Understanding Behavioral Predator-Prey Interactions from a Visual Sensory Perspective

从视觉感官的角度理解捕食者与猎物的行为互动

• 批准号: 1146986
• 负责人: Esteban Fernandez-Juricic
• 金额: $ 38.5万
• 依托单位: Purdue University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-05-01 至 2018-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1146986&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Understanding; Behavioral; Predator; Prey; Interactions

Predation is a powerful factor driving the evolution of prey behavior. One gap in our understanding of predator-prey relationships is how prey detect predators and whether predator detection is enhanced by different sensory adaptations depending on habitat type. Tackling this question is challenging because vertebrate prey usually have sensory systems that differ from that of humans, making it necessary to study the sensory physiology of the study organisms to understand how they perceive their environment. The goal of this project is to establish how the configuration of the visual system shapes anti-predator behavior in bird species living in different habitats. Birds are excellent study species because they have complex visual systems that vary extensively between species and occupy diverse habitats. In open habitats (e.g. grasslands), it is critical for prey to quickly detect predators approaching from afar; hence, prey are expected to have sensory adaptations that enhance visual acuity, which influences the distance at which they can detect approaching predators. In closed habitats (e.g. forests), predators may approach from many directions since the habitat is complex; hence, prey are expected to have sensory adaptations that enhance visual coverage around their heads. This study will address from a visual physiology and behavioral ecology perspectives the question of what makes prey effective at avoiding predation in different environments, and thus will provide a novel framework for understanding the diversity of anti-predator strategies. Novel eye-tracking technology will be developed to record targets of visual attention in small birds, which can be used in the future to study visual attention and lateralization in other vertebrates with laterally placed eyes. Additionally, the PI will disseminate the results of this project to the general public through media publications, seminars, and a public outreach program developed for K-12 schools on how birds see their world.

捕食是推动猎物行为进化的一个强有力的因素。我们对捕食者-猎物关系的理解中的一个差距是猎物如何检测捕食者，以及捕食者检测是否通过取决于栖息地类型的不同感官适应来增强。解决这个问题是具有挑战性的，因为脊椎动物猎物通常具有与人类不同的感觉系统，因此有必要研究研究生物体的感觉生理学，以了解它们如何感知环境。这个项目的目标是建立视觉系统的配置如何塑造生活在不同栖息地的鸟类的反捕食行为。鸟类是很好的研究物种，因为它们具有复杂的视觉系统，在物种之间差异很大，并且占据不同的栖息地。在开放的栖息地（如草原），这是至关重要的猎物迅速发现捕食者从远处接近;因此，猎物预计有感官适应，提高视觉敏锐度，这影响了距离，他们可以发现接近捕食者。在封闭的栖息地（如森林），捕食者可能会从许多方向接近，因为栖息地是复杂的;因此，猎物预计有感官适应，提高其头部周围的视觉覆盖。本研究将从视觉生理学和行为生态学的角度来探讨是什么使猎物在不同的环境中有效地避免捕食的问题，从而为理解反捕食者策略的多样性提供一个新的框架。将开发新的眼动跟踪技术来记录小型鸟类的视觉注意目标，这可以在未来用于研究其他脊椎动物的视觉注意和侧化。此外，PI将通过媒体出版物、研讨会和为K-12学校制定的关于鸟类如何看待世界的公共宣传计划，向公众传播该项目的成果。