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Learning temporal patterns of risk in a predator-diverse environment.

Yoland J Bosiger1, Oona M Lonnstedt, Mark I McCormick

  • 1ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia. yoland.bosiger@my.jcu.edu.au

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Summary

Juvenile lemon damselfish (Pomacentrus moluccensis) can learn and adjust their antipredator behavior to match predictable daily predation risk patterns. This demonstrates prey adapt foraging to temporal threats in complex environments.

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Area of Science:

  • Behavioral ecology
  • Predator-prey dynamics
  • Marine biology

Background:

  • Predation risk significantly influences prey behavior, including daily activity and foraging patterns.
  • Understanding prey responses to temporal predation risk is crucial, especially in diverse ecosystems like coral reefs.
  • Research on prey's ability to adapt to varied predator communities and temporal risk patterns is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if juvenile lemon damselfish (Pomacentrus moluccensis) can learn and adjust the intensity of their antipredator response to predictable daily temporal predation risk.
  • To determine if prey can modify their behavior based on the timing of predator presence and threat levels.

Main Methods:

  • Juvenile lemon damselfish were exposed to two distinct, predictable temporal predation risk patterns over six days.
  • Treatments involved pairing predator odor (rockcod) with alarm cues (simulating high risk) or presenting predator odor alone (simulating low risk) at different times of day.
  • Antipredator response intensity was measured by testing individual fish's reaction to predator odor at different times.

Main Results:

  • Fish exposed to "morning risk" showed a stronger antipredator response in the morning than in the evening.
  • Fish exposed to "evening risk" exhibited a greater antipredator response in the evening compared to the morning.
  • These results indicate a learned adjustment of antipredator behavior to match temporal risk patterns.

Conclusions:

  • Pomacentrus moluccensis demonstrates the capacity to learn temporal patterns of predation risk.
  • Prey can adjust their foraging and antipredator strategies to align with the daily threat posed by predators.
  • This study provides the first experimental evidence for prey learning and responding to daily predation risk cycles in complex, multi-predator environments.