Site familiarity affects antipredator behavior of the amphisbaenian Blanus cinereus

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (12) ◽  
pp. 2142-2146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pilar López ◽  
José Martín ◽  
Andrés Barbosa
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Internal State ◽  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Site Familiarity ◽  
Morphological Adaptations ◽  
Defensive Behaviors ◽  
Antipredator Behaviors ◽  
Tongue Flicks

Morphological adaptations of amphisbaenians to fossorial life might affect their antipredator-behavior decisions. Amphisbaenians exposed on the soil surface by a predator can escape by burrowing immediately or by using alternative defensive behaviors on the soil surface, and should decide where to burrow in order to return to their home range. We simulated in the laboratory predatory attacks toward individual amphisbaenians (Blanus cinereus), and examined whether their antipredator and burrowing responses were affected by site familiarity (familiar versus unfamiliar substrate) and their internal state (i.e., body temperature and associated burrowing performance). Amphisbaenians showed significantly longer episodes of alternative antipredator behaviors on the soil surface (coiling and still) when the temperature was low. Before starting to burrow in unfamiliar substrates, individuals emitted numerous tongue flicks and moved for significantly longer periods of time than when on familiar substrates, independently of temperature. In contrast, in their own cages, with familiar substrates, amphisbaenians performed only a few tongue flicks before starting to burrow. Subsequently, the time spent burrowing was significantly longer when the temperature was low or amphisbaenians were on an unfamiliar substrate. These results suggest that amphisbaenians are able to recognize their own home range by chemosensory cues and that they are able to use this information when deciding where to burrow to escape from potential predators.

Site familiarity affects antipredator behavior of the amphisbaenian Blanus cinereus

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (12) ◽  
pp. 2142-2146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pilar López ◽  
José Martín ◽  
Andrés Barbosa
Keyword(s):  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
Site Familiarity

scholarly journals Stress responses to conspecific visual cues of predation risk in zebrafish

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thiago Acosta Oliveira ◽  
Renan Idalencio ◽  
Fabiana Kalichak ◽  
João Gabriel dos Santos Rosa ◽  
Gessi Koakoski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Prey Fish ◽  
Alarm Signals ◽  
Defensive Responses ◽  
Defensive Behaviors ◽  
Antipredator Behaviors ◽  
Cortisol Increase

Chemical communication relating to predation risk is a trait common among fish species. Prey fish under threat of predation can signal risk to conspecific fish, which then exhibit defensive responses. Fish also assess predation risk by visual cues and change their behavior accordingly. Here, we explored whether these behavioral changes act as visual alarm signals to conspecific fish that are not initially under risk. We show that shoals of zebrafish (Danio rerio) visually exposed to a predator display antipredator behaviors. In addition, these defensive maneuvers trigger antipredator reactions in conspecifics and, concomitantly, stimulate the hypothalamus-pituitary-interrenal axis, leading to cortisol increase. Thus, we conclude that zebrafish defensive behaviors act as visual alarm cues that induce antipredator and stress response in conspecific fish.

scholarly journals Dynamic encoding of social threat and spatial context in the hypothalamus

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Krzywkowski ◽  
Beatrice Penna ◽  
Cornelius T Gross
Keyword(s):  
Internal State ◽  
Social Defeat ◽  
Ventromedial Hypothalamus ◽  
Social Aggression ◽  
Spatial Context ◽  
Social Threat ◽  
Firing Activity ◽  
Functional Reorganization ◽  
General Internal ◽  
Defensive Behaviors

Social aggression and avoidance are defensive behaviors expressed by territorial animals in a manner appropriate to spatial context and experience. The ventromedial hypothalamus controls both social aggression and avoidance, suggesting that it may encode a general internal state of threat modulated by space and experience. Here, we show that neurons in the mouse ventromedial hypothalamus are activated both by the presence of a social threat as well as by a chamber where social defeat previously occurred. Moreover, under conditions where the animal could move freely between a home and defeat chamber, firing activity emerged that predicted the animal’s position, demonstrating the dynamic encoding of spatial context in the hypothalamus. Finally, we found that social defeat induced a functional reorganization of neural activity as optogenetic activation could elicit avoidance after, but not before social defeat. These findings reveal how the hypothalamus dynamically encodes spatial and sensory cues to drive social behaviors.

scholarly journals Predator-induced maternal effects determine adaptive antipredator behaviors via egg composition

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (37) ◽  
pp. e2017063118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sakshi Sharda ◽  
Tobias Zuest ◽  
Matthias Erb ◽  
Barbara Taborsky
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Parental Effects ◽  
Risk Environments ◽  
Natural Predator ◽  
Antipredator Behaviors ◽  
Egg Composition ◽  
High Risk Environments

In high-risk environments with frequent predator encounters, efficient antipredator behavior is key to survival. Parental effects are a powerful mechanism to prepare offspring for coping with such environments, yet clear evidence for adaptive parental effects on offspring antipredator behaviors is missing. Rapid escape reflexes, or “C-start reflexes,” are a key adaptation in fish and amphibians to escape predator strikes. We hypothesized that mothers living in high-risk environments might induce faster C-start reflexes in offspring by modifying egg composition. Here, we show that offspring of the cichlid fish Neolamprologus pulcher developed faster C-start reflexes and were more risk averse if their parents had been exposed to cues of their most dangerous natural predator during egg production. This effect was mediated by differences in egg composition. Eggs of predator-exposed mothers were heavier with higher net protein content, and the resulting offspring were heavier and had lower igf-1 gene expression than control offspring shortly after hatching. Thus, changes in egg composition can relay multiple putative pathways by which mothers can influence adaptive antipredator behaviors such as faster escape reflexes.

