Variability in Sensory Ecology: Expanding the Bridge Between Physiology and Evolutionary Biology

Dangles, Olivier; Irschick, Duncan J.; Chittka, Lars; Casas, Jérôme

doi:10.1086/596463

Cited by 85 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 234 publications

(224 reference statements)

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“…By temporally decoupling the cue from the prey, we exploited the normal perceptual filtering that occurs to sensory information gathered during foraging (i.e., we placed prey into the environment after predators' attention to it waned). The initial level of activity at nests suggests that black rats recognized cues associated with domestic quail odor and artificial nests as potential prey despite not having encountered the species previously (23), which may be a result of their generalist habits and a causal factor in their detrimental impacts on native bird populations globally (24). Motivation to investigate new, unrecognized food cues and disregard unrewarded odors are likely to be adaptive for alien predators and Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploiting olfactory learning in alien rats to protect birds’ eggs

Price

Banks

2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Predators must ignore unhelpful background "noise" within information-rich environments and focus on useful cues of prey activity to forage efficiently. Learning to disregard unrewarding cues should happen quickly, weakening future interest in the cue. Prey odor, which is rapidly investigated by predators, may be particularly appropriate for testing whether consistently unrewarded cues are ignored, and whether such behavior can be exploited to benefit prey. Using wild free-ranging populations of black rats, Rattus rattus, an alien predator of global concern, we tested whether the application of bird-nesting odors before the introduction of artificial nests (odor preexposure), enhanced the survival of birds eggs (prey) compared with areas where prey and nesting odors were introduced concurrently. In areas where predators had encountered prey odor before prey being available, the subsequently introduced eggs showed 62% greater survival than in areas where prey and odor were introduced together. We suggest that black rats preexposed to prey odor learned to ignore the unrewarding cue, leading to a significant improvement in prey survival that held for the 7-d monitoring period. Exploiting rapid learning that underpins foraging decisions by manipulating sensory contexts offers a nonlethal, but effective approach to reducing undesirable predatory impacts. Techniques based on olfactory preexposure may provide prey with protection during critical periods of vulnerability, such as immediately following a prey reintroduction. These results also highlight the potential benefits to species conservation to be gained from a greater understanding of the cognitive mechanisms driving alien predator behavior within ecological contexts.predation | sensory learning | habituation | foraging behavior | information use E fficient predators must identify and then pursue cues of profitable prey while ignoring stimuli that have proved unrewarding (1, 2). Such optimal foraging tactics rely on complex discrimination tasks being made rapidly and accurately within dynamic environments and benefit from attentional mechanisms, such as search images (3, 4), which assist the hunter to focus on useful information. How unrewarding prey cues are ignored remains unexplored in ecological contexts, despite the obvious fitness advantage for generalist predators switching between multiple prey. Being able to deceive predators into ignoring relevant cues may also have practical implications for assisting the survival of vulnerable prey that have ineffective defenses, such as some native prey facing alien predators (5).Optimal behavior models imply that previous experience influences whether a predator pursues or ignores prey cues (6, 7). In a study examining predatory behavior in wild red squirrels Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, Pelech et al. (8) showed that squirrels experienced in finding artificial nests containing food found nests quicker than nonexperienced animals. Successful foraging experience facilitated faster detection of nests and increased prey vu...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploiting olfactory learning in alien rats to protect birds’ eggs

Price

Banks

2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…While sensory systems are capable of adapting to short-and long-term changes [50], and bats adjust call frequency and intensity on a short-term basis to the present task and habitat [37,42], it is unknown whether and to what extent they are able to behaviourally compensate for long-term changes of sound transmission loss. Caused by the existing variation in temperature, bats might already have mechanisms to adapt their (vocal) behaviour to variable atmospheric attenuation, or to manage the costs of variable prey detection ability.…”

Section: Potential Compensation For Reduced Prey Detection Volumementioning

confidence: 99%

Global warming alters sound transmission: differential impact on the prey detection ability of echolocating bats

Luo

Koselj

Zsebők

et al. 2014

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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Climate change impacts the biogeography and phenology of plants and animals, yet the underlying mechanisms are little known. Here, we present a functional link between rising temperature and the prey detection ability of echolocating bats. The maximum distance for echo-based prey detection is physically determined by sound attenuation. Attenuation is more pronounced for high-frequency sound, such as echolocation, and is a nonlinear function of both call frequency and ambient temperature. Hence, the prey detection ability, and thus possibly the foraging efficiency, of echolocating bats and susceptible to rising temperatures through climate change. Using present-day climate data and projected temperature rises, we modelled this effect for the entire range of bat call frequencies and climate zones around the globe. We show that depending on call frequency, the prey detection volume of bats will either decrease or increase: species calling above a crossover frequency will lose and species emitting lower frequencies will gain prey detection volume, with crossover frequency and magnitude depending on the local climatic conditions. Within local species assemblages, this may cause a change in community composition. Global warming can thus directly affect the prey detection ability of individual bats and indirectly their interspecific interactions with competitors and prey.

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“…Because they are involved in many interspecific interactions, a sound ecological understanding of these flow sensors should incorporate the sensory aspects of both partners involved (16). Several integrated approaches to studying fluid flow sensing have included an analysis of both partners, especially in predator-prey interactions such as between spider and fly (2), bat and mantis (77), frog and spider (73), spider and cricket (10, 15,18,19), and herbivore and predator copepods (50).…”

Section: Insights From Predator-prey Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their commonality is the ease of keeping the organism in culture, which bears a hidden price. For these species, few data obtained using ecological conditions in the field are available (15,16,81). We have highlighted here the need for ecologically relevant studies.…”

Section: Sensory Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical Ecology of Fluid Flow Sensing in Arthropods

Casas

Dangles

2010

Annu. Rev. Entomol.

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Terrestrial and aquatic arthropods sense fluid flow in many behavioral and ecological contexts, using dedicated, highly sensitive mechanosensory hairs, which are often abundant. Strong similarities exist in the biomechanics of flow sensors and in the sensory ecology of insects, arachnids, and crustaceans in their respective fluid environments. We extend these considerations to flow in sand and its implications for flow sensing by arthropods inhabiting this granular medium. Finally, we highlight the need to merge the various findings of studies that have focused on different arthropods in different fluids. This could be achieved using the unique combination, for sensory ecology, of both a workable and well-accepted mathematical model for hair-based flow sensing, both in air and water, and microelectronic mechanical systems microtechnology to tinker with physical models.

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Variability in Sensory Ecology: Expanding the Bridge Between Physiology and Evolutionary Biology

Cited by 85 publications

References 234 publications

Exploiting olfactory learning in alien rats to protect birds’ eggs

Exploiting olfactory learning in alien rats to protect birds’ eggs

Global warming alters sound transmission: differential impact on the prey detection ability of echolocating bats

Physical Ecology of Fluid Flow Sensing in Arthropods

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