Placyk John S, Burghardt Gordon M
Department of Biology, University of Texas at Tyler, 3900 University Boulevard, Tyler, TX 75799, USA.
J Comp Psychol. 2011 May;125(2):134-42. doi: 10.1037/a0022883.
The ability to detect and respond to potential predators is key for the survival of individuals, but this ability is sometimes lost via relaxation of antipredator behavior when prey species are separated from predators. Adult and predator-naïve neonate gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) from mainland and insular sites where they do and do not occur with ophiophagous (snake-eating) snakes were tested to determine if responses to such predators have been lost, reduced, or retained, and what might be causing differences in such responses. Our data indicate that, overall, adult snakes from populations syntopic with ophiophagous milksnakes are more responsive to chemical stimuli from milksnakes than adults from areas where they are not syntopic with milksnakes, whereas there were few differences with neonate gartersnakes. Experiments with neonates with or without periodic ophiophagous snake chemical experience over several weeks showed that gartersnakes with such experience became more responsive to ophiophagous cues rather than habituating to them. Such evidence of both genetic and experiential factors underlying the antipredator responses to ophiophagous snakes indicates that antipredator responses have persisted despite separation of predator and prey.
察觉并应对潜在捕食者的能力是个体生存的关键，但当猎物物种与捕食者隔离时，这种能力有时会因反捕食行为的放松而丧失。对来自大陆和岛屿栖息地的成年及从未接触过捕食者的新生袜带蛇（美洲束带蛇）进行了测试，在这些地方，它们与食蛇蛇类共存或不共存，以确定对这类捕食者的反应是丧失、减弱还是保留了，以及可能导致这种反应差异的原因。我们的数据表明，总体而言，与食蛇乳蛇同域分布种群的成年蛇比非同域分布地区的成年蛇对乳蛇的化学刺激反应更强烈，而新生袜带蛇之间差异不大。对有或没有在几周内定期接触食蛇蛇类化学物质经历的新生蛇进行的实验表明，有这种经历的袜带蛇对食蛇线索的反应变得更强烈，而不是习惯化。这种对食蛇蛇类反捕食反应背后存在遗传和经验因素的证据表明，尽管捕食者和猎物已分离，但反捕食反应仍然存在。