Chemical alarm signals and complex hatchery rearing habitats affect antipredator behavior and survival of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) juveniles

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 830-838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry A Berejikian ◽  
R Jan F. Smith ◽  
E Paul Tezak ◽  
Steven L Schroder ◽  
Curtis M Knudsen
Keyword(s):  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus Mykiss ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Antipredator Behaviors ◽  
Chemical Stimuli ◽  
Predator Odour

The present study examined the effects of chemical antipredator conditioning on antipredator behavior and the relative effects of antipredator conditioning and seminatural rearing environments on postrelease survival of chinook salmon (Onocrhynchus tshawytscha). Hatchery-reared juvenile chinook salmon were exposed to extracts from conspecific tissue or to comparable stimuli from green swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri). These "injured fish" stimuli were paired with water that contained the odour of predatory cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki). Chinook salmon receiving conspecific stimuli showed higher levels of several antipredator behaviors compared with chinook salmon receiving green swordtail extracts. When the two groups of chinook salmon were tested 2 days later with cutthroat trout stimulus alone, the chinook salmon that had originally received injured conspecific stimuli paired with cutthroat trout odour spent more time motionless than chinook salmon that had received green swordtail stimuli and cutthroat trout odour. In another experiment, complex rearing treatments had a negative effect on instream survival (contrary to previous studies) that was compensated for by the application of the chinook salmon extract and cutthroat trout odour prior to release. Chinook salmon, like rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), show antipredator behavior in response to chemical stimuli from injured conspecifics and learn predator recognition when such stimuli are paired with predator odour, improving survival in the wild.

Chemosensory predator recognition induces defensive behavior in the slow-worm (Anguis fragilis)

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 510-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Cabido ◽  
Adega Gonzalo ◽  
Pedro Galán ◽  
José Martín ◽  
Pilar López
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Tongue Flick ◽  
Defensive Behaviors ◽  
Low Visibility ◽  
Grass Snake ◽  
Chemical Stimuli ◽  
Anguis Fragilis ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Tongue Flicks ◽  
Coronella Austriaca

Many antipredator adaptations are induced or mediated by the ability of the prey to recognize chemical cues from the predator. This ability is particularly advantageous for organisms whose environment precludes the effective use of other sensory systems, such as fossorial lizards. We tested the ability of the slow-worm, Anguis fragilis Linnaeus, 1758, a semifossorial legless lizard, to detect and discriminate chemical stimuli arising from potential predators. We compared rates of tongue-flicks to swabs impregnated with scents from the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca Laurenti, 1768), a sympatric predator, the grass snake (Natrix natrix (Linnaeus, 1758)), a sympatric but non-saurophagous predator, and the three-toed skink (Chalcides striatus (Cuvier, 1829)), a sympatric insectivorous, and thus innocuous, skink. Differential tongue-flick rates suggest that scents of smooth snakes were recognized by slow-worms. Moreover, scents of smooth snakes were quickly avoided and elicited defensive behaviors much more often than any other scent, suggesting that chemical cues are a reliable means of assessing the snake's presence. These chemosensory capacities would be evolutionarily advantageous to avoid predation by snakes and are likely to represent a component of the suite of adaptations associated with low-visibility habitats.

scholarly journals EFFECTS OF SEX, ENVIRONMENT, AND CONDITION ON THE MUSKING BEHAVIOR OF SYMPATRIC GARTERSNAKES (THAMNOPHIS SPP.)

2014 ◽  
pp. 40-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Gangloff ◽  
David Bertolatus ◽  
Christopher Reigel ◽  
Jennifer L. Gagliardi-Seeley
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Biotic Factors ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Dependent Behavior ◽  
Defensive Behaviors ◽  
Antipredator Behaviors ◽  
Abiotic And Biotic Factors ◽  
Thamnophis Elegans

