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Rapid acquisition of antipredatory responses to new predators by an insular lizard

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Abstract

Alien predators may impose a great threat to naïve prey. Ibiza wall lizards (Podarcis pityusensis) live in Ibiza, a snake-free island until 2003. We studied the lizards’ discrimination of scents of two invader snakes: one that depredates lizards, the horseshoe whip snake (Hemorrhois hippocrepis), and another that does not, the ladder snake (Rhinechis scalaris). We compared two populations of Ibiza wall lizards: one from the main island of Ibiza, which coexists with both snakes, and another from the nearby snake-free islet of Sal Rossa. Lizards from Ibiza recognized the scent of the horseshoe whip snake and responded with clear antipredatory behaviours. However, they reacted to the scent of the ladder snake similarly to that of the controls (odourless control and pungent scent). Lizards from Sal Rossa did not respond to any of the snakes or the controls. Our results show that lizards can rapidly acquire the ability to react to a novel predator. As only about ten generations of lizards have coexisted with snakes, the most plausible explanation to our results is that lizards have learned to associate the scent of the predatory snake with a threat. This is the first study reporting the rapid acquisition of lizards’ antipredatory responses to the chemical cues of novel predators. However, more research is needed in order to identify the mechanisms implicated in the response.

Significance statement

How naïve prey acquire antipredator behaviour is both important for basic scientific research and useful for the conservation of native species subjected to biological invasions. The island of Ibiza (Spain) has been free from snakes until their introduction by humans in 2003. We compared the reaction of lizards from Ibiza (where presently three species of snakes cohabitate) and lizards from Sal Rossa (a nearby snake-free islet) to the scent of two snakes (one that feeds on lizards and other that does not). The results were clear: lizards from Ibiza react to the scent of the predatory snake with antipredatory behaviours, while ignoring the scent of the non-predatory snake. Lizards from the snake-free island of Sal Rossa did not react to any of the snakes. Our study shows that lizards can rapidly acquire the ability to react to a completely new type of predator, most likely by learning.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project CGL2012-39850-CO2-02) and the University of Salamanca (predoctoral grants to AM and ZO). We thank the city council of Sant Josep de Sa Talaia (Ibiza) for providing us accommodations and research facilities at Sa Casilla. We thank A. Pérez-Cembranos for her assistance with the capturing of lizards and Mario Garrido, Gonzalo Rodríguez and Alicia León for their support with the writing and M.T. Mencía and Joseph McIntyre for language revision. We also thank Axios Review, Thomas Madsen and two anonymous reviewers that helped to improve the first version of the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Animal Biology, University of Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, s/n, 37007, Salamanca, Spain

    Zaida Ortega, Abraham Mencía & Valentín Pérez-Mellado

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  1. Zaida Ortega
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  2. Abraham Mencía
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  3. Valentín Pérez-Mellado
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Correspondence to Zaida Ortega.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project CGL2012-39850-CO2-02) and the University of Salamanca (predoctoral grants to AM and ZO).

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All applicable international, national and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. Lizards were sampled under permits issued by the Balear Government. This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

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Communicated by T. Madsen

Zaida Ortega and Abraham Mencía are cofirst authors.

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Ortega, Z., Mencía, A. & Pérez-Mellado, V. Rapid acquisition of antipredatory responses to new predators by an insular lizard. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 71, 1 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-016-2246-4

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