Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Brian D. Wisenden, Cody M. Anderson, Kathryn A. Hanson, Molly I. M. Johnson, Craig A. Stockwell
Summary: This study found that both Shoshone pupfish and Amargosa River pupfish respond to conspecific chemical alarm cues by reducing activity and changing their vertical position in the water column. The experiments also demonstrated that pupfish can recognize a novel predator through exposure to epidermal alarm cues, which is the first report of acquired predator recognition in pupfish. These findings have potential implications for the management and conservation of endangered desert fishes.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Kristie Rigby, Erik Selander
Summary: The study tested the hypothesis that predation is one of the drivers behind colony formation and chain length plasticity in nonmotile marine phytoplankton. It was found that two out of three studied species decreased their chain lengths in response to copepodamides, while one species showed a slight increase. The altered size structure has implications for the carbon flow in marine food webs and carbon export to deeper strata.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kristie Rigby, Alexandra Kinnby, Josephine Gronning, Fredrik Ryderheim, Gunnar Cervin, Emma L. Berdan, Erik Selander
Summary: Phytoplankton can respond to chemical alarm signals from grazing zooplankton by inducing defensive traits. However, these signals may be affected by changes in pH and it is not yet known how predator recognition will be affected by ocean acidification. In this study, we exposed diatoms and toxic dinoflagellates to future pCO(2) levels, along with predatory cues from copepods. The results showed that the effects of increased pCO(2) were species-specific, with a significant reduction in growth rate and changes in other traits. Our findings suggest that the copepodamide signalling system is likely to be robust to ocean acidification, but different taxa may have variable responses to it, indicating potential structuring effects on phytoplankton communities.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Brian D. Wisenden, Alexis A. Taylor, Jessica D. Undem, C. Michael Wagner
Summary: This study investigates whether predation by suction feeding releases enough chemical information to trigger an anti-predator response in prey. The results show that there is no detectable alarm behavior-inducing substance in the water surrounding the predation events between zebrafish and largemouth bass. Additionally, prey retrieved through gastric lavage after being swallowed intact by the bass confirms that the prey's skin remains largely intact during suction feeding. Therefore, this study calls for a recalibration of how chemical cues mediate predator-prey interactions in aquatic ecosystems.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Elizabeth C. Long, Erika V. Iyengar
Summary: The study found that isopods from different sources exhibit different movement responses when perceiving chemical cues from predators, with isopods from ponds with golden shiners showing a significant increase in movement in response to cues from shiners. This may suggest that isopods lack a behavioral response when facing chemical signals from the same fish species that occur in their natal pond.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
John M. Grunseich, Natalie M. Aguirre, Morgan N. Thompson, Jared G. Ali, Anjel M. Helms
Summary: Chemical cues play crucial roles in predator-prey interactions. Different predator species with varied hunting strategies can elicit distinct responses in prey organisms, indicating potential for future research on chemical communication between predators and prey. Further studies are needed to investigate the interactions among belowground organisms, which have received relatively little attention in the past.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrea F. Vallejo-Vargas, Douglas Sheil, Asuncion Semper-Pascual, Lydia Beaudrot, Jorge A. Ahumada, Emmanuel Akampurira, Robert Bitariho, Santiago Espinosa, Vittoria Estienne, Patrick A. Jansen, Charles Kayijamahe, Emanuel H. Martin, Marcela Guimaraes Moreira Lima, Badru Mugerwa, Francesco Rovero, Julia Salvador, Fernanda Santos, Wilson Roberto Spironello, Eustrate Uzabaho, Richard Bischof
Summary: This study examines the diel activity patterns of tropical mammals in protected forests across different biogeographic regions. The findings suggest that the activity of herbivores and insectivores is constrained by thermoregulation, while the activity of carnivores is influenced by bottom-up processes and the activity of small omnivores and insectivores is regulated by top-down processes. Overall, diel activity in tropical mammal communities is shaped by similar processes and constraints, reflecting body mass and trophic guilds.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Moshe Gish
Summary: Aphids have a range of defensive behaviors against predators and use multimodal cues to detect approaching coccinellid predators, distinguishing them from harmless insects without triggering defensive responses.
JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Chris J. Jolly, Adam S. Smart, John Moreen, Jonathan K. Webb, Graeme R. Gillespie, Ben L. Phillips
Summary: The translation highlights that the arrival of novel predators can lead to rapid demographic and behavioral changes in prey populations, with behavioral responses potentially becoming more specific over time. These behavioral shifts may reflect individual plasticity in behavior within prey populations, or may be adaptive responses to the novel predation pressure from natural selection.
Article
Biology
Rebecca N. MacKay, Tyler C. Wood, Paul A. Moore
Summary: The study reveals that crayfish utilize both safety cues and fear cues to relocate themselves when responding to alarm signals in order to navigate their environment.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Lisa Steindler, Mike Letnic
Summary: The study investigates the response of bilbies to the scents of dingoes and feral cats, finding that the wild-living bilbies displayed anti-predator responses towards both long-term and evolutionary novel predators. This suggests that exposure to introduced predators can help native species develop anti-predator responses, overcoming predator naivete through learning and natural selection.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Marie C. Russell, Lauren J. Cator
Summary: This study assessed the impact of Megacyclops viridis copepods on the survival and traits of Aedes albopictus mosquito larvae. While copepod predation caused a slight increase in late instar mortality, there was no significant impact on development time or size. This supports the use of M. viridis copepods as a biocontrol agent against Ae. albopictus.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lachlan R. Phillips, Gemma Carroll, Ian Jonsen, Robert Harcourt, Andrew S. Brierley, Adam Wilkins, Martin Cox
Summary: Understanding how marine predators encounter prey across patchy landscapes remains challenging. This study used GPS and dive loggers to measure the at-sea behavior of little penguins and assessed the prey field through boat-based acoustic surveys. The results showed that penguin tracks had higher prey encounter rates compared to random movements, but reductions in prey encounters and abnormal body mass were observed when prey was sparse or deep.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Michael S. Pollock, Zoe Hoyle, Mark Mccormick, Douglas P. Chivers, Maud C. O. Ferrari
Summary: This study provides the first evidence of disturbance cue use in a marine fish, showcasing how disturbance cues can modulate predator recognition learning. The research sheds light on a new perspective for aquatic prey to assess predation risk by utilizing disturbance cues.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Daniela C. Roessler, Massimo De Agro, Kris Kim, Paul S. Shamble
Summary: Research suggests that salticids display a robust, fast, and repeatable 'freeze and retreat' behavior when presented with stationary predators, but not towards similarly sized non-predator objects. Anti-predator responses are triggered by co-occurring and non-co-occurring salticid predators, as well as by 3D-printed salticid models, indicating a generalized predator detection/classification. The presence of eyes in the modified 3D-printed models plays an important role in triggering responses, but suggests that underlying processes rely on multiple cues rather than just single features.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)