PSYO 2160 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Sepia Apama, California Ground Squirrel, Rock Ptarmigan
3 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Antipredator Behaviour
November 2-4, 2015
Chapter 12
• Survival is dependent on antipredator behaviours (ability to get away)
• Natural selection should operate strongly
• Can increase antipredator behaviours through social behaviours, increasing cultural transmission
California Ground Squirrel:
• Prey for various snake
• Natural selection favours those who can fight against snake
o Throw dirt or rocks
o Fight off in groups
o Wrestle snakes
• Behaviourally, they contain tools to scare snake away
• Physically, they produce antibodies to protect them against venom in snakes
• When they mature to leave the colony, their serum-to-venom binding level naturally increases
Behaviours:
• Avoid Predators:
o Blend into environment
▪ Ex. Oldfield mice of same species have colourings that match their environment
▪ Crypsis – camouflage
▪ Ex. Giant Australian Cuttlefish can change pattern to uniform, mottled, or disruptive
▪ Ex. Rock ptarmigan – lose white feathers in the summer to imitate environment
o Males keep white colourations for longer and will physically dirty
themselves until they molt *behavioural change
o Be quiet
▪ Gulf toadfish make a boat-whistle during mating season
• Dolphins that prey on the Gulf toadfish use the whistle to locate and orient
themselves
• Therefore, louder organisms are easier prey
• Exposed cuttleflish to three sounds:
o Dolphin whistles/pops
o Dolphin pops alone
o Dolphin whistles alone
o Snapping shrimp sounds
• Males exposed to dolphin pops reduced their rates 50% and maintained
that reduced calling
o Cortisol levels were also higher for those exposed to the dolphin
pops
o Have a safe habitat
▪ Nesting in tree cavities vs. other cavities in parrots
▪ Does predation threat drive the choice of nesting areas?
▪ Brightsmith studied Australian and Amazonian parrots:
• Force: predation (not competition)
• Lack hypothesized inverse correlation between nest predation rate and
length of nesting period
o Therefore, other cavity nesters should have longer nesting periods
o Chose nesting location based on number of nearby predators
o Behavioural change
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