Fitness-related Activities Research Articles

Modern technologies and the management of sports and leisure buyer engagement


 
 
 The market for sports and leisure services is constantly evolving. Polish consumers are more often interested in the offer of sports and leisure enterprises such as fitness clubs, water parks, gyms, or sports and leisure centres, recognising the importance of looking after their health and physical fitness. After a period of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, physical activity is even more frequently regarded as fundamental to maintaining health and fitness, harmony and balance in life. Currently, all fitness-related activities are classified as leisure time mega trends (e.g. work-life balance). Modern technologies are another noticeable trend, which is beginning to accompany people in physical activity as well. They help streamline the service delivery process and apply a personalised approach to the customer. We are not just talking about today’s most popular social media, apps and activity monitoring devices. QR codes, geolocation, gamification, sports coaching, and others can be applied in business practice. The objective of the article was to show the specifics of the sports and leisure industry, characterise the dominant technological solutions and identify the opportunities they can provide for sports and leisure businesses. It was assumed that modern technologies could be complementary and successfully used both to promote physical activity itself and to build the commitment of buyers of services provided by such companies. The research used qualitative and quantitative methods, as well as literature analysis. As the analysis of the survey results and observation of the market has shown, modern technologies motivate participants of physical activity, while sports and leisure companies are beginning to recognise their advantages in promoting their services. The article emphasises the complementarity of solutions and their comprehensiveness, as well as possible implications in the service activity of sports and leisure enterprises. The result of the analysis is a proposal for a set of useful features and solutions dedicated to companies providing sports and leisure services. By applying the proposed solutions, these companies can become more innovative, while their customers will be more satisfied.
 
 

Learning Engagement of Adult Females in Remote Physical Fitness Program Through Mobile App Intervention

The use of digital devices such as laptops, personal digital assistants, and mobile phones as learning tools has gained prominence in formal education, generating increased research interest in potential growth areas. According to Jeong and So (2020), there seems to be inadequate empirical evidence from extensive research to support its learning effectiveness in the fitness domain, especially among women who have been underrepresented in economically stressed areas. One of the several explanations for this disparity is the failure to consider women’s intersecting cultural identities or potential for social impact. This paper focuses on addressing this issue by conducting a qualitative study. It involves a focus group comprising 15 adult females aged 24 and above. The primary objective is to assess how virtual learning influences the learning perception of adult female learners at a yoga and fitness studio. Interactive self-paced mobile-assisted learning modules were facilitated through the use of mobile phones. An open-ended questionnaire was designed using online resources for primary data collection. The findings were derived by cross-referencing data collected from recordings, interviews, and questionnaires. The study revealed that participating in online fitness classes could enhance women's involvement in fitness-related activities.

Weak sex-specific evolution of locomotor activity of Sepsis punctum (Diptera: Sepsidae) thermal experimental evolution lines

Elevated temperatures are expected to rise beyond what the physiology of many organisms can tolerate. Behavioural responses facilitating microhabitat shifts may mitigate some of this increased thermal selection on physiology, but behaviours are themselves mediated by physiology, and any behavioural response may trade-off against other fitness-related activities. We investigated whether experimental evolution in different thermal regimes (Cold: 15 °C; Hot: 31 °C; Intergenerational fluctuation 15/31 °C; Control: 23 °C) resulted in genetic differentiation of standard locomotor activity in the dung fly Sepsis punctum. We assessed individual locomotor performance, an integral part of most behavioral repertoires, across eight warm temperatures from 24 °C to 45 °C using an automated device. We found no evidence for generalist-specialist trade-offs (i.e. changes in the breadth of the performance curve) for this trait. Instead, at the warmest assay temperatures hot-selected flies showed somewhat higher maximal performance than all other, especially cold-selected flies, overall more so in males than females. Yet, the flies' temperature optimum was not higher than that of the cold-selected flies, as expected under the ‘hotter-is-better’ hypothesis. Maximal locomotor performance merely weakly increased with body size. These results suggest that thermal performance curves are unlikely to evolve as an entity according to theory, and that locomotor activity is a trait of limited use in revealing thermal adaptation.

