Understanding Behavioral Predator-Prey Interactions from a Visual Sensory Perspective

捕食是推动猎物行为进化的一个强大因素。在我们对捕食者-猎物关系的理解中，一个空白是猎物如何检测捕食者，以及捕食者的检测是否因栖息地类型的不同而通过不同的感官适应而增强。解决这个问题具有挑战性，因为脊椎动物的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有机体的感觉生理学，以了解它们如何感知环境。这个项目的目标是确定视觉系统的配置如何影响生活在不同栖息地的鸟类的反捕食者行为。鸟类是优秀的研究物种，因为它们有复杂的视觉系统，在不同物种之间差异很大，并占据不同的栖息地。在开阔的栖息地(如草原)，猎物迅速察觉远处正在逼近的捕食者是至关重要的；因此，猎物应具有增强视觉敏锐度的感官适应能力，这会影响它们能够察觉到正在逼近的捕食者的距离。在封闭的栖息地(如森林)，捕食者可能从许多方向靠近，因为栖息地复杂；因此，猎物预计具有感官适应，以增强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，探讨在不同的环境中，是什么使得猎物能够有效地避免捕食，从而为理解捕食者策略的多样性提供一个新的框架。新的眼睛跟踪技术将被开发来记录小鸟的视觉注意目标，这可以在未来用于研究其他眼睛横向放置的脊椎动物的视觉注意和偏侧化。此外，国际鸟类协会将通过媒体出版物、研讨会和为K-12学校开发的关于鸟类如何看待他们的世界的公共推广计划，向公众传播这一项目的结果。

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.