Prey pattern regularity and background complexity affect detectability of background-matching prey
Prey pattern regularity and background complexity affect detectability of background-matching prey
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DOI：
10.1093/beheco/arr201
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发表时间：
2012-03-01
影响因子：
2.4
通讯作者：
Merilaita, Sami
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Dimitrova, Marina;Merilaita, Sami
研究了猎物颜色图案的规律性对隐型的影响以及背景的视觉复杂性对猎物检测的影响。以蓝山雀（Cyanistes caeruleus）为捕食者，进行了两次人工捕食实验。在实验1中，我们发现与之前的假设相反，具有重复背景匹配图案元素形状的图案比具有可变背景匹配形状的图案更容易被检测。形状多样性和复杂性方面背景复杂性的增加使得猎物检测更加困难。在实验2中，我们测试了背景匹配模式元素的空间规律性对隐式的影响。我们发现，在简单和复杂的背景下，与具有排列模式元素的空间规则猎物相比，具有随机放置模式元素的空间不规则猎物更难被发现。背景元素形状复杂性的增加使得这两类猎物更难被发现。综上所述，我们的研究表明，猎物模式的空间规律性而不是一成不变的模式元素形状导致的规律性恶化了隐型。视觉上复杂的背景，特别是那些由复杂形状的元素组成的背景，使隐藏猎物的检测变得困难。
We investigated how regularity of prey color pattern affects crypsis and how visual complexity of the background affects prey detection. We performed 2 predation experiments with artificial prey and backgrounds, using blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) as predators. In experiment 1, we found that contrary to a previous hypothesis, a pattern with repeated background-matching pattern element shapes was not easier to detect than a pattern with variable background-matching shapes. Increased background complexity with respect to shape diversity and complexity made prey detection more difficult. In experiment 2, we tested how spatial regularity of background-matching pattern elements affects crypsis. We found that spatially irregular prey with randomly placed pattern elements were harder to detect on both simple and complex backgrounds compared with spatially regular prey that had the elements aligned. Increased background element shape complexity made both prey categories harder to detect. In conclusion, our study shows that spatial regularity of prey pattern but not regularity due to invariable pattern element shapes deteriorates crypsis. Visually complex backgrounds and specifically those consisting of elements with complex shapes make detection of cryptic prey difficult.