Ecological uncertainty and antipredator behaviour: an integrative perspective

Due to its unforgiving nature, predation pressure exerts strong selection pressure on the behaviour of prey animals. As a result, prey are forced to balance the conflicting demands of successfully detecting and avoiding predators and the need to engage in other fitness-related activities such as foraging, mating and social behaviour. Here, we provide an overview of the role that individual predator avoidance decisions plays in constraining behavioural phenotypes and how past experience with risks shapes current (and future) trade-offs, physiological and life history investments. Critically, access to reliable risk assessment information allows prey to respond to spatially and temporally variable predation risks. Uncertainty of predation risks is expected to limit the ability of prey to make short- and longer-term adjustments responses to predation threats, potentially increasing the indirect costs of predation. We describe a ‘landscape of information’ in which prey rely on publicly available risk assessment information to reduce the uncertainty of predation risks associated with variable threats and the potential impact of natural and anthropogenic environmental factors which may limit information availability. Despite a long tradition of research into the antipredator trade-offs made by prey animals, there remain a number of important unanswered questions.

More people more active, but there is a counter site. Novice athletes are at highest risk of injury in a large population-based retrospective cross-sectional study

ObjectivesTo evaluate whether in fitness-related activities and recreational running over time, there is an increase in the number of novice sports athletes and whether these novice athletes have an increased...

Growth in the development of health and fitness mobile apps amid COVID-19 pandemic.

ObjectivesTechnology in the form of mobile apps has played an essential role in facilitating, tracking, and maintaining health and fitness activities during the pandemic. When countries opted for partial or complete lockdowns to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 virus, it led to people working on their health and fitness-related activities from their homes, just as they continued working from home. This paper aims to quantify the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on the development of health and fitness mobile apps. Specifically, we compute the effect of coronavirus disease 2019 on the growth of different sub-categories of health and fitness apps.MethodsWe scraped data about a population of 78,890 health and fitness apps from the iOS App Store. First, categories of health and fitness apps are identified using text analysis on the descriptions of apps. Second, the rise in the development of new apps is analyzed. To quantify the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on the growth of the health and fitness apps, multiple time-series forecasting models are created for different categories of health and fitness apps.ResultsThe text analysis identified twelve different types of health and fitness apps on the app market. Our models estimated that the number of health and fitness apps on the iOS app market exceeded the expected growth by 29.9% after the pandemic. The results of all categories of health and fitness are discussed in the paper.ConclusionsOur analysis found significant growth in the development of new health and fitness apps after the pandemic outbreak. The post hoc study of the population of health and fitness apps presented the current state of this particular area of the app market. In addition, it provided potential growth areas in app markets where there are fewer apps.

Fitness Tracker Information and Privacy Management: Empirical Study.

BackgroundFitness trackers allow users to collect, manage, track, and monitor fitness-related activities, such as distance walked, calorie intake, sleep quality, and heart rate. Fitness trackers have become increasingly popular in the past decade. One in five Americans use a device or an app to track their fitness-related activities. These devices generate massive and important data that could help physicians make better assessments of their patients’ health if shared with health providers. This ultimately could lead to better health outcomes and perhaps even lower costs for patients. However, sharing personal fitness information with health care providers has drawbacks, mainly related to the risk of privacy loss and information misuse.ObjectiveThis study investigates the influence of granting users granular privacy control on their willingness to share fitness information.MethodsThe study used 270 valid responses collected from Mtrurkers through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The conceptual model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The dependent variable was the intention to share fitness information. The independent variables were perceived risk, perceived benefits, and trust in the system.ResultsSEM explained about 60% of the variance in the dependent variable. Three of the four hypotheses were supported. Perceived risk and trust in the system had a significant relationship with the dependent variable, while trust in the system was not significant.ConclusionsThe findings show that people are willing to share their fitness information if they have granular privacy control. This study has practical and theoretical implications. It integrates communication privacy management (CPM) theory with the privacy calculus model.

