Meeting Abstract

127.3  Tuesday, Jan. 7 14:00  Behavioral plasticity in response to novelty is dependent on stage of range expansion in Kenyan house sparrows LIEBL, AL*; MARTIN, LB; Univ of Exeter, Cornwall; Univ South Florida a.l.liebl@exeter.ac.uk

The introduction and range expansion of non-native species has significant ecological and economic impacts globally. Although many factors contribute to a species’ spread, certain behaviors are particularly influential in range expansion success. One behavior, response to novelty, can influence the acquisition of novel resources but can also increase exposure to toxins, parasites, and predators. Therefore, the balance between approach and avoidance of novelty should be dependent on resource familiarity and thus population age. Here, we examined whether a population of introduced house sparrows (Passer domesticus) undergoing range expansion responded to novel items differently dependent on stage of expansion. We predicted that birds at the range edge would approach novel items more rapidly than birds at the site of introduction. We also expected that range edge birds would be more plastic in their behavioral response, thus adjusting their responses to each context, rather than reacting to all items the same way. Range edge birds indeed approached novel items significantly faster and also had significantly greater plasticity in their responses to each of the four novel items. Plasticity in response to novelty might offer protection from the risks associated with exploring novelty, while allowing individuals to respond appropriately to the many types of novelty potentially found in range edge habitats. Results such as these have ramifications for invasion biology and biology in general, as they elucidate the traits that influence a population’s ability to survive unfamiliar habitats.