Behavioural responses to human disturbance: a matter of choice? Anim
The strength of an animal's behavioural response to human presence has often been used as an index of an animal's susceptibility to disturbance. However, if behavioural responsiveness is positively related to the animal's condition, this may be an inappropriate index, as individuals s...
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ftciteseerx:oai:CiteSeerX.psu:10.1.1.1068.4495 2023-05-15T15:23:18+02:00 Behavioural responses to human disturbance: a matter of choice? Anim Colin M Beale Pat Monaghan The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives 2004 application/pdf http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.1068.4495 http://tearai.kete.net.nz/documents/0000/0000/0106/disturbance.pdf en eng http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.1068.4495 http://tearai.kete.net.nz/documents/0000/0000/0106/disturbance.pdf Metadata may be used without restrictions as long as the oai identifier remains attached to it. http://tearai.kete.net.nz/documents/0000/0000/0106/disturbance.pdf text 2004 ftciteseerx 2020-04-26T00:15:51Z The strength of an animal's behavioural response to human presence has often been used as an index of an animal's susceptibility to disturbance. However, if behavioural responsiveness is positively related to the animal's condition, this may be an inappropriate index, as individuals showing little or no response may in fact be those with most to lose from changing their behaviour. We tested the link between individual state and responsiveness by manipulating condition via the provision of supplementary food for turnstones, Arenaria interpres, on rocky shores. Birds at one site were fed 450 g of mealworms at low tide every day for 3 days while birds at another site acted as a control. On the fourth day, using a standardized disturbance protocol, we recorded flush distances, flight lengths and the amount of time between predator scans for birds in both flocks. After a break of 3 days, the treatments were then swapped between sites and the procedure repeated for a total of six trials. Birds whose condition had been enhanced showed greater responsiveness to standardized human disturbance, flying away at greater distances from the observer, scanning more frequently for predators and flying further when flushed. These findings suggest that our current management of the impact of human disturbance may be based on inaccurate assessments of vulnerability, and we discuss the implications of this for refuge provision. Text Arenaria interpres Unknown |
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description |
The strength of an animal's behavioural response to human presence has often been used as an index of an animal's susceptibility to disturbance. However, if behavioural responsiveness is positively related to the animal's condition, this may be an inappropriate index, as individuals showing little or no response may in fact be those with most to lose from changing their behaviour. We tested the link between individual state and responsiveness by manipulating condition via the provision of supplementary food for turnstones, Arenaria interpres, on rocky shores. Birds at one site were fed 450 g of mealworms at low tide every day for 3 days while birds at another site acted as a control. On the fourth day, using a standardized disturbance protocol, we recorded flush distances, flight lengths and the amount of time between predator scans for birds in both flocks. After a break of 3 days, the treatments were then swapped between sites and the procedure repeated for a total of six trials. Birds whose condition had been enhanced showed greater responsiveness to standardized human disturbance, flying away at greater distances from the observer, scanning more frequently for predators and flying further when flushed. These findings suggest that our current management of the impact of human disturbance may be based on inaccurate assessments of vulnerability, and we discuss the implications of this for refuge provision. |
author2 |
The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives |
format |
Text |
author |
Colin M Beale Pat Monaghan |
spellingShingle |
Colin M Beale Pat Monaghan Behavioural responses to human disturbance: a matter of choice? Anim |
author_facet |
Colin M Beale Pat Monaghan |
author_sort |
Colin M Beale |
title |
Behavioural responses to human disturbance: a matter of choice? Anim |
title_short |
Behavioural responses to human disturbance: a matter of choice? Anim |
title_full |
Behavioural responses to human disturbance: a matter of choice? Anim |
title_fullStr |
Behavioural responses to human disturbance: a matter of choice? Anim |
title_full_unstemmed |
Behavioural responses to human disturbance: a matter of choice? Anim |
title_sort |
behavioural responses to human disturbance: a matter of choice? anim |
publishDate |
2004 |
url |
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.1068.4495 http://tearai.kete.net.nz/documents/0000/0000/0106/disturbance.pdf |
genre |
Arenaria interpres |
genre_facet |
Arenaria interpres |
op_source |
http://tearai.kete.net.nz/documents/0000/0000/0106/disturbance.pdf |
op_relation |
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.1068.4495 http://tearai.kete.net.nz/documents/0000/0000/0106/disturbance.pdf |
op_rights |
Metadata may be used without restrictions as long as the oai identifier remains attached to it. |
_version_ |
1766354011612512256 |