Trust thy neighbour in times of trouble: background risk alters how tadpoles release and respond to disturbance cues.

ABSTRACT: In aquatic environments, uninjured prey escaping a predator release chemical disturbance cues into the water. However, it is unknown whether these cues are a simple physiological by-product of increased activity or whether they represent a social signal that is under some control by the sender. Here, we exposed wood frog tadpoles (Lithobates sylvaticus) to either a high or low background risk environment and tested their responses to disturbance cues (or control cues) produced by tadpoles from high-risk or low-risk backgrounds. We found an interaction between risk levels associated with the cue donor and cue recipient. While disturbance cues from low-risk donors did not elicit an antipredator response in low-risk receivers, they did in high-risk receivers. In addition, disturbance c

SUBMITTER: Bairos-Novak KR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5627207 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature