Australian native mammals recognize and respond to alien predators: a meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Conservation Biology
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• Prey naiveté, the failure to recognize novel predators, is hypothesized to exacerbate impacts of invasive alien predators on native wildlife.
• Australia faces significant native mammal declines, attributed to introduced predators such as the feral cat (Felis catus) and European red fox (Vulpes vulpes).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate Australian mammal responses to native and alien predator cues.
• To determine if prey naiveté towards alien predators contributes to their exaggerated impacts in Australia.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a meta-analysis of 94 studies examining Australian mammal responses to predator cues.
• Compared responses to native predators versus alien predators (foxes and cats).

Main Results:

• Australian mammals consistently recognized alien foxes as a threat, likely due to prior experience with dingoes (Canis lupus dingo).
• Recognition of alien cats was observed, but often manifested as risk-taking rather than antipredator behavior in several studies.
• Results suggest prey naiveté is not the primary driver of exaggerated impacts by alien predators in Australia.

Conclusions:

• A simple failure to recognize alien predators does not explain the severe impacts on Australian native mammals.
• Further research is urgently needed to understand the nuances of antipredator responses to alien predators and native prey vulnerability.