Curating a Culture: The Portrayal of Disability Stereotypes by Paralympians on Instagram

Through user-generated posts on Instagram, Paralympians’ self-presentation may mitigate stereotypes associated with disability, counteracting negative assumptions. Using content analyses and paired t tests, visual content posted by Paralympians was examined for the portrayal of disability stereotypes. Compared with the social media content of able-bodied athletes, which typically focus on personal and lifestyle aspects, the majority of the Paralympians’ visual content depicted them engaged in sport or fitness-related activities. By posting content that depicts physical competence and elite abilities, Paralympians may change the narrative to promote the capabilities of athletes with a disability. Through the portrayal of sport and exercise engagement on social media platforms, these Paralympians are potentially mitigating disability stereotypes with the intent to curate a culture that is more accepting and inclusive.

Exploring the threat-sensitive predator avoidance hypothesis on mate competition in two wild populations of Trinidadian guppies

The intensity of mate competition is often influenced by predation pressure. The threat-sensitive predator avoidance hypothesis predicts that prey should precisely adjust their fitness-related activities to the level of perceived acute predation risk and this effect should be stronger under high background risk. Individuals should compensate during periods of moderate risk for lost opportunities during high risk. Our study examined the interaction between acute and background predation risk on mate competition. Under laboratory conditions, we explored the effects of acute risk (low vs. high) using chemical alarm cue (AC; control (results presented in Chuard et al. (2016)) The effects of adult sex ratio on mating competition in male and female guppies (Poecilia reticulata) in two wild populations. Behav Process 129:1−10), 25 % concentration, and 100 % concentration), and population of origin (low vs. high background risk) on mate competition in guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Surprisingly, males favored courtship over forced mating under acute predation risk irrespective of background risk, potentially benefiting from a female preference for bold males. We discuss our results in the context of chemical threat-sensitivity and resource differences in defendability (e.g. mates vs. food).

Measuring recognition memory in zebrafish larvae: issues and limitations.

Recognition memory is the capacity to recognize previously encountered objects, events or places. This ability is crucial for many fitness-related activities, and it appears very early in the development of several species. In the laboratory, recognition memory is most often investigated using the novel object recognition test (NORt), which exploits the tendency of most vertebrates to explore novel objects over familiar ones. Despite that the use of larval zebrafish is rapidly increasing in research on brain, cognition and neuropathologies, it is unknown whether larvae possess recognition memory and whether the NORt can be used to assess it. Here, we tested a NOR procedure in zebrafish larvae of 7-, 14- and 21-days post-fertilization (dpf) to investigate when recognition memory first appears during ontogeny. Overall, we found that larvae explored a novel stimulus longer than a familiar one. This response was fully significant only for 14-dpf larvae. A control experiment evidenced that larvae become neophobic at 21-dpf, which may explain the poor performance at this age. The preference for the novel stimulus was also affected by the type of stimulus, being significant with tri-dimensional objects varying in shape and bi-dimensional geometrical figures but not with objects differing in colour. Further analyses suggest that lack of effect for objects with different colours was due to spontaneous preference for one colour. This study highlights the presence of recognition memory in zebrafish larvae but also revealed non-cognitive factors that may hinder the application of NORt paradigms in the early developmental stages of zebrafish.

