations in two streams differing in ambient predation pressure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Disturbance cues as a source of risk assessment information under natural conditions

2020

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Disturbance cues are released by stressed or disturbed prey prior to a predator attack and convey useful risk assessment information regarding local threats. While studies have shown that disturbance cues may be important early on within the predation sequence (prior to an attack), their role in predator–prey interactions remains relatively overlooked by ecologists. Critically, experimental studies examining disturbance cues, especially among prey fishes, have been conducted primarily under laboratory or semi‐natural conditions. Here, we tested the prediction that disturbance cues function as sources of risk assessment information in situ. We exposed Trinidadian guppies, in two natural populations differing in predation risk, to a model predator paired with stream water or the disturbance cue collected from guppies from either a high‐ or low‐predation risk population. We found that the predator inspection response of guppies to disturbance cues depends on the level of risk of both the focal and the cue source population. Guppies from both populations exhibited increased latencies to inspect, lower inspection rates and reduced inspecting group sizes towards the model paired with conspecific disturbance cues versus a stream water control. Interestingly, guppies of both populations showed evidence of higher perceived predation risk towards the disturbance cues collected from high‐predation risk donors compared to low‐predation risk donors. Our results support the hypothesis that disturbance cues function as a source of information used by prey fish in the assessment of predation risk and provide the first evidence of disturbance cue function under fully natural conditions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disturbance cues as a source of risk assessment information under natural conditions

2020

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“…In their natural habitat, due to turbidity and a cocktail of olfactory cues, such shoals almost always have incomplete information of a potential predator. To gather information on risk imposed by a predator, prey species integrate reliable as well as unreliable information of the predator (Feyten et al 2019). Across taxa, prey species show greater fear responses on encountering incomplete information (Ferrari et al 2012; Crane and Ferrari 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of multimodal sensory cues in predator avoidance by wild-caught zebrafish shoals

Mukherjee

Malakar

Das

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Shoaling in fishes is regulated by factors like predation, vegetation cover, water flow and food availability. Shoals detect and respond to changes in these ecological factors using a multimodal sensory system. Here, we examine the immediate response of wild-caught zebrafish (Danio rerio)shoals to cues from its natural predator, the snakehead (Channa sp.). Zebrafish shoals were recorded upon exposure to (1) olfactory predator cues, (2) visual predator cues, (3) both cues together, and (4) no cue. We tracked individuals and analysed shoal responses across these treatments. We found that compared to control treatments, shoals receiving either visual or olfactory cues had significantly greater: (i) cohesion, (ii) polarization and (iii) velocity. Interestingly, when the shoals received both cues simultaneously, the cohesion, polarization and velocity decreased and a significantly greater number of individual freezing events occurred. Therefore, zebrafish relied on both visual and olfactory cues to escape predation. However, when shoals were presented with both cues together, while freezing frequency increased, other responses were comparable to control treatments where no predator cue was provided. While this study indicates that multimodal cues elicit a different anti-predator response than the cues singly, more experiments are required to identify the underlying cause of this behaviour.

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“…As local individuals spend extended periods of time in the same location, they might have more complete information about their current local environment, simply because they had more opportunities to sample this environment (Dall et al, 2015). These individuals could then be expected to be very well informed about predation risks throughout the year, and thus might behave more confidently, i.e., risk prone (Error management theory: Johnson et al, 2013; Feyten et al, 2019). This could facilitate quick adaptation to novel changes to the environment, but may also expose local bats to more to danger (e.g., wind turbines or unsuitable roosts).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Migration strategy varies with novel environment response in common noctule bats

Schabacker

Rizzi

Teige³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Global ecosystems are changing dramatically due to land transformation and climate change. Global change is a particular challenge for migratory animals that rely on multiple stepping stones on their journeys. Migratory animals have a range of strategies to accomplish this, but not all of these strategies may be appropriate for the challenges ahead. Understanding the variation in migratory strategies and their behavioural correlates is therefore critical to understand how vulnerable species will be in the future, especially in endangered and elusive taxa such as bats. Here, we combined isotopic geolocation with an in-situ behavioural assay to investigate whether behavioural responses to a roost-like novel environment correlated with variation in migration strategies (local or distant origin based on isotopic geographic assignments), in the partially migratory bat, Nyctalus noctula. We quantified emergence behaviour, spatial activity, and echolocation call activity. Local bats were more likely to emerge into the novel environment than bats from more distant origins. However, local and distant bats did not differ in spatial activity and acoustic exploration (relative call activity per space unit). Our findings indicate that local bats may more pro-actively cope with novelty, but that acoustic exploration is equally important for local and migratory bats during explorations.

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Predation risk assessment based on uncertain information: interacting effects of known and unknown cues

Cited by 18 publications

References 8 publications

Disturbance cues as a source of risk assessment information under natural conditions

Disturbance cues as a source of risk assessment information under natural conditions

Use of multimodal sensory cues in predator avoidance by wild-caught zebrafish shoals

Migration strategy varies with novel environment response in common noctule bats

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