Titmouse calling and foraging are affected by head and body orientation of cat predator models and possible experience with real cats
Titmouse calling and foraging are affected by head and body orientation of cat predator models and possible experience with real cats
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DOI：
10.1007/s10071-015-0888-7
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发表时间：
2015-09-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
Freeberg, Todd M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Book, D. L.;Freeberg, Todd M.
尽管反捕食者行为系统已经在不同的分类群中进行了研究，但对于猎物物种如何根据其行为来检测和评估捕食者构成的直接威胁，人们知之甚少。在这项研究中，我们评估了一些物种在评估捕食者威胁时可能利用的潜在线索-捕食者的身体和头部方向。我们测试了这种方向线索对一种猎物物种簇山雀（Baeolophus bicolor）的信号传导和捕食风险敏感觅食的影响。早期的研究揭示了山雀和相关物种对捕食者刺激的敏感性。在这里，我们操纵猫模型朝向或远离山雀喜欢的食物来源，然后测量山雀的叫声和取种行为。当猫捕食者模型面对喂食器时，山雀表现出更大的喂食者回避，而当模型背对喂食器或山雀暴露于控制刺激时。山雀的叫声对捕食者的头部/身体方向也很敏感，这取决于山雀是否来自观察到真正的猫的地方。本研究通过实验证明了一种重要的陆生捕食者的头部和身体方向会影响猎物的鸣叫和觅食。因此，被捕食物种可能会以策略的方式发出信号，不仅表明捕食者的存在，而且还表明威胁的紧迫性，这与捕食者头部和身体方向的更微妙的线索有关。这些发现对理解动物的认知和学习过程具有潜在的意义。
Although anti-predator behavior systems have been studied in diverse taxa, less is known about how prey species detect and assess the immediate threat posed by a predator based on its behavior. In this study, we evaluated a potential cue that some species may utilize when assessing predation threat-the predator's body and head orientation. We tested the effect of this orientation cue on signaling and predation-risk-sensitive foraging of a prey species, tufted titmice (Baeolophus bicolor). Earlier work revealed sensitivity of titmice and related species to the presence of predator stimuli. Here, we manipulated cat models to face either toward or away from a food source preferred by titmice and then measured titmouse calling and seed-taking behavior. Titmice showed greater feeder avoidance when the cat predator models faced the feeder, compared to when the models faced away from the feeder or when titmice were exposed to control stimuli. Titmouse calling was also sensitive to predator head/body orientation, depending upon whether titmice were from sites where real cats had been observed or not. This study experimentally demonstrated that both calling and foraging of prey species can be affected by the head and body orientation of an important terrestrial predator. Prey species may therefore signal in strategic ways to conspecifics not just about predator presence, but also urgency of threat related to the more subtle cue of the head and body orientation of the predator. These findings hold potential implications for understanding animal cognition and learning processes.