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Wooster EIF, Gaynor KM, Carthey AJR, Wallach AD, Stanton LA, Ramp D, Lundgren EJ. Animal cognition and culture mediate predator-prey interactions. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:52-64. [PMID: 37839906 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Predator-prey ecology and the study of animal cognition and culture have emerged as independent disciplines. Research combining these disciplines suggests that both animal cognition and culture can shape the outcomes of predator-prey interactions and their influence on ecosystems. We review the growing body of work that weaves animal cognition or culture into predator-prey ecology, and argue that both cognition and culture are significant but poorly understood mechanisms mediating how predators structure ecosystems. We present a framework exploring how previous experiences with the predation process creates feedback loops that alter the predation sequence. Cognitive and cultural predator-prey ecology offers ecologists new lenses through which to understand species interactions, their ecological consequences, and novel methods to conserve wildlife in a changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eamonn I F Wooster
- Gulbali Institute, School of Agricultural, Environmental, and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia.
| | - Kaitlyn M Gaynor
- Departments of Zoology and Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Alexandra J R Carthey
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW 2113, Australia
| | - Arian D Wallach
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Lauren A Stanton
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3114, USA
| | - Daniel Ramp
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, TD School, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Erick J Lundgren
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
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2
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Wallach AD, Ramp D, Benítez-López A, Wooster EIF, Carroll S, Carthey AJR, Rogers EIE, Middleton O, Zawada KJA, Svenning JC, Avidor E, Lundgren E. Savviness of prey to introduced predators. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2023; 37:e14012. [PMID: 36178043 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The prey naivety hypothesis posits that prey are vulnerable to introduced predators because many generations in slow gradual coevolution are needed for appropriate avoidance responses to develop. It predicts that prey will be more responsive to native than introduced predators and less responsive to introduced predators that differ substantially from native predators and from those newly established. To test these predictions, we conducted a global meta-analysis of studies that measured the wariness responses of small mammals to the scent of sympatric mammalian mesopredators. We identified 26 studies that met our selection criteria. These studies comprised 134 experiments reporting on the responses of 36 small mammal species to the scent of six introduced mesopredators and 12 native mesopredators. For each introduced mesopredator, we measured their phylogenetic and functional distance to local native mesopredators and the number of years sympatric with their prey. We used predator and prey body mass as a measure of predation risk. Globally, small mammals were similarly wary of the scent of native and introduced mesopredators; phylogenetic and functional distance between introduced mesopredators and closest native mesopredators had no effect on wariness; and wariness was unrelated to the number of prey generations, or years, since first contact with introduced mesopredators. Small mammal wariness was associated with predator-prey body mass ratio, regardless of the nativity. The one thing animals do not seem to recognize is whether their predators are native.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arian D Wallach
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Daniel Ramp
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, TD School, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ana Benítez-López
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Eamonn I F Wooster
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, TD School, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Scott Carroll
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California Davis, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Alexandra J R Carthey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Erin I E Rogers
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Owen Middleton
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Kyle J A Zawada
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, TD School, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ella Avidor
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Erick Lundgren
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Moseby K, Van der Weyde L, Letnic M, Blumstein DT, West R, Bannister H. Addressing prey naivety in native mammals by accelerating selection for antipredator traits. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2780. [PMID: 36394506 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Harnessing natural selection to improve conservation outcomes is a recent concept in ecology and evolutionary biology and a potentially powerful tool in species conservation. One possible application is the use of natural selection to improve antipredator responses of mammal species that are threatened by predation from novel predators. We investigated whether long-term exposure of an evolutionary naïve prey species to a novel predator would lead to phenotypic changes in a suite of physical and behavioral traits. We exposed a founder population of 353 burrowing bettongs (Bettongia lesueur) to feral cats (Felis catus) over 5 years and compared the physical and behavioral traits of this population (including offspring) to a control (non-predator exposed) population. We used selection analysis to investigate whether changes in the traits of bettongs were likely due to phenotypic plasticity or natural selection. We also quantified selection in both populations before and during major population crashes caused by drought (control) and high predation pressure (predator-exposed). Results showed that predator-exposed bettongs had longer flight initiation distances, larger hind feet, and larger heads than control bettongs. Trait divergence began soon after exposure and continued to intensify over time for flight initiation distance and hind foot length relative to control bettongs. Selection analysis found indicators of selection for larger hind feet and longer head length in predator-exposed populations. Results of a common garden experiment showed that the progeny of predator-exposed bettongs had larger feet than control bettongs. Results suggest that long-term, low-level exposure of naïve prey to novel predators can drive phenotypic changes that may assist with future conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Moseby
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Arid Recovery, Roxby Downs, South Australia, Australia
| | - Leanne Van der Weyde
