Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
Predation is a major source of mortality for prey, which creates selective pressures for avoiding predators whenever possible. As a result, many prey species have evolved different methods of communication to alert conspecifics of potential threats. However, it is unknown if conspecifics are able to distinguish between these cues and, as a result, interpret different levels of predation threat. I studied the ability of the three-spined stickleback to distinguish between environmental cues by exposing conspecifics to four different types of conspecific alarm cues, cues of predator-naïve conspecifics, visual cues of predator-exposed conspecifics, visual and olfactory predator-exposed conspecific cues, and visual, conspecific olfactory, and conspecific damage cues. For five minutes before and after exposure to the cues, I recorded three key defensive behaviors, thigmotaxis, shoaling, and hiding in plants, in both the focal subject and demonstrator. I assayed 40 conspecifics over 8 weeks, for a total of 160 trials. Directly after each assay, I placed the focal subject in 200ml of RO water in a 600ml beaker for 1 hour to collect waterborne cortisol, which will be measured using ELISA assays to indicate chemical stress levels. I hypothesize that the conspecifics will be able to distinguish between the severity of the cues, causing an increase in anti-predator behavior response in exposure to all the combined cues in comparison to a few, or none of the cues. This research will provide a better understanding of how conspecifics communicate about predation threat through visual and olfactory cues, and how they determine when to perform anti-predator behavior.
Included in
Anti-predator Behavior in Response to Conspecific Visual, Olfactory, and Damage Cues in the Three-spined Stickleback
Predation is a major source of mortality for prey, which creates selective pressures for avoiding predators whenever possible. As a result, many prey species have evolved different methods of communication to alert conspecifics of potential threats. However, it is unknown if conspecifics are able to distinguish between these cues and, as a result, interpret different levels of predation threat. I studied the ability of the three-spined stickleback to distinguish between environmental cues by exposing conspecifics to four different types of conspecific alarm cues, cues of predator-naïve conspecifics, visual cues of predator-exposed conspecifics, visual and olfactory predator-exposed conspecific cues, and visual, conspecific olfactory, and conspecific damage cues. For five minutes before and after exposure to the cues, I recorded three key defensive behaviors, thigmotaxis, shoaling, and hiding in plants, in both the focal subject and demonstrator. I assayed 40 conspecifics over 8 weeks, for a total of 160 trials. Directly after each assay, I placed the focal subject in 200ml of RO water in a 600ml beaker for 1 hour to collect waterborne cortisol, which will be measured using ELISA assays to indicate chemical stress levels. I hypothesize that the conspecifics will be able to distinguish between the severity of the cues, causing an increase in anti-predator behavior response in exposure to all the combined cues in comparison to a few, or none of the cues. This research will provide a better understanding of how conspecifics communicate about predation threat through visual and olfactory cues, and how they determine when to perform anti-predator behavior.