Effects of chronic exposure to selenomethionine on social learning outcomes in zebrafish (Danio rerio): serotonergic dysregulation and oxidative stress in the brain

For many species, social learning is crucial for fitness-related activities, but human-induced environmental changes can impair such learning processes. For instance, mining can release the element, selenium (Se), that is vital for physiological functions but also has toxicological properties at elevated concentrations. In this study, we investigated the effects of chronic exposure to Se on social learning outcomes and potential underlying molecular mechanisms in adult zebrafish. After exposure to different levels of dietary selenomethionine (control, 3.6, 12.8, 34.1 μg Se/g dry weight) for 90 days, we examined the ability of observer fish to follow demonstrators (experienced individuals) in escaping an oncoming trawl. Social learning outcomes were then assessed in the absence of demonstrators. Our results indicated that fish in the highest exposure group (34.1 μg/g) displayed significantly slower escape responses compared to fish in the control and lower exposure groups (3.6 and 12.8 μg Se/g). This impaired behavior was associated with higher oxidative stress and dysregulation in genes that are key in the serotonergic pathway, indicating that oxidative stress and alteration in the serotonergic system lead to impairment of social learning.

Swimming in unsteady water flows: is turning in a changing flow an energetically expensive endeavor for fish?

Unsteady, dynamic flow regimes commonly found in shallow marine ecosystems such as coral reefs pose an energetic challenge for mobile organisms that typically depend on station holding for fitness-related activities. The majority of experimental studies, however, have measured energetic costs of locomotion at steady speeds, with only a few studies measuring the effects of oscillatory flows. In this study, we used a bidirectional swimming respirometer to create six oscillatory water flow regimes consisting of three frequency and amplitude combinations for both unidirectional and bidirectional oscillatory flows. Using the goldring surgeonfish, Ctenochaetus strigosus, a pectoral-fin (labriform) swimmer, we quantified the net cost of swimming (swimming metabolic rate minus standard metabolic rate) associated with station-holding under these various conditions. We determined that the swimming costs of station-holding in the bidirectional flow regime increased by 2-fold compared with costs based on swimming over the same range velocities at steady speeds. Furthermore, as we found minimal differences in energetic costs associated with station-holding in the unidirectional, oscillating-flow compared with that predicted from steady swimming costs, we conclude that the added acceleration costs are minimal, while the act of turning is an energetically expensive endeavor for this reef fish species.

Microhabitat complexity influences fear acquisition in fathead minnows

Abstract Habitat varies in structure, with animals often preferring a certain degree of microhabitat complexity that facilitates fitness-related activities such as predator avoidance. Environments with high predation risk can induce elevated baseline fear and neophobia in prey, but whether microhabitat complexity influences the acquisition of neophobia has yet to be reported. Here, we tested whether exposure to predation risk induces different levels of fear in microhabitats that differed in complexity. We exposed fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas, to predation risk repeatedly (12 times over 4 days) in the form of damage-released chemical alarm cues (compared to water control) in tanks with vertical plant structure distributed either throughout the tank (complex habitat) or clumped together (simple habitat). Then, we tested minnows before and after exposure to a novel odor in tanks with either the same microhabitat complexity (i.e., familiar habitats) or in tanks with novel habitat that had different substrate structure and no vertical structure. Minnows in the complex habitat showed less overall movement one day after the background risk period, whereas individuals in the simple habitat showed reduced movement regardless of prior risk exposure. We observed stronger effects in the novel habitat, where background risk in both simple and complex habitats caused neophobia. However, individuals from the simple background habitat showed higher baseline fear behaviors. Hence, for minnows, low microhabitat complexity appears to lead to elevated fear, which remains even after a habitat change.

Killer whale (Orcinus orca) hearing in noise

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are an apex predator, the largest delphinid odontocete, and have the widest cosmopolitan distribution of all cetacean species. These long-lived animals can be found in life-long matrilineal groups, where fitness-related activities such as cooperative hunting rely on sophisticated group coordination, often mediated by acoustic communication. The effects of anthropogenic noise on the fitness of killer whales is a growing concern, especially for the endangered population of southern resident killer whales. Although modest progress has been made in determining the killer whales’ behavior in response to noise (e.g., Lombard effect), almost nothing is known about how these animals hear in noisy environments. Here, what is known about killer whale hearing is summarized, including behavioral and electrophysiological audiograms, and resulting auditory weighting functions. In addition, new critical ratio data are presented and compared with other odontocete species. These preliminary data are evaluated in a communication space model to predict negative impacts of anthropogenic noise.