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mike Letnic
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Rebecca West
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Hannah Bannister
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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4
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Tay NE, Warburton NM, Moseby KE, Fleming PA. Predator escape behaviour in threatened marsupials. Anim Conserv 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- N. E. Tay
- Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University Murdoch WA Australia
| | - N. M. Warburton
- Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University Murdoch WA Australia
| | - K. E. Moseby
- Centre for Ecosystem Science School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney Australia
- Arid Recovery Ltd. P.O. Box 147 Roxby Downs 5725 Australia
| | - P. A. Fleming
- Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University Murdoch WA Australia
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5
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Van der Weyde LK, Blumstein DT, Letnic M, Tuft K, Ryan-Schofield N, Moseby KE. Can native predators be used as a stepping stone to reduce prey naivety to novel predators? Behav Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Predator naivety negatively affects reintroduction success, and this threat is exacerbated when prey encounters predators with which they have had no evolutionary experience. While methods have been developed to inculcate fear into such predator-naïve individuals, none have been uniformly successful. Exposing ontogenetically- and evolutionary-naïve individuals first to native predators may be an effective stepping stone to improved responses to evolutionarily novel predators. We focused on greater bilbies (Macrotis lagotis) and capitalized on a multi-year mammalian recovery experiment whereby western quolls (Dasyurus geoffroii) were reintroduced into parts of a large fenced reserve that contained a population of naïve bilbies. We quantified a suite of anti-predator behaviors and measures of general wariness across quoll-exposed and quoll-naive bilby populations. We then translocated both quoll-exposed and quoll-naïve individuals into a large enclosure that contained feral cats (Felis catus) and monitored several behaviors. We found that bilbies can respond appropriately to quolls but found only limited support that experience with quolls better-prepared bilbies to respond to cats. Both populations of bilbies rapidly modified their behavior in a similar manner after their reintroduction to a novel environment. These results may have emerged due to insufficient prior exposure to quolls, inappropriate behavioral tests, or insufficient predation risk during cat exposure. Alternatively, quolls and cats are only distantly related and may not share sufficient similarities in their predatory cues or behavior to support such a learning transfer. Testing this stepping stone hypothesis with more closely related predator species and under higher predation risk would be informative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leanne K Van der Weyde
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney, NSW 2052 , Australia
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of California , 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606 , USA
| | - Mike Letnic
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney, NSW 2052 , Australia
| | - Katherine Tuft
- Arid Recovery , P.O. Box 147 Roxby Downs, SA 5725 , Australia
| | - Ned Ryan-Schofield
- Arid Recovery , P.O. Box 147 Roxby Downs, SA 5725 , Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide , Adelaide, SA 5005 , Australia
| | - Katherine E Moseby
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney, NSW 2052 , Australia
- Arid Recovery , P.O. Box 147 Roxby Downs, SA 5725 , Australia
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6
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Tay NE, Fleming PA, Warburton NM, Moseby KE. Predator exposure enhances the escape behaviour of a small marsupial, the burrowing bettong. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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7
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Bannister HL, Letnic M, Blumstein DT, Moseby KE. Individual traits influence survival of a reintroduced marsupial only at low predator densities. Anim Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- H. L. Bannister
- Centre for Ecosystem Science The University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
- South Coast Natural Resource Management Inc. Albany WA Australia
| | - M. Letnic
- Centre for Ecosystem Science The University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
| | - D. T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology The University of California Los Angeles CA USA
| | - K. E. Moseby
- Centre for Ecosystem Science The University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
- Arid Recovery SA Australia
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8
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Fan C, Zhang Y. Visual Cues Have a More Extensive Effect on Topmouth Gudgeon ( Pseudorasbora parva) than Chemosensory Cues in Identifying Novel Predators. Zoolog Sci 2020; 37:505-511. [PMID: 33269865 DOI: 10.2108/zs200062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Through population expansion and accidental or deliberate introduction, prey commonly encounter novel predators they had never seen before. Several studies have shown that animals can generalize their learned recognition of a familiar predator to novel ones according to predators' identical or similar features. This process in fish mainly depends on the visual and chemosensory cues they receive. However, there is a lack of understanding of the different effects of these two cues. Topmouth gudgeons (Pseudorasbora parva) that had never seen turtles were captured and used as the subjects, and three freshwater turtles of different genera were used as predators. Before and after using one turtle for predator training treatment of topmouth gudgeons, fish responses to visual and chemosensory cues of each turtle were tested and recorded, and it was found that predator training promoted topmouth gudgeons' recognition of the risks represented by visual cues of all three turtles and by chemosensory cues of the turtle that were used in training. These results further verify the generalization of predator recognition in fish and indicate that visual cues have a more extensive effect on fish than chemosensory cues in identifying novel predators, especially predators that are distantly related to the familiar threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Fan
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China.,Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China,
| | - Yanming Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China.,Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China,
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9
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Goumas M, Collins TR, Fordham L, Kelley LA, Boogert NJ. Herring gull aversion to gaze in urban and rural human settlements. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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10
