Abstract
When predator chemical cues are present, low activity of prey is a commonly seen defensive behavior. However, few studies have explored the functional implications of the defensive behaviors and, thus, elucidated the possible linkages between behavioral responses and its consequences. In this study, we experimentally investigated how behavioral responses of Hyla japonica tadpoles to predator chemical cues affect vulnerability to a dragonfly nymph Anax parthenope julius. The frequency of tadpoles attacked by dragonfly nymphs was lower with chemical cues of predator was present than without chemical cues, and most of attacks occurred when tadpoles were mobile. When tadpoles were exposed to chemical cues, on the other hand, their swimming speed was quicker and swimming distance was longer, respectively, and the rates of being approached of the swimming tadpoles by dragonfly nymph was lower than those not exposed to chemical cues. We found that the tadpoles are induced by predator chemical cues not only to generally lower activity but also to swim in bursts as additional behavior and that the suite of their behavioral responses reduce the vulnerability against dragonfly nymph. Tadpoles can receive information about the predation risks by chemical cues and adjust their defensive behavior accordingly.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Dr. Jeffrey R. Aldrich of the USDA for useful comments on the manuscript and language revision. We would like to thank Dr. T. Nisimura of the University of Shiga Prefecture for constructive and helpful comments on the experiment and manuscript. We also are grateful to Drs. A. Wada-Katsumata of the Kyoto University and H. Yamanaka of the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature for useful advices to the experiment design and members of the Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Kyoto University for discussion and comments on the experiment. This study was supported by grants from the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, the Venture Laboratory of the Kyoto Institute of Technology, and the Research Fellowship of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for young scientists (No. 07071) to T. Takahara. The experiments comply with the current Japan laws.
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Communicated by J. Christensen-Dalsgaard
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Takahara, T., Kohmatsu, Y., Maruyama, A. et al. Benefit of suites of defensive behavior induced by predator chemical cues on anuran tadpoles, Hyla japonica . Behav Ecol Sociobiol 63, 235–240 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-008-0654-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-008-0654-9