Naive poison frog tadpoles use bi-modal cues to avoid insect predators but not heterospecific predatory tadpoles
(2021) In Journal of Experimental Biology 224(24).- Abstract
- For animals to survive until reproduction, it is crucial that juveniles
successfully detect potential predators and respond with appropriate
behavior. The recognition of cues originating from predators can be
innate or learned. Cues of various modalities might be used alone or in
multi-modal combinations to detect and distinguish predators but studies
investigating multi-modal integration in predator avoidance are scarce.
Here, we used wild, naive tadpoles of the Neotropical poison frog Allobates femoralis ( Boulenger, 1884)
to test their reaction to cues with two modalities from two different
sympatrically occurring potential predators: heterospecific predatory Dendrobates... (More) - For animals to survive until reproduction, it is crucial that juveniles
successfully detect potential predators and respond with appropriate
behavior. The recognition of cues originating from predators can be
innate or learned. Cues of various modalities might be used alone or in
multi-modal combinations to detect and distinguish predators but studies
investigating multi-modal integration in predator avoidance are scarce.
Here, we used wild, naive tadpoles of the Neotropical poison frog Allobates femoralis ( Boulenger, 1884)
to test their reaction to cues with two modalities from two different
sympatrically occurring potential predators: heterospecific predatory Dendrobates tinctorius tadpoles and dragonfly larvae. We presented A. femoralis
tadpoles with olfactory or visual cues, or a combination of the two,
and compared their reaction to a water control in a between-individual
design. In our trials, A. femoralis tadpoles reacted to
multi-modal stimuli (a combination of visual and chemical information)
originating from dragonfly larvae with avoidance but showed no reaction
to uni-modal cues or cues from heterospecific tadpoles. In addition,
visual cues from conspecifics increased swimming activity while cues
from predators had no effect on tadpole activity. Our results show that A. femoralis
tadpoles can innately recognize some predators and probably need both
visual and chemical information to effectively avoid them. This is the
first study looking at anti-predator behavior in poison frog tadpoles.
We discuss how parental care might influence the expression of predator
avoidance responses in tadpoles. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/5374d1ae-92d2-48a3-bed0-c0dd40c0a91c
- author
- Szabo, Birgit ; Mangione, Rosanna ; Rath, Matthias ; Pašukonis, Andrius ; Reber, Stephan A. LU ; Oh, Jinook ; Ringler, Max and Ringler, Eva
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021-12
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Anti-predator behavior, Anuran, Cross-modal integration, Cue recognition, Innate predator detection
- in
- Journal of Experimental Biology
- volume
- 224
- issue
- 24
- article number
- jeb243647
- pages
- 9 pages
- publisher
- The Company of Biologists Ltd
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:34845497
- scopus:85122350858
- ISSN
- 0022-0949
- DOI
- 10.1242/jeb.243647
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Company of Biologists Ltd. All rights reserved.
- id
- 5374d1ae-92d2-48a3-bed0-c0dd40c0a91c
- date added to LUP
- 2023-01-31 18:05:51
- date last changed
- 2024-04-15 21:48:50
@article{5374d1ae-92d2-48a3-bed0-c0dd40c0a91c,
abstract = {{For animals to survive until reproduction, it is crucial that juveniles <br>
successfully detect potential predators and respond with appropriate <br>
behavior. The recognition of cues originating from predators can be <br>
innate or learned. Cues of various modalities might be used alone or in <br>
multi-modal combinations to detect and distinguish predators but studies<br>
investigating multi-modal integration in predator avoidance are scarce.<br>
Here, we used wild, naive tadpoles of the Neotropical poison frog <em>Allobates femoralis</em> ( Boulenger, 1884)<br>
to test their reaction to cues with two modalities from two different <br>
sympatrically occurring potential predators: heterospecific predatory <em>Dendrobates tinctorius</em> tadpoles and dragonfly larvae. We presented <em>A. femoralis</em><br>
tadpoles with olfactory or visual cues, or a combination of the two, <br>
and compared their reaction to a water control in a between-individual <br>
design. In our trials, <em>A. femoralis</em> tadpoles reacted to <br>
multi-modal stimuli (a combination of visual and chemical information) <br>
originating from dragonfly larvae with avoidance but showed no reaction <br>
to uni-modal cues or cues from heterospecific tadpoles. In addition, <br>
visual cues from conspecifics increased swimming activity while cues <br>
from predators had no effect on tadpole activity. Our results show that <em>A. femoralis</em><br>
tadpoles can innately recognize some predators and probably need both <br>
visual and chemical information to effectively avoid them. This is the <br>
first study looking at anti-predator behavior in poison frog tadpoles. <br>
We discuss how parental care might influence the expression of predator <br>
avoidance responses in tadpoles.}},
author = {{Szabo, Birgit and Mangione, Rosanna and Rath, Matthias and Pašukonis, Andrius and Reber, Stephan A. and Oh, Jinook and Ringler, Max and Ringler, Eva}},
issn = {{0022-0949}},
keywords = {{Anti-predator behavior; Anuran; Cross-modal integration; Cue recognition; Innate predator detection}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{24}},
publisher = {{The Company of Biologists Ltd}},
series = {{Journal of Experimental Biology}},
title = {{Naive poison frog tadpoles use bi-modal cues to avoid insect predators but not heterospecific predatory tadpoles}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.243647}},
doi = {{10.1242/jeb.243647}},
volume = {{224}},
year = {{2021}},
}