Outfoxing the fox: Effect of prey odor on fox behavior in a pastoral landscape

Abstract Invasive mammalian predators have had a devastating effect on native species globally. The European red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is one such species where it has been introduced in Australia. A novel but unexplored tactic to reduce the impact of mammalian predators is the use of unrewarded prey...

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Autores principales:	Tim A. Andrewartha, Maldwyn J. Evans, William G. Batson, Adrian D. Manning, Catherine Price, Iain J. Gordon, Philip S. Barton
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Wiley 2021
Materias:	Bettong critical weight range odor olfactory quoll rabbit Ecology QH540-549.5 General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution QH1-199.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/b8cc7b5149344b12b41014d291cc6a90
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:b8cc7b5149344b12b41014d291cc6a902021-12-01T10:20:57ZOutfoxing the fox: Effect of prey odor on fox behavior in a pastoral landscape2578-485410.1111/csp2.516https://doaj.org/article/b8cc7b5149344b12b41014d291cc6a902021-12-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.516https://doaj.org/toc/2578-4854Abstract Invasive mammalian predators have had a devastating effect on native species globally. The European red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is one such species where it has been introduced in Australia. A novel but unexplored tactic to reduce the impact of mammalian predators is the use of unrewarded prey odors to undermine the effectiveness of olfactory hunting behavior. To test the viability of unrewarded prey odors in an applied setting we investigated how foxes responded to the odors of three different prey species. We used the odors of two locally extinct native Australian marsupials; the eastern quoll (a smaller carnivore) and eastern bettong (a fungivore), and the European rabbit, an introduced herbivore. Conducting our research over a period of 3 weeks in a pastoral environment in South‐eastern Australia, we used video observations of foxes' behaviors, as they encountered the different odors. We found a reduction in the number of fox visits to bettong odors in the third week. In contrast, we observed a sustained number of visits to rabbit odors. Foxes also spent more time investigating rabbit odors and displayed longer durations of vigilance behavior at quoll odors. Our results support the hypothesis that the exposure of wild foxes to unrewarded odors of novel prey species can reduce their interest in these odors, which might translate to a reduction in predation pressure. Our results also suggest, however, that olfactory pre‐exposure may not be as effective at reducing fox interest in a competitor species' odor.Tim A. AndrewarthaMaldwyn J. EvansWilliam G. BatsonAdrian D. ManningCatherine PriceIain J. GordonPhilip S. BartonWileyarticleBettongcritical weight rangeodorolfactoryquollrabbitEcologyQH540-549.5General. Including nature conservation, geographical distributionQH1-199.5ENConservation Science and Practice, Vol 3, Iss 12, Pp n/a-n/a (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Bettong critical weight range odor olfactory quoll rabbit Ecology QH540-549.5 General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution QH1-199.5
spellingShingle	Bettong critical weight range odor olfactory quoll rabbit Ecology QH540-549.5 General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution QH1-199.5 Tim A. Andrewartha Maldwyn J. Evans William G. Batson Adrian D. Manning Catherine Price Iain J. Gordon Philip S. Barton Outfoxing the fox: Effect of prey odor on fox behavior in a pastoral landscape
description	Abstract Invasive mammalian predators have had a devastating effect on native species globally. The European red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is one such species where it has been introduced in Australia. A novel but unexplored tactic to reduce the impact of mammalian predators is the use of unrewarded prey odors to undermine the effectiveness of olfactory hunting behavior. To test the viability of unrewarded prey odors in an applied setting we investigated how foxes responded to the odors of three different prey species. We used the odors of two locally extinct native Australian marsupials; the eastern quoll (a smaller carnivore) and eastern bettong (a fungivore), and the European rabbit, an introduced herbivore. Conducting our research over a period of 3 weeks in a pastoral environment in South‐eastern Australia, we used video observations of foxes' behaviors, as they encountered the different odors. We found a reduction in the number of fox visits to bettong odors in the third week. In contrast, we observed a sustained number of visits to rabbit odors. Foxes also spent more time investigating rabbit odors and displayed longer durations of vigilance behavior at quoll odors. Our results support the hypothesis that the exposure of wild foxes to unrewarded odors of novel prey species can reduce their interest in these odors, which might translate to a reduction in predation pressure. Our results also suggest, however, that olfactory pre‐exposure may not be as effective at reducing fox interest in a competitor species' odor.
format	article
author	Tim A. Andrewartha Maldwyn J. Evans William G. Batson Adrian D. Manning Catherine Price Iain J. Gordon Philip S. Barton
author_facet	Tim A. Andrewartha Maldwyn J. Evans William G. Batson Adrian D. Manning Catherine Price Iain J. Gordon Philip S. Barton
author_sort	Tim A. Andrewartha
title	Outfoxing the fox: Effect of prey odor on fox behavior in a pastoral landscape
title_short	Outfoxing the fox: Effect of prey odor on fox behavior in a pastoral landscape
title_full	Outfoxing the fox: Effect of prey odor on fox behavior in a pastoral landscape
title_fullStr	Outfoxing the fox: Effect of prey odor on fox behavior in a pastoral landscape
title_full_unstemmed	Outfoxing the fox: Effect of prey odor on fox behavior in a pastoral landscape
title_sort	outfoxing the fox: effect of prey odor on fox behavior in a pastoral landscape
publisher	Wiley
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/b8cc7b5149344b12b41014d291cc6a90
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Outfoxing the fox: Effect of prey odor on fox behavior in a pastoral landscape

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