Meeting Abstract
Detecting and responding to predators is crucial to the survival of prey populations. We used mosquito larvae (Aedes aegypti) to study behavioral responses to predation by guppies (Poecilia reticulata). We tested the relative importance of chemical cues, both in isolation and in combination with physical cues, in eliciting anti-predator behaviors. Larvae responded more strongly, by reducing the duration of their wriggle bursts, when presented with a combination of chemical and physical cues than chemical cues alone. We also found that, under predation risk, starved larvae were willing to take more risks than satiated larvae, indicating a cost to anti-predatory behaviors. Finally, we tested whether anti-predator behaviors increase prey survival. To do this, fish were made to choose between displays of simulated larvae moving in short and long wriggle bursts. The fish preferentially attacked larvae moving in long bursts, demonstrating the survival value of the larval anti-predatory response of shifting to a preponderance of short wriggle bursts. Our study identifies specific ways in which trade-offs between predation risk and energetic costs could affect anti-predator behavior.
