Abstract
Studies that test the optimal escape theory often show that males base their escape strategies on the costs and benefits of escaping. Consequently, some studies have shown that males exhibit riskier anti-predatory strategies when they are near females, probably to avoid losing reproductive opportunities. However, since in some species females have a limited reproductive season, this reduction in mating opportunities should be more pronounced during the female reproductive season. Therefore, males should express reduced anti-predatory behaviors when females are fertile. In this study, we used the lizard Eurolophosaurus nanuzae as study subject to evaluate the hypothesis that during the female reproductive season, males will express riskier anti-predatory behaviors than in the non-reproductive season. To accomplish this, we recorded the flight initiation distance (FID) and the time spent in the refuge of males with and without previous exposure to a female, during both the female reproductive and non-reproductive seasons. We found that after exposure to females, males decreased their FID. Although this effect occurred in both seasons, it was stronger during the female reproductive season. Males also spent less time in refuges when females were sexually receptive. Our results indicated that the presence of females induces males to adopt riskier escape decisions, and that the assumed risks are even greater when females represent an immediate chance to mate.
Significance statement
During or immediately after a predatory event, prey must consider the trade-off between the costs and benefits of escaping. In this context, it is known that males of many prey species tend to take a greater predatory risk in the presence of females to avoid losing mating opportunities when fleeing. But only female presence may not be an important determinant of male escaping decisions if females are not always fertile. Here, we did field experiments to show that males assume a higher predatory risk if they had a previous contact with females during the female reproductive season when compared to the non-reproductive station. Thus, our study shows the importance of considering more nuanced reproductive benefits for a better understanding of the escape decisions made by males.
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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files.
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The script with all the commands we used for data visualization and analysis is available in the supplementary material.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Paula Eterovic, Thiago Kloss, Igor Kaefer, Thomas Madsen, and an anonymous reviewer and for constructive comments on this manuscript. We are grateful to the administrative staff of Reserva Vellozia and Reserva Planta for the logistical support, and G. W. Fernandes for the permits to work in his property at Serra do Cipó. We are extremely thankful to all colleagues that helped us in the field. L. Porto and C. A. Martins for the work on the electronic system used to measure FID. SPVR thanks Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for the grant (process 167211/2018-8). CABG thanks CNPq for the grant (process 313341/2017-6). PECP thanks Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq produtividade em pesquisa 311212/2018-2) and Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento of Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica and Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais (P&D ANEEL/CEMIG, PROECOS project GT-599) for financing.
Funding
SPVR thanks Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for the grant (process 167211/2018–8). CABG thanks CNPq for the grant (process 313341/2017–6). PECP thanks Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq produtividade em pesquisa 311212/2018–2) and Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento of Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica and Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais (P&D ANEEL/CEMIG, PROECOS project GT-599) for financing.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by SPRV. Analysis was performed by SPRV and PECP. The first draft of the manuscript was written by SPRV and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the use of animals were followed. Our sample design involving the lizards was approved by the Brazilian Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (SISBio 65676–1) and by Comissão de Ética de Uso de Animais (CEUA) of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (protocol CEUA 05/2019).
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Ventura, S.P.R., Galdino, C.A.B. & Peixoto, P.E.C. Fatal attraction: territorial males of a neotropical lizard increase predation risk when females are sexually receptive. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 75, 170 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-021-03112-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-021-03112-2