Sexual differences in the behavioural response to a variation in predation risk
Abstract Predators may influence their prey populations not only through direct lethal effects, but also by causing behavioural changes. The natural expansion of the wolf ( Canis lupus ) into the Alps provided the rare opportunity to monitor the responses of a prey species to the return of a large p...
Published in: | Ethology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , |
Other Authors: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2019
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/eth.12887 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/eth.12887 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/eth.12887 |
id |
crwiley:10.1111/eth.12887 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crwiley:10.1111/eth.12887 2024-06-02T08:05:02+00:00 Sexual differences in the behavioural response to a variation in predation risk Grignolio, Stefano Brivio, Francesca Sica, Nicoletta Apollonio, Marco Wright, Jonathan 2019 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/eth.12887 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/eth.12887 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/eth.12887 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Ethology volume 125, issue 9, page 603-612 ISSN 0179-1613 1439-0310 journal-article 2019 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.12887 2024-05-03T10:37:21Z Abstract Predators may influence their prey populations not only through direct lethal effects, but also by causing behavioural changes. The natural expansion of the wolf ( Canis lupus ) into the Alps provided the rare opportunity to monitor the responses of a prey species to the return of a large predator. Density effects have rarely been considered in the study of antipredator strategies. We examined the effects of wolf recolonisation and density modifications on group size and use of safe areas by Alpine ibex ( Capra ibex ) in Gran Paradiso National Park (Italy), where no large terrestrial predator has been present for about a century. We documented that, in a few years, the variation in the factors affecting the landscape of fear caused significant modifications in ibex behavioural patterns that could not be accounted for by density changes only. Male groups decreased in size and moved closer to safer areas. The distance of female groups from refuge sites, instead, was not affected, and their propensity to live in groups was scarcely modified. Behavioural modifications likely caused a reduction in nutrient intake in adult male ibex, as they necessarily used lower‐quality feeding patches. Our results showed that male and female ibex, which are characterised by a strong dimorphism, adopted different strategies to solve the conflicting demands of foraging efficiently and avoiding predators. Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus Wiley Online Library Ethology 125 9 603 612 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
op_collection_id |
crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Predators may influence their prey populations not only through direct lethal effects, but also by causing behavioural changes. The natural expansion of the wolf ( Canis lupus ) into the Alps provided the rare opportunity to monitor the responses of a prey species to the return of a large predator. Density effects have rarely been considered in the study of antipredator strategies. We examined the effects of wolf recolonisation and density modifications on group size and use of safe areas by Alpine ibex ( Capra ibex ) in Gran Paradiso National Park (Italy), where no large terrestrial predator has been present for about a century. We documented that, in a few years, the variation in the factors affecting the landscape of fear caused significant modifications in ibex behavioural patterns that could not be accounted for by density changes only. Male groups decreased in size and moved closer to safer areas. The distance of female groups from refuge sites, instead, was not affected, and their propensity to live in groups was scarcely modified. Behavioural modifications likely caused a reduction in nutrient intake in adult male ibex, as they necessarily used lower‐quality feeding patches. Our results showed that male and female ibex, which are characterised by a strong dimorphism, adopted different strategies to solve the conflicting demands of foraging efficiently and avoiding predators. |
author2 |
Wright, Jonathan |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Grignolio, Stefano Brivio, Francesca Sica, Nicoletta Apollonio, Marco |
spellingShingle |
Grignolio, Stefano Brivio, Francesca Sica, Nicoletta Apollonio, Marco Sexual differences in the behavioural response to a variation in predation risk |
author_facet |
Grignolio, Stefano Brivio, Francesca Sica, Nicoletta Apollonio, Marco |
author_sort |
Grignolio, Stefano |
title |
Sexual differences in the behavioural response to a variation in predation risk |
title_short |
Sexual differences in the behavioural response to a variation in predation risk |
title_full |
Sexual differences in the behavioural response to a variation in predation risk |
title_fullStr |
Sexual differences in the behavioural response to a variation in predation risk |
title_full_unstemmed |
Sexual differences in the behavioural response to a variation in predation risk |
title_sort |
sexual differences in the behavioural response to a variation in predation risk |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/eth.12887 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/eth.12887 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/eth.12887 |
genre |
Canis lupus |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus |
op_source |
Ethology volume 125, issue 9, page 603-612 ISSN 0179-1613 1439-0310 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.12887 |
container_title |
Ethology |
container_volume |
125 |
container_issue |
9 |
container_start_page |
603 |
op_container_end_page |
612 |
_version_ |
1800749783950819328 |