Response of brown anoles Anolis sagrei to multimodal signals from a native and novel predator
Abstract Multiple studies have focused on the importance of single modalities （visual, auditory, olfactory） in eliciting anti-predator behavior, however multiple channels are often engaged simultaneously. While examining responses to multiple cues can potentially reveal more complex behavioral respo...
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| Published in | Current zoology Vol. 58; no. 6; pp. 791 - 796 |
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| Main Authors | , , , |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
Oxford University Press
01.12.2012
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| Subjects | |
| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Abstract Multiple studies have focused on the importance of single modalities （visual, auditory, olfactory） in eliciting anti-predator behavior, however multiple channels are often engaged simultaneously. While examining responses to multiple cues can potentially reveal more complex behavioral responses, little is known about how multimodal processing evolves. By contrasting response to familiar and novel predators, insights can be gained into the evolution of multimodal responses. We studied brown anoles＇ （Anolis sagrei） response to acoustic and visual predatory cues of a common potential predator, the great-tailed grackle Quiscalus mexicanus and to the American kestrel Falco sparverius, a species found in other populations but not present in our study population. We observed anole behavior before and after a stimulus and quantified rates of looking, display, and locomotion. Anoles increased their rate of locomotion in response to grackle models, an effect modulated by grackle vocalizations. No such response or modulation was seen when anoles were presented with kestrel stimuli. This suggests that the degree of sophistication of anole response to predators is experience dependent and that relaxed selection can result in reduced anti-predator response following loss of predators. |
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| Bibliography: | 11-5794/Q Anti-predator behavior; Multimodal risk assessment;Brown anoles Omar L. ELMASRI, Marcus S. MORENO, Courtney A. NEUMANN, Daniel T. BLUMSTEIN（ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA） Abstract Multiple studies have focused on the importance of single modalities （visual, auditory, olfactory） in eliciting anti-predator behavior, however multiple channels are often engaged simultaneously. While examining responses to multiple cues can potentially reveal more complex behavioral responses, little is known about how multimodal processing evolves. By contrasting response to familiar and novel predators, insights can be gained into the evolution of multimodal responses. We studied brown anoles＇ （Anolis sagrei） response to acoustic and visual predatory cues of a common potential predator, the great-tailed grackle Quiscalus mexicanus and to the American kestrel Falco sparverius, a species found in other populations but not present in our study population. We observed anole behavior before and after a stimulus and quantified rates of looking, display, and locomotion. Anoles increased their rate of locomotion in response to grackle models, an effect modulated by grackle vocalizations. No such response or modulation was seen when anoles were presented with kestrel stimuli. This suggests that the degree of sophistication of anole response to predators is experience dependent and that relaxed selection can result in reduced anti-predator response following loss of predators. |
| ISSN: | 1674-5507 2396-9814 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/czoolo/58.6.791 |