Reactive anti-predator behavioral strategy shaped by predator characteristics.

Large mammalian herbivores use a diverse array of strategies to survive predator encounters including flight, grouping, vigilance, warning signals, and fitness indicators. While anti-predator strategies appear to be driven by specific predator traits, no prior studies have rigorously evaluated wheth...

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Auteurs principaux:	Meredith S Palmer, Craig Packer
Format:	article
Langue:	EN
Publié:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021
Sujets:	Medicine R Science Q
Accès en ligne:	https://doaj.org/article/f861b07350f64c61b687aac10cc955f6
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id	oai:doaj.org-article:f861b07350f64c61b687aac10cc955f6
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:f861b07350f64c61b687aac10cc955f62021-12-02T20:17:49ZReactive anti-predator behavioral strategy shaped by predator characteristics.1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0256147https://doaj.org/article/f861b07350f64c61b687aac10cc955f62021-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256147https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203Large mammalian herbivores use a diverse array of strategies to survive predator encounters including flight, grouping, vigilance, warning signals, and fitness indicators. While anti-predator strategies appear to be driven by specific predator traits, no prior studies have rigorously evaluated whether predator hunting characteristics predict reactive anti-predator responses. We experimentally investigated behavioral decisions made by free-ranging impala, wildebeest, and zebra during encounters with model predators with different functional traits. We hypothesized that the choice of response would be driven by a predator's hunting style (i.e., ambush vs. coursing) while the intensity at which the behavior was performed would correlate with predator traits that contribute to the prey's relative risk (i.e., each predator's prey preference, prey-specific capture success, and local predator density). We found that the choice and intensity of anti-predator behaviors were both shaped by hunting style and relative risk factors. All prey species directed longer periods of vigilance towards predators with higher capture success. The decision to flee was the only behavior choice driven by predator characteristics (capture success and hunting style) while intensity of vigilance, frequency of alarm-calling, and flight latency were modulated based on predator hunting strategy and relative risk level. Impala regulated only the intensity of their behaviors, while zebra and wildebeest changed both type and intensity of response based on predator traits. Zebra and impala reacted to multiple components of predation threat, while wildebeest responded solely to capture success. Overall, our findings suggest that certain behaviors potentially facilitate survival under specific contexts and that prey responses may reflect the perceived level of predation risk, suggesting that adaptive functions to reactive anti-predator behaviors may reflect potential trade-offs to their use. The strong influence of prey species identity and social and environmental context suggest that these factors may interact with predator traits to determine the optimal response to immediate predation threat.Meredith S PalmerCraig PackerPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 8, p e0256147 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Meredith S Palmer Craig Packer Reactive anti-predator behavioral strategy shaped by predator characteristics.
description	Large mammalian herbivores use a diverse array of strategies to survive predator encounters including flight, grouping, vigilance, warning signals, and fitness indicators. While anti-predator strategies appear to be driven by specific predator traits, no prior studies have rigorously evaluated whether predator hunting characteristics predict reactive anti-predator responses. We experimentally investigated behavioral decisions made by free-ranging impala, wildebeest, and zebra during encounters with model predators with different functional traits. We hypothesized that the choice of response would be driven by a predator's hunting style (i.e., ambush vs. coursing) while the intensity at which the behavior was performed would correlate with predator traits that contribute to the prey's relative risk (i.e., each predator's prey preference, prey-specific capture success, and local predator density). We found that the choice and intensity of anti-predator behaviors were both shaped by hunting style and relative risk factors. All prey species directed longer periods of vigilance towards predators with higher capture success. The decision to flee was the only behavior choice driven by predator characteristics (capture success and hunting style) while intensity of vigilance, frequency of alarm-calling, and flight latency were modulated based on predator hunting strategy and relative risk level. Impala regulated only the intensity of their behaviors, while zebra and wildebeest changed both type and intensity of response based on predator traits. Zebra and impala reacted to multiple components of predation threat, while wildebeest responded solely to capture success. Overall, our findings suggest that certain behaviors potentially facilitate survival under specific contexts and that prey responses may reflect the perceived level of predation risk, suggesting that adaptive functions to reactive anti-predator behaviors may reflect potential trade-offs to their use. The strong influence of prey species identity and social and environmental context suggest that these factors may interact with predator traits to determine the optimal response to immediate predation threat.
format	article
author	Meredith S Palmer Craig Packer
author_facet	Meredith S Palmer Craig Packer
author_sort	Meredith S Palmer
title	Reactive anti-predator behavioral strategy shaped by predator characteristics.
title_short	Reactive anti-predator behavioral strategy shaped by predator characteristics.
title_full	Reactive anti-predator behavioral strategy shaped by predator characteristics.
title_fullStr	Reactive anti-predator behavioral strategy shaped by predator characteristics.
title_full_unstemmed	Reactive anti-predator behavioral strategy shaped by predator characteristics.
title_sort	reactive anti-predator behavioral strategy shaped by predator characteristics.
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/f861b07350f64c61b687aac10cc955f6
work_keys_str_mv	AT meredithspalmer reactiveantipredatorbehavioralstrategyshapedbypredatorcharacteristics AT craigpacker reactiveantipredatorbehavioralstrategyshapedbypredatorcharacteristics
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Reactive anti-predator behavioral strategy shaped by predator characteristics.

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