Wikenros Camilla, Jarnemo Anders, Frisén Marielle, Kuijper Dries P J, Schmidt Krzysztof
Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 730 91 Riddarhyttan, Sweden.
Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Waszkiewicza 1, 17-230 Białowieża, Poland.
J Ethol. 2017;35(2):161-168. doi: 10.1007/s10164-016-0504-6. Epub 2017 Jan 10.
Olfactory signals constitute an important mechanism in interspecific interactions, but little is known regarding their role in communication between predator species. We analyzed the behavioral responses of a mesopredator, the red fox (), to an olfactory cue (scat) of an apex predator, the lynx () in Białowieża Primeval Forest, Poland, using video camera traps. Red fox visited sites with scats more often than expected and the duration of their visits was longer at scat sites than at control sites (no scat added). Vigilant behavior, sniffing and scent marking (including over-marking) occurred more often at scat sites compared to control sites, where foxes mainly passed by. Vigilance was most pronounced during the first days of the recordings. Red fox behavior was also influenced by foxes previously visiting scat sites. They sniffed and scent marked (multiple over-marking) more frequently when the lynx scat had been over-marked previously by red fox. Fox visits to lynx scats may be seen as a trade-off between obtaining information on a potential food source (prey killed by lynx) and the potential risk of predation by an apex predator.
嗅觉信号是种间相互作用的重要机制，但关于其在捕食者物种间交流中的作用却知之甚少。我们利用摄像机陷阱分析了中型捕食者赤狐（Vulpes vulpes）对顶级捕食者猞猁（Lynx lynx）在波兰比亚沃维耶扎原始森林中的嗅觉线索（粪便）的行为反应。赤狐前往有粪便的地点的频率高于预期，且它们在粪便地点的停留时间比在对照地点（未添加粪便）更长。与对照地点相比，粪便地点的警惕行为、嗅闻和气味标记（包括重叠标记）更为频繁，在对照地点狐狸主要是路过。在记录的最初几天警惕性最为明显。赤狐的行为还受到先前访问粪便地点的狐狸的影响。当猞猁粪便先前已被赤狐重叠标记时，它们嗅闻和气味标记（多次重叠标记）更为频繁。赤狐访问猞猁粪便可被视为在获取潜在食物来源（被猞猁杀死的猎物）信息与顶级捕食者潜在捕食风险之间的权衡。