Despite an abundance of studies documenting antipredator and defensive behaviors of gartersnakes (genus Thamnophis), few have quantitatively examined musking, a widely utilized antipredator tactic. In this study we quantify musking behaviors in the Terrestrial Gartersnake (Thamnophis elegans) and the Plains Gartersnake (T. radix) when hand-captured at four sites in and near Denver, Colorado, USA. Overall, Plains Gartersnakes musked significantly more often than Terrestrial Gartersnakes. Female Terrestrial Gartersnakes musked more frequently than males, a pattern not evident in the Plains Gartersnake. Additionally, we observed a positive correlation in body condition and musking propensity in Terrestrial Gartersnakes, suggesting resource-dependent behavior in this species. Musking behavior was consistent across variations in predation pressure, environmental conditions, and snake body size, all factors shown to influence other gartersnake defensive behaviors. These results corroborate other research which demonstrates that snake antipredator behaviors are determined by complex interactions of abiotic and biotic factors.

scholarly journals Posterior subthalamic nucleus (PSTh) mediates innate fear-associated hypothermia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Can Liu ◽  
Chia-Ying Lee ◽  
Greg Asher ◽  
Liqin Cao ◽  
Yuka Terakoshi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Subthalamic Nucleus ◽  
Heat Dissipation ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Neuronal Ensembles ◽  
Defensive Behaviors ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Acute Changes ◽  
Innate Fear

Abstract Mammals normally maintain a constant body temperature irrespective of their environmental temperature. However, emotions such as fear can trigger acute changes in body temperature accompanying defensive behaviors to enhance survival in life-threatening conditions. The neural mechanisms of fear-associated thermoregulation remain unclear. Here, we find that innate fear odor 2-methyl-2-thiazoline (2MT) evokes rapid hypothermia and elevated tail temperature, indicative of vasodilation-induced heat dissipation, in wild-type mice, but not in mice lacking Trpa1, the chemosensor for 2MT. Following 2MT exposure, wild-type but not Trpa1-/- mice exhibit high c-fos expression in the posterior subthalamic nucleus (PSTh), external lateral parabrachial subnucleus (PBel), and nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). Tetanus toxin light chain (TeLC)-mediated inactivation of NTS-projecting PSTh neurons blunts 2MT-evoked hypothermia and abrogated tail temperature increase. Optogenetic activation of the PSTh-rostral NTS (RNTS) pathway specifically induces hypothermia and elevated tail temperature. Moreover, selective opto-stimulation of 2MT-activated PSTh-projecting PBel neurons, by capturing activated neuronal ensembles (CANE), induces hypothermia and elevated tail temperature. Conversely, chemogenetic suppression of vGlut2+ neurons in PBel and PSTh or PSTh-projecting PBel neurons attenuates 2MT-evoked hypothermia and tail temperature increment. Taken together, these results uncover a novel PBel-PSTh-NTS neural pathway that underlies 2MT-evoked innate fear-associated hypothermia and tail vasodilation.

scholarly journals Influence of Habitat Conditions and Predation Risk on Productivity and Behavior of a Partially-Migratory Elk Herd in the Absaroka Range

2009 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 3-11
Author(s):  
Arthur Middleton ◽  
Matthew Kauffman
Keyword(s):  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Habitat Conditions ◽  
Private Lands ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Us ◽  
Antipredator Behaviors ◽  
Federal Management ◽  
And Behavior

Ungulate migration is an important but increasingly rare ecological process. Although Yellowstone National Park (YNP) retains a rich assemblage of migratory ungulates, changing ecological conditions across its boundaries are posing new and complex challenges to our understanding of migratory populations. This study is focused on the Clarks Fork elk herd, a partially-migratory population whose migratory subpopulation spends it summers in high-elevation alpine and subalpine habitats inside YNP’s northeastern boundary. In the past decade, productivity of migratory elk has declined sharply while the non-migratory herd segment has remained stable or grown on private lands east of YNP. Early findings have revealed that pregnancy of migratory elk is exceptionally low, suggesting that YNP migrants are nutritionally stressed. Although fat gain in temperate ungulates is conventionally thought to be limited by summer forage quality, and the park has lately experienced prolonged drought, some have suggested that physiologically-costly, wolf-induced antipredator behaviors are reducing elk condition and reproductive performance. We are investigating the relative influence of habitat conditions versus antipredator behavior on the body-fat levels and reproduction of Clarks Fork elk. Our results will help YNP, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and other state and federal management agencies understand and manage elk populations and their migrations in the post-wolf reintroduction era.

Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Analyses of Dental Tissues from a Hibernator

1976 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 178-179
Author(s):  
M. L. Zimny ◽  
A. C. Haller
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽  
Body Temperature ◽  
Ground Squirrel ◽  
Alveolar Bone ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Dental Tissues ◽  
Bone Minerals ◽  
Apical Tooth ◽  
Scanning Electron

During hibernation the ground squirrel is immobile, body temperature reduced and metabolism depressed. Hibernation has been shown to affect dental tissues varying degrees, although not much work has been done in this area. In limited studies, it has been shown that hibernation results in (1) mobilization of bone minerals; (2) deficient dentinogenesis and degeneration of alveolar bone; (3) presence of calculus and tears in the cementum; and (4) aggrevation of caries and pulpal and apical tooth abscesses. The purpose of this investigation was to study the effects of hibernation on dental tissues employing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and related x-ray analyses.

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