Abstract
Chemosensory assessment of predation risk is widespread in aquatic systems (Chivers and Smith, 1998; Kats and Dill, 1998). Studies completed primarily in the last decade suggest that the level of this assessment is probably much more sophisticated than was previously thought. For example, many prey animals appear to be able to distinguish between predators that are fed different diets. Being able to differentiate that predators are fed different diets means that prey animals can potentially use this information to mediate the intensity of their responses to predators.
Chapter PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
References
Belden, L. K., Wildy, E. L., Hatch, A. C., and Blaustein, A. R., 2000, Juvenile western toads, Bufo boreas, avoid chemical cues of snakes fed juvenile, but not larval, conspecifics,Anim. Behav. 59:871-875.
Brönmark, C., and Miner, J. G., 1992, Predator-induced phenotypical change in body morphology in crucian carp,Science 258:1348-1350.
Brönmark, C., and Petterson, L. B., 1994, Chemical cues from piscivores induce a change in morphology in crucian carp,Oikos 70:396-402.
Brown, G. E., and Cowan, J., 2000, Foraging trade-offs and predator inspection in an ostariophysan fish: switching from chemical to visual cues,Behaviour 137:181-196.
Brown, G. E., and Godin, J.-G. J., 1999, Who dares learns: chemical inspection behaviour and acquired predator recognition in a characin fish.Anim. Behav. 57: 475- 481.
Brown, G. E., Chivers, D. P., and Smith, R. J. F., 1995a, Localized defecation by pike: a response to labelling by cyprinid alarm pheromone?Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 36: 105-110.
Brown, G. E., Chivers, D. P., and Smith, R. J. F., 1995b, Fathead minnows avoid conspecific and heterospecific alarm pheromones in the faeces of northern pike,J. Fish Biol. 47: 387-393.
Brown, G. E., Chivers, D. P., and Smith, R. J. F., 1996, The effects of diet on localized defecation by northern pike, Esox lucius,J. Chem. Ecol. 22: 467-475.
Brown, G. E., Paige, J. A., and Godin, J.-G. J., 2000, Chemically-mediated predator inspection behaviour in the absence of predator visual cues by a characin fish,Anim. Behav. 60:315-321.
Chivers, D. P., and Mirza, R. S., The importance of predator diet cues in the responses of larval wood frogs to fish and invertebrate predators, J. Chem. Ecol. (in press).
Chivers, D. P., and Smith, R. J. F., 1998, Chemical alarm signalling in aquatic predator/prey interactions: a review and prospectus,Écoscience 5:338-352.
Chivers, D. P., Wisenden, B. D., and Smith, R. J. F., 1996, Damselfly larvae learn to recognize predators from chemical cues in the predator’s diet,Anim. Behav. 52:315-320.
Chivers, D. P., Wildy, E. L., and Blaustein, A. R., 1997, Eastern long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum columbianum) larvae recognize cannibalistic conspecifics,Ethology,103: 187-197.
Gelowitz, C. M., Mathis, A., and Smith, R. J. F., 1993, Chemosensory recognition of northern pike(Esox lucius)by brook stickleback(Culaea inconstans): population differences and the influence of predator diet.Behaviour 127: 105-118.
Goddard, R. E., Bowers, B. B., and Wannamaker, C., 1998, Responses of golden shiner minnows to chemical cues of snake predators,Behaviour 135:1213-1228.
Jachner, A., 1997, The response of bleak to predator odour of unfed and recently fed pike,J. Fish. Biol. 50:878-886.
Jones, H. M., and Paszkowski, C. A., 1997, Effects of exposure to predatory cues on territorial behaviour of male fathead minnows,Env. Biol. Fish. 49:97-109.
Kats, L. B., and Dill, L. M., 1998, The scent of death: chemosensory assessment of predation risk by prey animals,Écoscience 5:361-394.
Keefe, M., 1992, Chemically mediated avoidance behaviour in wild brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis: the response to familiar and unfamiliar predaceous fishes and the influence of fish diet,Can. J. Zool. 70:288-292.
Keefe, M., Whitesel, T. A., and Winn, H. E., 1992, Learned predator avoidance behavior and a two-level system for chemosensory recognition of predatory fishes in juvenile brook trout, in:Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 6(R. L. Doty and D. Müller-Schwarze, eds.), Plenum Publ., New York, pp. 375-381.
Laurila, A., Kujasalo, J., and Ranta, E., 1997, Different antipredator behaviour in two anuran tadpoles: effects of predator diet,Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 40:329-336.
Lefcort, H., 1998, Chemically mediated fright response in southern toad(Bufo terrestris)tadpoles,Copeia 1998:445-450.
Lefcort, H., Thomson, S. M., Cowles, E. E., Harowicz, H. L., Livaudais, B. M., Roberts, W. E., and Ettinger, W. F., 1999, Ramifications of predator avoidance: predator and heavy metal-mediated competition between tadpoles and snails.Ecol. Appl. 9:1477-1489.
Madison, D. M., Maerz, J. C., and McDarby, J. M., 1999, Optimization of predator avoidance by salamanders using chemical cues: diet and diel effects, Ethology 105:1073-1086.
Mathis, A., and Smith, R. J. F., 1993a, Fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas, learn to recognize northern pike, Esox lucius, as predators on the basis of chemical stimuli from minnows in the pike’s diet,Anim. Behav. 46:645-656.
Mathis, A., and Smith, R. J. F., 1993b, Chemical labelling of northern pike(Esox lucius)by the alarm pheromone of fathead minnows(Pimephales promelas),J. Chem. Ecol. 19:1967-1979.
Mathis, A., Chivers, D. P., and Smith, R. J. F., 1993, Population differences in responses of fathead minnows(Pimephales promelas)to visual and chemical stimuli from predators,Ethology 93: 31-40.
Mirza, R. S., 1998, Induced morphological change in fishes mediated by chemical stimuli associated with predation, M.Sc. thesis. Univ. Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Petranka, J. W., and Hayes, L., 1998, Chemically mediated avoidance of a predatory odonate(Anax junius)by American toad(Bufo americanus)and wood frog(Rana sylvatica)tadpoles,Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 42:263-271.
Stabell, O. B., and Lwin, M. S., 1997, Predator-induced phenotypic changes in crucian carp are caused by chemical signals from conspecifics,Env. Biol. Fish. 49:145-149.
Wildy, E. L., Chivers, D. P., and Blaustein, A. R., 1999, Shifts in life history traits as a response to cannibalism in long-toed salamanders(Ambystoma macrodactylum),J. Chem. Ecol. 25: 2337-2346.
Wilson, D. J., and Lefcort, H., 1993, The effect of predator diet on the alarm response of red-legged frog, Rana aurora, tadpoles,Anim. Behav. 46:1017-1019.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Chivers, D.P., Mirza, R.S. (2001). Predator Diet Cues and the Assessment of Predation Risk by Aquatic Vertebrates: A Review and Prospectus. In: Marchlewska-Koj, A., Lepri, J.J., Müller-Schwarze, D. (eds) Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 9. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0671-3_37
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0671-3_37
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5187-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-0671-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive