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Related Experiment Video

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A Proboscis Extension Response Protocol for Investigating Behavioral Plasticity in Insects: Application to Basic, Biomedical, and Agricultural Research

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Published on: September 8, 2014

Phenotypically plastic neophobia: a response to variable predation risk.

Grant E Brown¹, Maud C O Ferrari, Chris K Elvidge

¹Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St West, Montreal, Qubec, Canada H4B 1R6. gbrown@algol.concordia.ca

Proceedings. Biological Sciences

|February 8, 2013

Summary

Predators can induce fear and avoidance in prey, a phenomenon called risk-induced neophobia. This adaptive anti-predator strategy helps vulnerable species survive varying predation risks in the wild.

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Drosophila Passive Avoidance Behavior as a New Paradigm to Study Associative Aversive Learning

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Animal Behavior
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

Prey species exhibit diverse adaptations to avoid predators, with many relying on experience for defense.
Naive prey face significant mortality risks upon first predator encounters, an unresolved ecological issue.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide the first evidence of risk-induced neophobia in fish and amphibians.
To demonstrate that phenotypically plastic neophobia is an adaptive anti-predator strategy for prey facing variable predation risk.

Main Methods:

Conducted laboratory and field studies on fish and amphibians.
Investigated the expression of anti-predator behaviors under different risk conditions.

Main Results:

Provided the first evidence for risk-induced neophobia in fish and amphibians.
Demonstrated that neophobia is a plastic, adaptive response to predation risk.
Highlighted limitations of risk-free laboratory conditions in observing certain anti-predator strategies.

Conclusions:

Risk-induced neophobia is an adaptive anti-predator strategy for prey in environments with fluctuating predation pressure.
Laboratory studies may underestimate prey's adaptive anti-predator responses if conducted in low-risk settings.