Predators use environmental cues to discriminate between prey |
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Authors: | Bo Terning Hansen Øistein Haugsten Holen Johanna Mappes |
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Institution: | 1. Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box?166, 0316, Oslo, Norway 2. Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyv?skyl?, P.O. Box?35, 40014, Jyv?skyl?, Finland
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Abstract: | The cognitive processes of predators play a central role in the evolution of prey characters. Numerous studies have shown
that vertebrate predators may learn to associate the characteristics of prey (e.g. color) with the cost or benefit of ingesting
them, thus forming preferences and aversions for different kinds of prey. Although the distribution and quality of prey types
can differ between environmental contexts, which may make it profitable to attack a prey type in some contexts but not in
others, the influence of environmental cues in decisions to attack has rarely been addressed. Recent theory suggests that
modification of prey preferences by environmental cues such as microhabitat or temperature may influence the evolution of
prey characteristics. Here, we show that the environmental foraging context may determine prey choice in great tits (Parus major) through learned association between the prey phenotype (appearance and palatability) and a contextual background cue. The
same individuals were able to learn and maintain two different sets of food preferences and aversions for use in two different
environmental contexts (aviaries with red or blue wooden boards), indicating a role for contextual learning in vertebrate
foraging behavior. |
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