Do wild birds use size to distinguish palatable and unpalatable prey types?
Do wild birds use size to distinguish palatable and unpalatable prey types?
复制标题
野生鸟类会根据大小来区分可口和不可口的猎物类型吗？
作者：
N. Marples
抽象的抽象。通过野外实验，研究了野生雀形目鸟类能否将三种不同大小的糕点诱饵作为适口性的标志。当奎宁和芥末粉使中等大小的诱饵变得难吃时，如果诱饵之间的大小差异足够大，捕食者就会避开它们。这种大小区分能力的极限随着经验的不同而不同。学会了大尺寸差异的鸟类能够更好地区分小尺寸差异。这些鸟似乎既能从任务的经验中学习，又能每天重新采样，而不是从一天概括到下一天。它们似乎无法通过视觉或嗅觉检测到奎宁。在模型-模仿者关系和贝叶斯模仿者通常较小的尺寸的背景下，讨论了使用尺寸作为适口性标签的能力的后果。
Abstract Abstract. A field experiment offering wild passerine birds three different sizes of pastry bait was performed to investigate whether the birds could use the size of the baits as a label for palatability. The predator population avoided medium-sized baits when they were made unpalatable with quinine and mustard powder if the size difference between the baits was large enough. The limits of this size-distinguishing ability varied with experience. Birds that learned a large size difference were better able to distinguish a smaller difference. The birds appeared both to learn with experience of the task, and to resample each day rather than generalizing from one day to the next. They did not appear to be able to detect quinine by sight or smell. The consequences of the ability to use size as a label of palatability are discussed in the context of a model-mimic relationship and the frequently smaller size of Batesian mimics.