Prey palatability influences predator learning and memory
Prey palatability influences predator learning and memory
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猎物适口性影响捕食者的学习和记忆
DOI：
10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.08.011
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发表时间：
2006
期刊：
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
C. Rowe
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
J. Skelhorn;C. Rowe
警示性昆虫物种被认为是通过鲜艳或显眼的颜色来宣传它们的不适口性来获得鸟类捕食者的保护。然而，种群中的个体在化学防御水平上可能有所不同。由于回避学习的速度和强度通常被认为是由防御的程度决定的，因此在种群中出现更可口的个体被认为会降低警告颜色的价值。我们使用小鸡（Gallus Gallus domestic）作为模型捕食者，并使用不同浓度的硫酸奎宁溶液为不好吃的猎物调味的彩色碎屑，通过颜色辨别任务来测试这些学习假设。猎物防御的平均水平与回避学习的速度呈正相关，与学习厌恶的难易程度呈负相关。然而，尚不清楚猎物的适口性如何影响回避学习的强度，因为在渐近线处攻击的难吃碎屑的数量与猎物防御的平均水平无关，尽管在试验中不愿攻击难吃碎屑与猎物防御呈正相关。我们还发现，被攻击的不好吃的碎屑随后被拒绝的比例与猎物防御的平均水平呈正相关。我们的研究结果显示了猎物防御水平在决定鸟类捕食者的攻击率和摄食率方面的重要性。
Aposematic insect species are thought to gain protection from avian predators by advertising their unpalatability with bright or conspicuous coloration. However, individuals within a population may differ in their level of chemical defence. Since the speed and strength of avoidance learning are often assumed to be determined by the degree of defence, the presence of more palatable individuals in a population is thought to decrease the value of the warning coloration. Using chicks, Gallus gallus domesticus, as model predators and coloured crumbs flavoured with different concentrations of quinine sulphate solution for unpalatable prey, we tested these learning assumptions using a colour discrimination task. The mean level of prey defence was positively correlated with the speed of avoidance learning, and negatively correlated with the ease with which learned aversions were reversed. However, it was unclear how prey palatability influenced the strength of avoidance learning, since the number of unpalatable crumbs attacked at asymptote was not correlated with the mean level of prey defence, although the reluctance to attack an unpalatable crumb within a trial was positively correlated with prey defence. We also found that the proportion of the attacked unpalatable crumbs that were subsequently rejected was positively correlated with the mean level of prey defence. Our results show the importance of the level of prey defence in determining both the attack and ingestion rates of avian predators.