Effect of native and non-native snake scents on foraging activity of native rodents in Florida

Abstract

Abstract Rodents use direct and/or indirect cues of predators to assess predation risk. The responses to these cues are well studied with regard to mammalian predators, but less understood with regard to reptilian predators. These responses are of particular importance in tropical and subtropical regions where reptile diversity is high and the likelihood of establishment of invasive reptilian predators also is high. We hypothesized that rodents would respond to direct scent cues of snake predators and that rodents would show greater aversion to scents of native snake predators than non-native snake predators. To assess this, scents of three snake species, two native and one non-native, and a non-snake control odor were distributed in Sherman live traps using a randomized block design. A total of 69 rodents representing four species were captured. Responses varied by species reinforcing that some species utilize indirect cues to assess predation risk, whereas others use direct cues. Moreover, one species (Neotoma floridana) showed a preference for non-native Python scent, indicating a lack of the appropriate anti-predator behavior, suggesting that some native rodents are more at risk of attack from invasive snakes than other native rodents.