Trust thy neighbour in times of trouble: background risk alters how tadpoles release and respond to disturbance cues

In aquatic environments, uninjured prey escaping a predator release chemical disturbance cues into the water. However, it is unknown whether these cues are a simple physiological by-product of increased activity or whether they represent a social signal that is under some control by the sender. Here...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2017-09, Vol.284 (1863), p.20171465-20171465
Main Authors: Bairos-Novak, Kevin R., Mitchell, Matthew D., Crane, Adam L., Chivers, Douglas P., Ferrari, Maud C. O.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Anti-predator behavior
Antipredator Response
Aquatic environment
Background Risk
Behaviour
Chemical communication
Cues
Disturbance
Disturbance Cue
Larva - physiology
Lithobates sylvaticus
Predation
Predatory Behavior
Prey
Ranidae - physiology
Risk
Risk levels
Signaling
Social Cue
Tadpoles
Vertebrates
Wood
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Summary:In aquatic environments, uninjured prey escaping a predator release chemical disturbance cues into the water. However, it is unknown whether these cues are a simple physiological by-product of increased activity or whether they represent a social signal that is under some control by the sender. Here, we exposed wood frog tadpoles (Lithobates sylvaticus) to either a high or low background risk environment and tested their responses to disturbance cues (or control cues) produced by tadpoles from high-risk or low-risk backgrounds. We found an interaction between risk levels associated with the cue donor and cue recipient. While disturbance cues from low-risk donors did not elicit an antipredator response in low-risk receivers, they did in high-risk receivers. In addition, disturbance cues from high-risk donors elicited a marked antipredator response in both low- and high-risk receivers. The response of high-risk receivers to disturbance cues from high-risk donors was commensurate with other treatments, indicating an all-or-nothing response. Our study provides evidence of differential production and perception of social cues and provides insights into their function and evolution in aquatic vertebrates. Given the widespread nature of disturbance cues in aquatic prey, there may exist a social signalling system that remains virtually unexplored by ecologists.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2017.1465