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Randler C, Kalb J. Predator avoidance behavior of nocturnal and diurnal rodents. Behav Processes 2020; 179:104214. [PMID: 32768461 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Animals trade-off predation risk against feeding opportunities and prey species may use signals or cues of predators to assess predation risk. We analyzed the mesopredators pine and stone marten (Martes martes, M. foina) and nocturnal and diurnal rodents (Glis glis, Apodemus spp., Sciurus vulgaris). The non-experimental approach used camera traps at feeders which were visited by both, predator and prey. As prey species can eavesdrop on predator signals/cues, there should show some avoidance behavior. The study was conducted on a small mountain in Germany, largely covered by wood, between 29.6.2018 and 5.10.2018. Camera traps were placed 0.6 m near a feeder. Food was replenished regularly to provide a continuous food supply. 34 camera traps provided data for an analysis; total trap nights were 513 (12,312 h). Martens detected the food sources first in 10 instances, and prey species Apodemus/G. glis in 24 instances. G. glis seemed to generally avoid places where martens were feeding while Apodemus and Sciurus did not. The visitations of G. glis depended on whether martens were the first visitors and it significantly avoided such places. Similarly, Apodemus appeared less often at a feeder when martens have been present as a first visitor. The time interval to resume feeding to a monitored feeder after a marten visit was significantly longer compared to a control in G. glis, but not in Apodemus and S. vulgaris. The study shows different responses, with the weakest in the diurnal rodent, and the highest in G. glis. Thus, if a food resource was known by prey species before a predator occurred, the trade-off was shifted towards feeding, but when the predators detect the food source first, the trade-off was shifted to predator avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Randler
- Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Department of Biology, Auf der Morgenstelle 24, D-72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Jochen Kalb
- Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Department of Biology, Auf der Morgenstelle 24, D-72076, Tuebingen, Germany
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11
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Edwards MC, Hoy JM, FitzGibbon SI, Murray PJ. Relaxed predation theory: size, sex and brains matter. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 96:153-161. [PMID: 32441454 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Australia's wildlife is being considerably impacted by introduced mammalian predators such as cats (Felis catus), dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), and foxes (Vulpes vulpes). This is often attributed to native wildlife being naïve to these introduced predators. A systematic review of the literature reveals that native metatherians (body mass range 0.02-25 kg) do not recognise, and show relaxed antipredator behaviours towards, native and some introduced mammalian predators. Native eutherians (all with body mass < 2 kg), however, do appear to recognise and exhibit antipredator behaviours towards both native and introduced predators. Based on our findings, we propose a novel theory, the 'Relaxed Predation Theory'. Our new theory is based on the absence of large mammalian predators leading to reduced predation pressure in Australia during the past 40000-50000 years, and on three key differences between Australian metatherians and eutherians: size, sex, and brains. In light of this Relaxed Predation Theory, we make a number of recommendations for the conservation of Australian wildlife: (i) predator avoidance training of suitable species; (ii) exclusion fencing to exclude some, but not all, predators to facilitate the development of antipredator behaviours; (iii) captive breeding programs to prevent the extinction of some species; and (iv) reintroduction of Australia's larger predators, potentially to compete with and displace introduced predators. A more detailed understanding of the responses of Australian mammals to predators will hopefully contribute to the improved conservation of susceptible species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan C Edwards
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, 4343, Queensland, Australia.,Hidden Vale Wildlife Centre, The University of Queensland, 617 Grandchester Mount-Mort Road, Grandchester, 4340, Queensland, Australia
| | - Julia M Hoy
- Hidden Vale Wildlife Centre, The University of Queensland, 617 Grandchester Mount-Mort Road, Grandchester, 4340, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sean I FitzGibbon
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, 4343, Queensland, Australia
| | - Peter J Murray
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, 4343, Queensland, Australia
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12
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Archer M, Bates H, Hand SJ, Evans T, Broome L, McAllan B, Geiser F, Jackson S, Myers T, Gillespie A, Palmer C, Hawke T, Horn AM. The Burramys Project: a conservationist's reach should exceed history's grasp, or what is the fossil record for? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20190221. [PMID: 31679491 PMCID: PMC6863488 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The fossil record provides important information about changes in species diversity, distribution, habitat and abundance through time. As we understand more about these changes, it becomes possible to envisage a wider range of options for translocations in a world where sustainability of habitats is under increasing threat. The Critically Endangered alpine/subalpine mountain pygmy-possum, Burramys parvus (Marsupialia, Burramyidae), is threatened by global heating. Using conventional strategies, there would be no viable pathway for stopping this iconic marsupial from becoming extinct. The fossil record, however, has inspired an innovative strategy for saving this species. This lineage has been represented over 25 Myr by a series of species always inhabiting lowland, wet forest palaeocommunities. These fossil deposits have been found in what is now the Tirari Desert, South Australia (24 Ma), savannah woodlands of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, Queensland (approx. 24–15 Ma) and savannah grasslands of Hamilton, Victoria (approx. 4 Ma). This palaeoecological record has led to the proposal overviewed here to construct a lowland breeding facility with the goal of monitoring the outcome of introducing this possum back into the pre-Quaternary core habitat for the lineage. If this project succeeds, similar approaches could be considered for other climate-change-threatened Australian species such as the southern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne corroboree) and the western swamp tortoise (Pseudemydura umbrina). This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘The past is a foreign country: how much can the fossil record actually inform conservation?’
