Predator odour does not influence trappability of southern brown bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus) and common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula)

Predators cause changes in the behaviour of many prey species. This study investigated whether trappability of wild southern brown bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus) and common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) was influenced by odour cues suggesting the presence of potential predators. Trapping success was compared between traps with predator scents and controls in two different experiments. The first measured trapping success of single clean traps, traps with unfamiliar herbivore (horse) odour and traps scented with predator (fox, cat, quoll and dingo) odours, while the second offered three choices (fox, dingo and clean traps) simultaneously. Frequency of capture of bandicoots and possums was not influenced by odour, mass or sex in either experiment. The lack of avoidance response observed in this study suggests that neither southern brown bandicoots nor common brushtail possums alter foraging behaviour in response to olfactory cues that suggest the presence of exotic or Australian predators. This is consistent with previous studies, which indicate that native Australian marsupials do not avoid predator odours.

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Comments on Guimarães & Sawaya. Pretending to be venomous: is a snake's head shape a trustworthy signal to a predator?

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467411000575 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 123-124 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Janne K. Valkonen ◽

Johanna Mappes

Keyword(s):

Prey Species ◽

Adaptive Significance ◽

Predation Pressure ◽

Olfactory Cues ◽

Head Shape ◽

Venomous Snake ◽

Avian Predators ◽

Empirical Experiment ◽

Plasticine Models

Several species of non-venomous snake are known to flatten their heads when disturbed, and this behaviour has been suggested to be a mimicry of vipers (Arnold & Ovenden 2002, Hailey & Davies 1986, Young et al. 1999). Using plasticine models, Guimarães & Sawaya (2011) tested the antipredatory function of a triangular head shape in snakes. Their article presents the first published empirical experiment testing the adaptive significance of vipers' triangular head shape. Guimarães & Sawaya (2011) found no support for the viper mimicry hypothesis. Accordingly, they concluded that ‘the shape of [the] head seemed not to confer advantage itself’. Although the use of plasticine models is a generally accepted method of testing predation pressure on snakes, we argue that the experiment may have failed to find the antipredatory function of triangulation due to the pooling of attacks by mammalian and avian predators. Mammals generally rely on olfactory cues during foraging. Plasticine has a strong odour which does not resemble the odour of any prey species. It is thus unlikely that mammals would treat snake replicas as true snakes.

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Secondary poisoning of stoats (Mustela erminea) at low mouse (Mus musculus) abundance in a New Zealand Nothofagus forest

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr97069 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 419 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

K. P. Brown ◽

N. Alterio ◽

H. Moller

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Mus Musculus ◽

Prey Species ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Relative Importance ◽

Trichosurus Vulpecula ◽

Secondary Poisoning ◽

Mustela Erminea ◽

Nothofagus Forest ◽

Tracking Tunnels

Two different brodifacoum (Talon 20 P™) poisoning regimes effectively killed 100% of resident radio-tagged stoats (Mustela erminea) by secondary poisoning in a New Zealand Nothofagus forest when mice (Mus musculus) were scarce. Resident possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) and ship rats (Rattus rattus) were also killed. The relative importance of different prey species as sources of poison for stoats has not been clearly identified but availability of poisoned prey will determine the efficacy of secondary poisoning in years of low prey abundance. Tracking tunnels did not accurately measure the decline in the stoat population and were probably influenced by immigrant stoats that were kill-trapped and contained high levels of poison. This study corroborates the findings of several other similar studies that secondary poisoning using brodifacoum effectively kills stoats.

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Possums in the park: efficient foraging under the risk of predation or of competition?

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo99061 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 155 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Eve McDonald-Madden ◽

Lian K. Akers ◽

Deena J. Brenner ◽

Sarah Howell ◽

Blair W. Patullo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urban Population ◽

Foraging Behaviour ◽

Field Experiments ◽

Foraging Efficiency ◽

Trichosurus Vulpecula ◽

Initial Amount ◽

Trade Off ◽

Food Items ◽

Risk Of Predation

Many eutherian mammals adjust their foraging behaviour according to the presence or threat of predators. Here, we examine experimentally whether an urban population of brushtail possums, Trichosurus vulpecula, similarly adjust their foraging behaviour. Our field experiments manipulated the quantity of food items in artificial feeders placed at different distances from trees. These experiments showed that the possums remained longer at feeders placed far from the trees, but their foraging behaviour did not change with the initial amount of food. The scanning behaviour of possums did not simply increase with distance from the trees, as predicted from studies of other vertebrates. Nevertheless, the number of physical conflicts between individuals increased as the amount of available food decreased. These data suggest that the changes in the foraging behaviour of the possums in this population do not reflect a simple trade-off between foraging efficiency and the risk of predation or competition.