Guppies, Poecilia reticulata, perceive a reversed Delboeuf illusion.

Animals are often required to estimate object sizes during several fitness-related activities, such as choosing mates, foraging, and competing for resources. Some species are susceptible to size illusions, i.e. the misperception of the size of an object based on the surrounding context, but other species are not. This interspecific variation might be adaptive, reflecting species-specific selective pressures; according to this hypothesis, it is important to test species in which size discrimination has a notable ecological relevance. We tested susceptibility to a size illusion in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata, a fish species required to accurately estimate sizes during mate choice, foraging, and antipredator behaviours. We focussed on the Delboeuf illusion, in which an object is typically perceived to be larger when surrounded by a smaller object. In experiment 1, we trained guppies to select the larger of two circles to obtain a food reward and then tested them using stimuli arranged in a Delboeuf-like pattern. In experiment 2, we tested guppies in a spontaneous food choice task to determine whether the subjective size perception of food items is affected by the surrounding context. Jointly, our experiments indicated that guppies perceived the Delboeuf illusion, but in a reverse direction relative to humans: guppies estimated as larger the stimulus that human perceived as smaller. Our results indicated susceptibility to size illusions also in a species required to perform accurate size discrimination and support previous evidence of variability in illusion susceptibility across vertebrates.

Evidence of age-related improvement in the foraging efficiency of Ad\xe9lie penguins

Age variation in reproductive performance is well-documented but the mechanisms underlying this variation remain unclear. Foraging efficiency is likely to be a key source of demographic variation as it determines the amount of energy that can be invested in fitness-related activities. Evidence of age-related changes in the foraging efficiency of adult seabirds is scarce and inconsistent. We investigated the effects of age on the foraging efficiency of breeding Adélie penguins, a relatively short-lived seabird species, in order to gain a broader perspective on the processes driving variation in ageing rates. We found support for a positive effect of age, either linear or levelling off at old ages, on both our proxies for daily catch rate and catch per unit effort. Across all age classes, males were more performant foragers than females. We found no strong evidence for differing ageing patterns between sexes or individual quality levels, and no evidence for senescence. We infer that continuous individual improvement could be responsible for a larger amount of the variation in foraging efficiency with age at our study site, compared with selective disappearance of underperforming phenotypes. The different results reported by other studies highlight the need to conduct longitudinal studies across a range of species in different environments.

Ecotourism impacts on the behaviour of whale sharks: an experimental approach

AbstractTourists approaching wild animals can potentially cause disturbance as a result of the perceived predation risk. Risk effects arise when prey alter their behaviour in response to predators. This response may carry costs through its impact on fitness-related activities such as foraging. We recorded behavioural responses of whale sharksRhincodon typusto experimental vessel and swimmer approaches. We simulated the disturbance caused by ecotourism in the foraging site of this planktivorous fish in Bahia de Los Angeles, Gulf of Baja California, Mexico. Stress-related behaviours (vigilance, change of direction, diving and acceleration) were more common directly after both types of disturbance than before, in particular after approach by a swimmer. Individuals were more likely to be vigilant when they were new to the bay, but we did not find evidence of within-season behavioural habituation. Sharks were 24% more likely to forage before human stimuli than after. Our study highlights negative effects of vessel and swimmer approaches on whale shark behaviour, with a short-term increase in stress-related behaviours potentially carrying energetic costs, combined with a decrease in food intake following the disturbance. Our results indicate concerns about the impact of ecotourism on large fish species. An important next step would be to determine whether these short-term behavioural responses to the perception of predation risk negatively affect fitness. Among other guidelines, we recommend preventing swimmers from approaching if whale sharks stop feeding when a vessel approaches.

