File(s) not publicly available
Social learning improves survivorship at a life-history transition
journal contribution
posted on 2018-09-20, 00:00 authored by Rachel ManassaRachel Manassa, MI McCormickDuring settlement, one of the main threats faced
by individuals relates to their ability to detect and avoid
predators. Information on predator identities can be gained
either through direct experience or from the observation
and/or interaction with others, a process known as social
learning. In this form of predator recognition, less experienced
individuals learn from experienced members within
the social group, without having to directly interact with a
predator. In this study, we examined the role of social
learning in predator recognition in relation to the survival
beneWts for the damselWsh, Pomacentrus wardi, during
their settlement transition. SpeciWcally, our experiments
aimed to determine if P. wardi are capable of transmitting
the recognition of the odour of a predator, Pseudochromis
fuscus, to conspeciWcs. The experiment also examined
whether there was a diVerence in the rate of survival
between individuals that directly learnt the predator odour
and those which acquired the information through social
learning compared to naïve individuals. Results show that
naïve P. wardi are able to learn a predator’s identity from
experienced individuals via social learning. Furthermore,
survival between individuals that directly learnt the predator’s
identity and those that learnt through social learning
did not signiWcantly diVer, with Wsh from both treatments
surviving at least Wve times better than controls. These
results demonstrate that experience may play a vital role in
determining the outcome of predator–prey interactions,
highlighting that social learning improves the ability of
prey to avoid and/or escape predation at a life-history transition.
Funding
Category 1 - Australian Competitive Grants (this includes ARC, NHMRC)
History
Volume
171Issue
4Start Page
845End Page
852Number of Pages
8eISSN
1432-1939ISSN
0029-8549Publisher
SpringerPublisher DOI
Full Text URL
Peer Reviewed
- Yes
Open Access
- No
External Author Affiliations
James Cook UniversityEra Eligible
- Yes