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Archer
- PANGEA Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Hayley Bates
- PANGEA Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Suzanne J Hand
- PANGEA Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Trevor Evans
- Australian Ecosystems Foundation Inc., 35 Crane Road, Lithgow, New South Wales 2790, Australia
| | - Linda Broome
- Office of Environment and Heritage, PO Box 733, Queanbeyan, New South Wales 2620, Australia
| | - Bronwyn McAllan
- Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Fritz Geiser
- Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Zoology, University of New England, New South Wales 2351, Australia
| | - Stephen Jackson
- PANGEA Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.,Biosecurity NSW, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange, New South Wales 2800, Australia
| | - Troy Myers
- PANGEA Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Anna Gillespie
- PANGEA Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Chris Palmer
- PANGEA Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Tahneal Hawke
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Alexis M Horn
- Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, Sanibel, FL 33957, USA
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13
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Blumstein DT, Letnic M, Moseby KE. In situ predator conditioning of naive prey prior to reintroduction. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20180058. [PMID: 31352887 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Many translocations and introductions to recover threatened populations fail because predators kill prey soon after release; a problem exacerbated for predator-naive prey. While pre-release training has been shown to work in some situations, it is time consuming and relies on using inferred predator cues and treating small groups. We review a relatively new and very promising management tool: in situ, pre-release predator conditioning. Here, the goal is to allow prey in large enclosures to live with low densities of predators to accelerate selection for antipredator traits (in an evolutionary sense) or provide prey essential experience with predators that they will later encounter. We review the published results of a large-scale, controlled experiment where we have permitted burrowing bettongs (Bettongia lesueur) and greater bilblies (Macrotis lagotis) to live with low densities of feral cats (Felis catus), a species implicated in their widespread decline and localized extinction. We found that both species could persist with cats, suggesting that future work should define coexistence thresholds-which will require knowledge of prey behaviour as well as the structure of the ecological community. Compared to control populations, predator-naive prey exposed to cats has a suite of morphological and behavioural responses that seemingly have increased their antipredator abilities. Results suggest that predator-conditioned bilbies survive better when released into a large enclosure with an established cat population; future work will determine whether this increased survival extends to the wild. This article is part of the theme issue 'Linking behaviour to dynamics of populations and communities: application of novel approaches in behavioural ecology to conservation'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Mike Letnic
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2035, Australia
| | - Katherine E Moseby
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2035, Australia.,Arid Recovery Ltd., PO Box 147, Roxby Downs, SA 5725, Australia
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14
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Bytheway JP, Banks PB. Overcoming prey naiveté: Free-living marsupials develop recognition and effective behavioral responses to alien predators in Australia. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:1685-1695. [PMID: 30822357 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Naiveté in prey arises from novel ecological mismatches in cue recognition systems and antipredator responses following the arrival of alien predators. The multilevel naiveté framework suggests that animals can progress through levels of naiveté toward predator awareness. Alternatively, native prey may be preadapted to recognize novel predators via common constituents in predator odors or familiar predator archetypes. We tested predictions of these competing hypotheses on the mechanisms driving behavioral responses of native species to alien predators by measuring responses of native free-living northern brown bandicoots (Isoodon macrourus) to alien red fox (Vulpes vulpes) odor. We compared multiple bandicoot populations either sympatric or allopatric with foxes. Bandicoots sympatric with foxes showed recognition and appropriate antipredator behavior toward fox odor via avoidance. On the few occasions bandicoots did visit, their vigilance significantly increased, and their foraging decreased. In contrast, bandicoots allopatric with foxes showed no recognition of this predator cue. Our results suggest that vulnerable Australian mammals were likely naïve to foxes when they first arrived, which explains why so many native mammals declined soon after fox arrival. Our results also suggest such naiveté can be overcome within a relatively short time frame, driven by experience with predators, thus supporting the multilevel naiveté framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna P Bytheway
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Peter B Banks
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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