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Related Experiment Video

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A Real-Time Interactive System for Studying Confrontational Pursuit Behavior in Rodents

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When is general wariness favored in avoiding multiple predator types?

Ben O Brilot¹, Melissa Bateson, Daniel Nettle

¹Centre for Behavior and Evolution, Institute of Neuroscience, Henry Wellcome Building, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, United Kingdom. ben.brilot@ncl.ac.uk

The American Naturalist

|May 24, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Prey animals may exhibit specific responsiveness or general wariness when facing multiple predators. General wariness is optimal when incorrect anti-predator responses have differing fitness costs, not when predators are hard to distinguish.

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Area of Science:

Behavioral ecology
Predator-prey dynamics
Evolutionary game theory

Background:

Most prey species face multiple predator types, yet adaptive anti-predator responses are often studied assuming a single predator.
Optimal prey responses can be 'specific responsiveness' (based on attack probability) or 'general wariness' (increased response to one predator increases response to others).

Purpose of the Study:

To mathematically model prey adaptive responses to dual predator types.
To determine conditions favoring specific responsiveness versus general wariness.
To explore the influence of cue perception and differential fitness costs on anti-predator strategies.

Main Methods:

Formulation of a mathematical model analyzing prey decisions based on perceived predator cues.
Simulation of prey responses to two predator types with varying attack probabilities.
Analysis of fitness consequences associated with correct and incorrect evasive behaviors.

Main Results:

General wariness is favored when incorrect behavioral decisions incur differential fitness costs.
Difficulty in discriminating between predator types does not inherently promote general wariness.
Specific responsiveness is predicted for mutually exclusive anti-predator behaviors, like referential alarm calls.

Conclusions:

Prey may generalize defensive responses based on cue similarity if the response is generally useful.
Habituation to human disturbance may generalize only to predators eliciting similar anti-predator responses.
Understanding these dynamics is crucial for conservation efforts involving human-wildlife interactions.