繁殖期高体鳑鲏对化学预警信息的行为响应及其与生理状态的关联

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 繁殖期高体鳑鲏对化学预警信息的行为响应及其与生理状态的关联 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201709241723 作者: 作者单位: 重庆师范大学,重庆师范大学,重庆师范大学 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金面上项目（31770442）；重庆师范大学青年拔尖人才培育计划（14CSBJ08） Chemical alarm cue-induced behavioral responses and their relations with reproductive physiological status in Rhodeus ocellatus Author: Affiliation: Chongqing Normal University,Chongqing Normal University,Chongqing Normal University Fund Project: The National Natural Science Foundation of China 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:对化学预警信息（Chemical alarm cues，CAC）的识别与应答体现了鱼类在特定生理状态和特定环境下的生态策略，与动物的生存适合度密切相关。由于化学预警通讯和繁殖均为高能耗的生命活动，繁殖期鱼类的CAC通讯是否表现出基于能量代价-收益（Cost-benefit）的权衡成为值得关注的科学问题。本研究以具有特殊繁殖方式的高体鳑鲏（Rhodeus ocellatus）为实验对象，测定了繁殖IV期不同性别实验鱼对CAC的行为响应，并探究了实验鱼化学预警行为与其繁殖生理状态的关系。结果发现：（1）高体鳑鲏空间分布状态（底栖时间）和活跃状态（静止时间、运动距离、身体不重合度）均对CAC表现出明显的行为应答（P < 0.05），但逃逸行为（高速运动时间）不受CAC的影响（P > 0.05）；（2）高体鳑鲏对CAC的响应无性别差异；（3）高体鳑鲏预警行为的变化与繁殖生理状态（性腺指数、产卵管长度、肥满度）无显著相关性（P > 0.05）。结果表明，繁殖期高体鳑鲏依然对CAC展现出一定程度的行为应答，然而其行为响应程度并不受繁殖生理状态以及性别的影响，这可能主要与该物种特殊的繁殖对策有关。 Abstract:Chemical communication is a pervasive and dominant form of communication between animals in aquatic systems. Epidermal-damage-released chemical cues (hereafter referred to as chemical alarm cues or CAC) are typically released during a predation event and, therefore, serve as a reliable indicator of immediate predation risk. Chemical alarm cues are especially useful for species inhabiting aquatic environments when visual cues are limited, e.g. in deep or turbid water, at night, and in complex habitats. By effectively responding to CAC, individuals may increase their probability of survival by detecting and avoiding potential predators, whereas, adopting anti-predator behaviors incurs some cost stemming from concurrent decreases in other fitness-related activities. Since warning communication and reproduction are vital life activities that require high energy consumption, whether the responses of fish to CAC in the breeding season show energy-based trade-offs (cost-benefit) is a scientific issue worthy of attention. However, studies have demonstrated that some species of spawning Ostariophysians seasonally lose their alarm pheromone cells and guarding responses to CAC, and little is known about the relationship between the intensity of behavioral responses of prey to CAC and the physiological state of reproduction. In this study, we used rose bitterling, Rhodeus ocellatus, a small freshwater fish with special reproductive strategies, as an experimental model to investigate the behavioral responses of different genders to CAC during reproductive phase IV, and to determine the role of reproductive physiological status (i.e. gonadosomatic index, oviduct length, and condition factors) in the guarding responses of R. ocellatus to CAC. We defined the behavioral responses of the experimental fish to CAC and divided them into three grades, Grade I:change in spatial distribution in terms of bottom-dwelling time; Grade Ⅱ:change in activity in terms of motionless time, swimming distance, and body fill; and Grade Ⅲ:change in escape behavior in terms of highly mobile time. The results showed that:(1) the spatial distribution (Grade I) and activity (Grades Ⅱ), but not escape behavior (Grade Ⅲ), were significantly affected by CAC (P < 0.05); (2) there was no gender difference in R. ocellatus in response to CAC (P > 0.05); and (3) there was no significant correlation between the behavioral responses to CAC and reproductive physiological status (P > 0.05). We confirmed that R. ocellatus in reproductive phase IV still showed moderate behavioral responses (Grade I and Grade Ⅱ) to CAC. In view of reduced swimming efficiency and increased energy cost in fish during the reproductive period, the non-significant change in escape behavior (Grade Ⅲ) to CAC suggests that there may be energy-based trade-offs (cost-benefit) in this species. Additionally, although the males are brightly colored during the reproductive phase due to sexual selection, it remains to be seen whether the changes in body color increase its predation risk. Overall, moderate behavioral responses to CAC were observed in R. ocellatus in reproductive phase IV, but the intensity of behavioral responses to CAC was not affected by reproductive physiological status and gender. These characteristics are hypothesized to be related to the special reproductive strategies of this species. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Recent encounters with rattlesnakes enhance ground squirrel responsiveness to predator cues

