Red squirrels exhibit antipredator behavioural changes in response to a native predator, the pine marten

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Behavioral Ecology
• Wildlife Biology

Background:

• Prey species evolve antipredator responses to coexisting predators.
• Red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) and pine martens (Martes martes) share an evolutionary history.
• Pine marten resurgence impacts invasive grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) but not native red squirrels in Ireland.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate red squirrel antipredator behavior in response to recent pine marten presence.
• To determine if red squirrels can detect and assess predation risk from pine martens.

Main Methods:

• Utilized trail cameras to monitor interactions between red squirrels and pine martens at feeders.
• Analyzed red squirrel behavior, specifically vigilance and feeding, following observed pine marten visits.

Main Results:

• Red squirrels exhibited increased vigilance and decreased feeding after pine marten presence.
• The intensity of the antipredator response correlated with the proximity of the pine marten visit.
• The effect of the pine marten's presence diminished over time, indicating a temporal risk assessment.

Conclusions:

• Red squirrels demonstrate an ability to detect recent pine marten activity and gauge predation risk based on time elapsed since the predator's visit.
• These adaptive antipredator behaviors are hypothesized to contribute to the recovery of the red squirrel population in Ireland.
• The contrasting population trends of red and grey squirrels may be linked to differential responses to pine marten presence.