Mass-dependent predation risk and lethal dolphin–porpoise interactions
In small birds, mass-dependent predation risk (MDPR) is known to make the trade-off between avoiding starvation and avoiding predation dependent on individual mass. This occurs because carrying increased fat reserves not only reduces starvation risk but also results in a higher predation risk due to...
Published in: | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2007.0786 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2007.0786 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2007.0786 |
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crroyalsociety:10.1098/rspb.2007.0786 2024-06-02T08:13:15+00:00 Mass-dependent predation risk and lethal dolphin–porpoise interactions MacLeod, R MacLeod, C.D Learmonth, J.A Jepson, P.D Reid, R.J Deaville, R Pierce, G.J 2007 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2007.0786 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2007.0786 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2007.0786 en eng The Royal Society https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences volume 274, issue 1625, page 2587-2593 ISSN 0962-8452 1471-2954 journal-article 2007 crroyalsociety https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2007.0786 2024-05-07T14:16:50Z In small birds, mass-dependent predation risk (MDPR) is known to make the trade-off between avoiding starvation and avoiding predation dependent on individual mass. This occurs because carrying increased fat reserves not only reduces starvation risk but also results in a higher predation risk due to reduced escape flight performance and/or the increased foraging exposure needed to maintain a higher body mass. In principle, the theory of MDPR could also apply to any animal capable of storing energy reserves to reduce starvation and whose escape performance decreases with increasing mass. We used a unique situation along certain parts of coastal Britain, where harbour porpoises ( Phocoena phocoena ) are pursued and killed but crucially not eaten by bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ), to investigate whether a MDPR effect can occur in non-avian species. We show that where high levels of dolphin ‘predation’ occur, porpoises carry significantly less energy reserves than would otherwise be expected and this equates to reducing by approximately 37% the length of time that a porpoise could survive without feeding. These results provide the first evidence that a mass-dependent starvation–predation risk trade-off may be a general ecological principle that can apply to widely different animal types rather than, as is currently thought, only to birds. Article in Journal/Newspaper Phocoena phocoena The Royal Society Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 274 1625 2587 2593 |
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Open Polar |
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The Royal Society |
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crroyalsociety |
language |
English |
description |
In small birds, mass-dependent predation risk (MDPR) is known to make the trade-off between avoiding starvation and avoiding predation dependent on individual mass. This occurs because carrying increased fat reserves not only reduces starvation risk but also results in a higher predation risk due to reduced escape flight performance and/or the increased foraging exposure needed to maintain a higher body mass. In principle, the theory of MDPR could also apply to any animal capable of storing energy reserves to reduce starvation and whose escape performance decreases with increasing mass. We used a unique situation along certain parts of coastal Britain, where harbour porpoises ( Phocoena phocoena ) are pursued and killed but crucially not eaten by bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ), to investigate whether a MDPR effect can occur in non-avian species. We show that where high levels of dolphin ‘predation’ occur, porpoises carry significantly less energy reserves than would otherwise be expected and this equates to reducing by approximately 37% the length of time that a porpoise could survive without feeding. These results provide the first evidence that a mass-dependent starvation–predation risk trade-off may be a general ecological principle that can apply to widely different animal types rather than, as is currently thought, only to birds. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
MacLeod, R MacLeod, C.D Learmonth, J.A Jepson, P.D Reid, R.J Deaville, R Pierce, G.J |
spellingShingle |
MacLeod, R MacLeod, C.D Learmonth, J.A Jepson, P.D Reid, R.J Deaville, R Pierce, G.J Mass-dependent predation risk and lethal dolphin–porpoise interactions |
author_facet |
MacLeod, R MacLeod, C.D Learmonth, J.A Jepson, P.D Reid, R.J Deaville, R Pierce, G.J |
author_sort |
MacLeod, R |
title |
Mass-dependent predation risk and lethal dolphin–porpoise interactions |
title_short |
Mass-dependent predation risk and lethal dolphin–porpoise interactions |
title_full |
Mass-dependent predation risk and lethal dolphin–porpoise interactions |
title_fullStr |
Mass-dependent predation risk and lethal dolphin–porpoise interactions |
title_full_unstemmed |
Mass-dependent predation risk and lethal dolphin–porpoise interactions |
title_sort |
mass-dependent predation risk and lethal dolphin–porpoise interactions |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2007.0786 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2007.0786 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2007.0786 |
genre |
Phocoena phocoena |
genre_facet |
Phocoena phocoena |
op_source |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences volume 274, issue 1625, page 2587-2593 ISSN 0962-8452 1471-2954 |
op_rights |
https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2007.0786 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
container_volume |
274 |
container_issue |
1625 |
container_start_page |
2587 |
op_container_end_page |
2593 |
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1800736683136647168 |