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Predator vs. Prey: A Battle of Epic Proportions

Predator vs. Prey: A Battle of Epic Proportions. Why is understanding predator/prey interactions important in the study of behavior?. How do animals cope with potential predators?. Individual Strategies. Escaping and Freezing. Deception. Toxicity. Batesian mimicry Mullerian mimicry.

noelle-richardson
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Predator vs. Prey: A Battle of Epic Proportions

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  1. Predatorvs.Prey:A Battle of Epic Proportions

  2. Why is understanding predator/prey interactions important in the study of behavior?

  3. How do animals cope with potential predators?

  4. Individual Strategies

  5. Escaping and Freezing

  6. Deception

  7. Toxicity

  8. Batesian mimicry Mullerian mimicry Mimicry

  9. More Mimicry Aposematic coloration - conspicuous markings of noxious animals that are easily recognized and avoidable by a potential predator

  10. Distraction displays • Distracting the predator • Warning group members • Confusing the predator • Signaling the predator that it has been detected • Eliciting premature pursuit

  11. Social Strategies

  12. The Dilution Effect

  13. Increased Detection of Predators

  14. Group Defense: Mobbing

  15. Other Social Strategies • The Encounter Effect • The Selfish Herd • The Confusion Effect

  16. Evolutionary Implications of Predator/Prey Interactions

  17. The Peppered Moth

  18. Coevolution • Evolution in two or more species in which the evolutionary changes of each species influence the evolution of the other species. • Evolutionary arms races

  19. Evolutionary Arms Races

  20. Butterflies and Host Plants

  21. Garter Snakes and Newts in the Pacific Northwest

  22. The Red Queen Hypothesis“Here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.” • The analogy for running is coevolutionary change. • Natural selection continually operates on each species to keep up with improvements made by competing species.

  23. A Neat Little Experiment on Predator/Prey Interactions

  24. The effect of predatory and nonpredatory snake cues on the foraging behavior of the zigzag salamander (Plethodon d. dorsalis)

  25. Basic Ecology

  26. Meet Plethodon d. dorsalis

  27. Size of the beast

  28. Habitat • Mesic forests, up to 610 m. • Greatest abundance in or about caves, talus slopes, and rocky hillsides.

  29. My questions • How do Plethodon d. dorsalis typically forage? • Does the presence of predators influence the foraging behavior of P. d. dorsalis? • Can P. d. dorsalis discriminate between predatory and nonpredatory snakes?

  30. Foraging trials • Foraging behavior observed under dim lighting and black light, as well as in the presence or absence of snake cues. • Behavioral measures included mobility duration, latency to attack, and number of nose taps, attacks and prey eaten.

  31. Chemical cue donors Lamprophis fuliginosus Diadophis p. edwardsi

  32. Results

  33. Some nonsignificant results • Latency to attack was greater in the presence of snake cues. • Number of attacks and number of prey eaten were less in the presence of snake cues.

  34. Conclusions

  35. General conclusions • Plethodon d. dorsalis exhibit a passive foraging strategy during the day and switch to active foraging at night. • An active foraging strategy is inhibited by the presence of snakes. • Foraging success does not vary with either foraging mode or the presence/absence of snakes.

  36. Evolutionary hypotheses • Salamanders may avoid all snakes as the result of an effective antipredator strategy. • All snakes may emit similar chemical cues regardless of their diet.

  37. Any Questions?

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