Abstract
As recent studies have revealed, previous exposure to a predator can change prey behavior even in the absence of current threat. We hypothesized that experiencing a predator increases prey avoidance of lower-quality resources even in the absence of a predator, which in turn influences the prey’s spatial distribution. We examined these hypotheses using the herbivorous spider mite Tetranychus kanzawai and the specialist predatory mite Neoseiulus womersleyi. We used Phaseolus vulgaris as a high-quality host plant and Hydrangea macrophylla as a low-quality host plant. First we examined whether T. kanzawai females that were previously exposed to predators preferred P. vulgaris to H. macrophylla under no current threat more than those without predator experience. Second, we tested the effect of predator experience on dispersal by T. kanzawai females on P. vulgaris or on H. macrophylla. Our results show that: (1) predator-experienced T. kanzawai females expressed stronger avoidance of the low-quality plant H. macrophylla than those without predator experiences; and (2) T. kanzawai females transferred to H. macrophylla traveled farther than those on P. vulgaris, especially females with previous predator experience. These findings reveal neglected aspects of the evolutionary interaction between predators and the habitat choices of their prey.
Highlights
An increasing number of studies have found that animals once exposed to predators can reduce potential future threat by changing behavior even before re-encounters with a predator
In Exp. 1, we examined whether previous exposure to predators would make Tetranychus kanzawai females avoid settling on lower-quality food in the absence of a predator
In Exp. 1, we observed the effect of previous exposure to a predator in T. kanzawai on food choice between highand low-quality plants in the absence of current threat (Fig. 1a)
Summary
An increasing number of studies have found that animals once exposed to predators can reduce potential future threat by changing behavior even before re-encounters with a predator. Female spider mites (Tetranychus kanzawai) that were initially exposed to predators shift oviposition sites for four days even in the absence of current threat, a response that does not occur when conspecific males were present[3]. These studies and others highlight the multiple ways in which previous exposure to a predator can affect prey behavior in the absence of threat. We hypothesized that exposure to predators make prey more discriminating about quality of food, which induces a stronger avoidance of lower-quality food even in the absence of a predator (Hypothesis 1) Such an experience-mediated prospective change of habitat might change the animals’ spatial distribution via dispersal under no current threat (Hypothesis 2). We examined these two hypotheses using the herbivorous spider mite Tetranychus kanzawai and the specialist predatory mite Neoseiulus womersleyi[10], following our recent demonstration of prospective predation avoidance[3]
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