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Prey choice and substitution in Chilocorus spp. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485300041109 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 82 (3) ◽

pp. 327-334 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Vaughan Hattingh ◽

Michael J. Samways

Keyword(s):

Larval Development ◽

Foraging Behaviour ◽

Feeding Rate ◽

Prey Species ◽

Larval Habitat ◽

Development Rate ◽

Prey Choice ◽

Diet Change ◽

Temporary Reduction ◽

Adult Diet

AbstractChoice between prey species by Chilocorus nigritus (Fabricius) and C. bipustulatus (Linnaeus) adults and larvae was determined. Strong preferences were absent and differences in the predators' feeding histories, were not reflected in their choices. The deleterious effects of a prey substitution, during larval development and adult maintenance, were investigated using C. nigritus with supplementary work on C. bipustulatus. These diet changes significantly retarded larval development rate, and subsequent adults were smaller than control individuals. Prey substitutions in the adult diet, suppressed oviposition for several days and feeding rate was reduced at one day after substitution. Larvae were more sensitive than adults to such diet changes. This was not a case of classical unsuitability of the new prey, as the fecundity and feeding rate returned to the same levels as before the substitution after a few days of exposure to the new prey. Furthermore, both prey types were suitable for larval development of C. nigritus when they fed on one exclusively, but unsuitable when substitutions were made. The effects of prey substitutions may possibly be attributed to the presence, in the new prey, of plant toxins, which the predators are initially not physiologically capable of dealing with in large quantities. These results present difficulties for the concepts of monophagy and polyphagy, being less well defined than normally thought. In view of coc-cinellid foraging behaviour and larval habitat selection by adults, the temporary reduction in fitness following a diet change is considered to be adaptive.

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Track the snack – olfactory cues shape foraging behaviour of decomposing soil mites (Oribatida)

Pedobiologia ◽

10.1016/j.pedobi.2017.10.004 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 66 ◽

pp. 74-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Adrian Brückner ◽

Romina Schuster ◽

Timo Smit ◽

Melanie M. Pollierer ◽

Irmgard Schäffler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Foraging Behaviour ◽

Olfactory Cues ◽

Soil Mites

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Embryonic exposure to predator odour modulates visual lateralization in cuttlefish

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2012.2575 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 280 (1752) ◽

pp. 20122575 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Christelle Jozet-Alves ◽

Marie Hébert

Keyword(s):

Prey Species ◽

Early Experience ◽

Embryonic Exposure ◽

Surrounding Environment ◽

Embryonic Life ◽

Environmental Stimulation ◽

High Predation ◽

First Time ◽

Predator Odour ◽

Stimulation Of

Predation pressure acts on the behaviour and morphology of prey species. In fish, the degree of lateralization varies between high- and low-predation populations. While lateralization appears to be widespread in invertebrates, we do not know whether heredity and early experience interact during development as in vertebrates. Here we show, for the first time, that an exposure to predator odour prior to hatching modulates visual lateralization in newly hatched cuttlefish. Only cuttlefish that have been exposed to predator odour display a left-turning bias when tested with blank seawater in a T-shaped apparatus. Exposure to predator odour all the incubation long could appear as an acute predictor of a high-predation surrounding environment. In addition, cuttlefish of all groups display a left-turning preference when tested with predator odour in the apparatus. This suggests the ability of cuttlefish to innately recognize predator odour. To our knowledge, this is the first clear demonstration that lateralization is vulnerable to ecological challenges encountered during embryonic life, and that environmental stimulation of the embryo through the olfactory system could influence the development of subsequent visual lateralization.

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Visual and Chemical Prey Cues as Complementary Predator Attractants in a Tropical Stream Fish Assemblage

International Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1155/2012/510920 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Chris K. Elvidge ◽

Grant E. Brown

Keyword(s):

Visual Cues ◽

Foraging Behaviour ◽

Chemical Cues ◽

Prey Species ◽

Public Information ◽

Foraging Strategies ◽

Predator Species ◽

Foraging Modes ◽

Relative Attractiveness ◽

Ambush Predators

To date, little attention has been devoted to possible complementary effects of multiple forms of public information similar information on the foraging behaviour of predators. In order to examine how predators may incorporate multiple information sources, we conducted a series of predator attraction trials in the Lower Aripo River, Trinidad. Four combinations of visual (present or absent) and chemical cues (present or absent) from each of two prey species were presented. The occurrences of three locally abundant predatory species present within a 1 m radius of cue introduction sites were recorded. The relative attractiveness of cue type to each predator was directly related to their primary foraging modes, with visual ambush predators demonstrating an attraction to visual cues, benthivores to chemical cues, and active social foragers demonstrating complementary responses to paired cues. Predator species-pair counts were greatest in response to cues from the more abundant prey species, indicating that individuals may adopt riskier foraging strategies when presented with more familiar prey cues. These differences in predator attraction patterns demonstrate complementary effects of multiple sensory cues on the short-term habitat use and foraging behaviour of predators under fully natural conditions.

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Parents know best: transgenerational predator recognition through parental effects

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.9340 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e9340

Author(s):

Jennifer A. Atherton ◽

Mark I. McCormick

Keyword(s):

Prey Species ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Species Recognition ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Parental Effects ◽

Predator Treatment ◽

Parental Exposure ◽

Specific Predator ◽

First Time ◽

Predator Odour

In highly biodiverse systems, such as coral reefs, prey species are faced with predatory threats from numerous species. Recognition of predators can be innate, or learned, and can help increase the chance of survival. Research suggests that parental exposure to increased predatory threats can affect the development, behaviour, and ultimately, success of their offspring. Breeding pairs of damselfish (Acanthochromis polyacanthus) were subjected to one of three olfactory and visual treatments (predator, herbivore, or control), and their developing embryos were subsequently exposed to five different chemosensory cues. Offspring of parents assigned to the predator treatment exhibited a mean increase in heart rate two times greater than that of offspring from parents in herbivore or control treatments. This increased reaction to a parentally known predator odour suggests that predator-treated parents passed down relevant threat information to their offspring, via parental effects. This is the first time transgenerational recognition of a specific predator has been confirmed in any species. This phenomenon could influence predator-induced mortality rates and enable populations to adaptively respond to fluctuations in predator composition and environmental changes.

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