A diverse range of prey taxa exhibit stereotyped antipredator behaviors when confronting live predators. Predator cues also elicit antipredator responses, and previous research indicates that prey possess mechanisms to discriminate between the relative risk posed by particular predator cues, which mediates their investment in antipredator behaviors (i.e., “threat-sensitive” behavior). However, the salience of such predator cues may change according to perceived predation risk, which can vary temporally or spatially. We hypothesized that prey modify responses to predatory cues according to their recent experience with predators, which would prime prey to attend to predator-related cues. In the present study, we found that recent encounters with live tethered rattlesnakes increased perceived predation risk in free-ranging California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi), leading to concomitant increases in the intensity of antipredator behaviors displayed toward a predator model. The increase in antipredator behavior following snake encounters was higher toward the predator model than a novel object, suggesting that squirrels exhibit threat-sensitive responses toward objects resembling predators. However, squirrels did not treat either of these objects with caution, nor did they differ in antipredator behavior, when presented with the model or novel object when no live snake was encountered. This suggests that increased vigilance following predator encounters modulates responses to predator cues. Such increases in antipredator behavior could assist in detecting nearby predators quickly but could also have indirect effects on prey. Underresponding to predators could lead to death, while overresponding could reduce time spent on other fitness-related activities. Prey balance these costs by using environmental cues to modify antipredator responses. Detecting a live predator in the environment could indicate that the chance of predation is high, which may enhance preys’ antipredator responses. We show that ground squirrels significantly enhance antipredator behaviors toward snake models and novel objects after encountering a live tethered rattlesnake predator. However, the predator model elicited greater antipredator behavior than the novel object following snake encounters, suggesting that squirrels are primed to attend to predator-related cues in this context. Both objects were treated similarly, and with less caution, when no snake was detected. Vigilance following predator interactions therefore mediates threat-sensitive responses to subsequent predator cues.

Behavioral thermal tolerances of free-ranging rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus) during the summer foraging season

Increasing temperature due to climate change is one of the greatest challenges for wildlife worldwide. Behavioral data on free-ranging individuals is necessary to determine at what temperatures animals modify activity as this would determine their capacity to continue to move, forage, and mate under altered thermal regimes. In particular, high temperatures could limit available surface activity time and time spent on fitness-related activities. Conversely, performance, such as feeding rate, can increase with temperature potentially having positive fitness effects. Here, we examine how the hunting behaviors of free-ranging Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus) associate with air temperature and body temperature. We continuously recorded snakes in the field using videography, capturing behaviors rarely considered in past studies such as movements in and out of refuge and strikes on prey. We found that as mean daily air temperature increased, hunting activity and the likelihood of hunting at night decreased, while the number of movements and distance moved per day increased. Snakes typically retreated to refuge before body temperatures reached 31°C. Body temperatures of snakes hunting on the surface were lower compared to temperatures of non-hunting snakes in refuge in the morning, while this relationship was inverted in the afternoon. Snake body size influenced the disparity of these temperatures. Finally, strike initiation and success occurred across a wide range of body temperatures, indicating hunting performance may not be strongly constrained by temperature. These results on the temperatures at which free-ranging rattlesnakes exhibit fitness-related behaviors could be valuable for understanding their vulnerabilities to future climates.