Learned recognition of introduced predators determines survival of tadpole prey

Alien predators are one of the major causes for rapid decline and extinction of native species, because they often create novel ecological contexts in which the antipredatory responses of native organisms are no longer fit. Although larval amphibians are often capable of innately responding to chemi...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Polo-Cavia, Nuria, Gómez-Mestre, Iván
Format: article
Publication Date:2014
Country:España
Institution:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repository:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:digitalcsic_::6cd85c48ccf9f0406f4b6ca097ecfc53
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/100048
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Alien predators
Chemical cues
Learning
Phenotypic plasticity
Predator recognition
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spelling Learned recognition of introduced predators determines survival of tadpole preyPolo-Cavia, NuriaGómez-Mestre, IvánAlien predatorsChemical cuesLearningPhenotypic plasticityPredator recognitionAlien predators are one of the major causes for rapid decline and extinction of native species, because they often create novel ecological contexts in which the antipredatory responses of native organisms are no longer fit. Although larval amphibians are often capable of innately responding to chemical cues from local predators through changes in morphology and behaviour, naïve tadpoles generally cannot recognize introduced predators with which they have not shared an evolutionary past. However, in a few documented cases, aquatic organisms have been observed to alter morphology or behaviour in response to alien predators. Such a response may have evolved as adaptive recognition, increasing their repertoire of innate responses to include the novel predator or may have evolved as the prey's ability to learn new threats by association with conspecific alarm cues. The red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, is a harmful invasive species in aquatic systems world-wide, causing great ecological impact on native amphibian populations during the last decades through intense predation of eggs and tadpoles. We demonstrate that naïve tadpoles of the western spadefoot toad, Pelobates cultripes, are not capable of innately recognizing water-borne predator cues from the red swamp crayfish. Nevertheless, we demonstrate that P. cultripes tadpoles can learn to recognize the cues of the invasive predatory crayfish as a threat when they are exposed to predator cues combined with conspecific alarm cues. Finally, we show that tadpoles conditioned by joint exposure to crayfish and alarm cues enjoy higher survival during predation trials with invasive crayfish. Learning to recognize a newly introduced predator through association with conspecific alarm cues may allow successful generalization of antipredatory responses by tadpoles. This cognitive ability of tadpoles may contribute to reduce their vulnerability to alien predators and soothe the impact of invasions in natural populationsPeer reviewedBritish Ecological SocietyConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]201420142014info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501http://hdl.handle.net/10261/100048reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSICinstname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Ingléshttp://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12175Síinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:dnet:digitalcsic_::6cd85c48ccf9f0406f4b6ca097ecfc532026-05-22T06:33:51Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Learned recognition of introduced predators determines survival of tadpole prey
title Learned recognition of introduced predators determines survival of tadpole prey
spellingShingle Learned recognition of introduced predators determines survival of tadpole prey
Polo-Cavia, Nuria
Alien predators
Chemical cues
Learning
Phenotypic plasticity
Predator recognition
title_short Learned recognition of introduced predators determines survival of tadpole prey
title_full Learned recognition of introduced predators determines survival of tadpole prey
title_fullStr Learned recognition of introduced predators determines survival of tadpole prey
title_full_unstemmed Learned recognition of introduced predators determines survival of tadpole prey
title_sort Learned recognition of introduced predators determines survival of tadpole prey
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Polo-Cavia, Nuria
Gómez-Mestre, Iván
author Polo-Cavia, Nuria
author_facet Polo-Cavia, Nuria
Gómez-Mestre, Iván
author_role author
author2 Gómez-Mestre, Iván
author2_role author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Alien predators
Chemical cues
Learning
Phenotypic plasticity
Predator recognition
topic Alien predators
Chemical cues
Learning
Phenotypic plasticity
Predator recognition
description Alien predators are one of the major causes for rapid decline and extinction of native species, because they often create novel ecological contexts in which the antipredatory responses of native organisms are no longer fit. Although larval amphibians are often capable of innately responding to chemical cues from local predators through changes in morphology and behaviour, naïve tadpoles generally cannot recognize introduced predators with which they have not shared an evolutionary past. However, in a few documented cases, aquatic organisms have been observed to alter morphology or behaviour in response to alien predators. Such a response may have evolved as adaptive recognition, increasing their repertoire of innate responses to include the novel predator or may have evolved as the prey's ability to learn new threats by association with conspecific alarm cues. The red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, is a harmful invasive species in aquatic systems world-wide, causing great ecological impact on native amphibian populations during the last decades through intense predation of eggs and tadpoles. We demonstrate that naïve tadpoles of the western spadefoot toad, Pelobates cultripes, are not capable of innately recognizing water-borne predator cues from the red swamp crayfish. Nevertheless, we demonstrate that P. cultripes tadpoles can learn to recognize the cues of the invasive predatory crayfish as a threat when they are exposed to predator cues combined with conspecific alarm cues. Finally, we show that tadpoles conditioned by joint exposure to crayfish and alarm cues enjoy higher survival during predation trials with invasive crayfish. Learning to recognize a newly introduced predator through association with conspecific alarm cues may allow successful generalization of antipredatory responses by tadpoles. This cognitive ability of tadpoles may contribute to reduce their vulnerability to alien predators and soothe the impact of invasions in natural populations
publishDate 2014
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2014
2014
2014
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10261/100048
url http://hdl.handle.net/10261/100048
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12175
Sí
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv British Ecological Society
publisher.none.fl_str_mv British Ecological Society
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
instname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
instname_str Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
reponame_str DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
collection DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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score 15.81155

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