[en] Understanding how long-term changes in environmental conditions influence the way that individuals cope with threats is essential in the context of behavioral adaptation to a rapidly changing world. However, little is known about the behavioral responses to predation risk for individuals that experienced different environmental conditions for extended periods of time, such as food levels and light conditions. In this experimental study, we tested whether previous long-term exposure to different food levels (low versus high) and light conditions (0-hour light versus 8-hour light) play a significant role in shaping the antipredator response (i.e., the probability of emerging from the refuge and the distance moved) to stimuli from caged larval dragonflies, in larvae of the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra). Specifically, we quantified behavioral differences in the response to predation risk in larval salamanders that were reared in the laboratory for two months under controlled food and light conditions. The results of this study showed that the interaction between food level and light conditions affected the antipredator behavior of the larvae. Fire salamander larvae maintained at low food levels and in 8-hour light conditions emerged from the refuge with a higher probability (i.e., took more risk) than larvae maintained at high food levels and all other combinations of light conditions. Thus, our results highlight the complexity of antipredator responses, pointing attention to the fact that interactions among environmental factors are likely to determine the magnitude of antipredator response.
Research center :
FOCUS - Freshwater and OCeanic science Unit of reSearch - ULiège
Băncilă, Raluca Ioana; “Emil Racoviţă” Institute of Speleology
Plăiaşu, Rodica; “Emil Racoviţă” Institute of Speleology
Stănescu, Florina; Ovidius University Constanța
Schmidt, Benedikt R.; University of Zurich
Nae, Ioana; “Emil Racoviţă” Institute of Speleology
Denoël, Mathieu ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Laboratoire d'Écologie et de Conservation des Amphibiens
Language :
English
Title :
Food level and light conditions affect the antipredator behavior in larvae of a stream-breeding amphibian
Publication date :
February 2021
Journal title :
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
ISSN :
0340-5443
eISSN :
1432-0762
Publisher :
Springer, Germany
Volume :
75
Issue :
2
Pages :
36
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funders :
F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique [BE] WBI - Wallonie-Bruxelles International [BE] Executive Unit for Financing Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation CCCDI-UEFISCDI (ANCS)
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