Variability of public information and the cognitive ecology of prey in a changing world

被捕食的动物具有各种认知能力，使它们能够对局部捕食风险的时间和空间变化做出反应。这种令人印象深刻的行为灵活性的关键是可靠地获取有关当地威胁的存在、身份和强度的信息。在水生生态系统内，猎物严重依赖化学和视觉线索(公共信息)，以不断更新其风险评估并优化行为权衡。然而，这些线索的可获得性可能会被一些生态参数(即污染、浑浊、栖息地退化)扰乱，导致认知过程的损害，如学习和保持对捕食者的识别，以及新的恐惧症。然而，考察信息干扰的研究通常只处理单个参数的平均值。在现实中，猎物可能面临多个生态参数，这些参数在空间和/或时间上可能不同，或者参数可能彼此独立地变化。鉴于气候变化、栖息地退化、污染物和入侵物种的复合(通常是不可预测的)影响，生态学家现在面临的紧迫问题是，猎物如何应对自然和人类造成的信息在多个生态参数上的异质性？在这里，我们以特里尼迪亚孔雀鱼为模型系统，提出了一系列创新的实验室和野外实验，解决了猎物如何应对风险评估信息的变化的问题。最初，栖息地的复杂性在精细的空间尺度上是不同的。生境复杂性的程度和变异性应影响视觉和化学风险评估信息的可用性。我们的第一个目标是测试栖息地的复杂性对信息的空间变异性的影响，以及由此对猎物认知能力的影响。其次，由于时断时续的干扰，风险评估信息可能在幅度(“有多少信息可用”)和频率(“检测到信息的频率”)上有所不同。我们的第二个目标将测试“一大对多小”的信息干扰对猎物学习能力的影响。最后，猎物很少(如果有的话)只受一个生态参数变化的影响。相反，多个参数可以相互独立地协变或变化。我们的第三个目标将采用受控的中观研究，系统地研究跨多个生态参数的变异对野生捕获孔雀鱼诱导的新恐惧症和学习的强度和保持的综合影响。提高我们预测多种形式的人类干扰对自然生态系统的影响的能力，将使管理者和保护当局能够在一个日益变化的世界中优先考虑他们的努力。目前的提案是为了解决这一重大的知识差距而构思的。

Prey animals have at their disposal a variety of cognitive abilities, allowing them to respond to temporal and spatial variation in local predation risks. Key to this impressive degree of behavioural flexibility is the reliable acquisition of information regarding the presence, identity, and intensity of local threats. Within aquatic ecosystems, prey rely heavily on chemical and visual cues cues (public information) to continually update their assessment of risk and to optimize behavioural trade-offs. The availability of these cues, however, can be disrupted by a number of ecological parameters (i.e. pollution, turbidity, habitat degradation), resulting in impairments of cognitive processes such as learning and retention of predator recognition, and neophobia. However, studies examining the disruption of information typically manipulate the mean value of only a single parameter. In reality, prey are likely faced with multiple ecological parameters that may vary in space and/or time or parameters that may vary independently of one another. In light of the compounded (and often unpredictable) effects of climate change, habitat degradation, pollutants, and invasive species, the pressing question for ecologists is now how do prey respond to natural and anthropogenically induced heterogeneity of information across multiple ecological parameters? Here, using Trinidadian guppies as a model system, we propose a series of innovative laboratory and field experiments, addressing the question of how prey cope with variation of risk assessment information. Initially, habitat complexity is known to vary over fine spatial scales. The degree and variability of habitat complexity should influence the availability of visual and chemical risk assessment information. Our first objective will test the impact habitat complexity has on the spatial variability of information and resulting effects on cognitive abilities of prey. Secondly, due to episodic disturbances, risk assessment information may vary both in amplitude (`how much information is available') and frequency (`how often information is detected'). Our second objective will test the impact of `one large vs. many small' disruptions of information on the learning abilities of prey. Finally, prey are rarely, if ever, subject to variation in only a single ecological parameter. Rather, multiple parameters may either covary or vary independent of each other. Our third objective will employ controlled mesocosm studies, to systematically investigate the compounded effects of variation across multiple ecological parameters on the strength and retention of induced neophobia and learning in wild-caught guppies. Increasing our ability to predict the impact of variation across multiple forms of human disturbances on natural ecosystems will allow managers and conservation authorities to prioritize their efforts in an increasingly changing world. The current proposal was conceptualized to address this major knowledge gap.