Williams Dana M, Nguyen Phat-Tan, Chan Kemal, Krohn Madeleine, Blumstein Daniel T
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1606, USA.
Curr Zool. 2020 Feb;66(1):63-70. doi: 10.1093/cz/zoz027. Epub 2019 May 21.
Animals living around people may modify their antipredator behavior as a function of proximity to humans, and this response has profound implications for whether or not a population can coexist with humans. We asked whether inland blue-tailed skinks modified their individual antipredator behavior as a function of differential exposure to humans. We conducted multiple consecutive flushes and recorded 2 measures of antipredator response: flight initiation distance (FID), the distance from a threatening stimulus at which an individual flees, and distance fled, the distance an individual fled after a flush. We used a multiple model comparison approach to quantify variation in individual escape behavior across multiple approaches and to test for differences in between-individual variation among populations. We found that individuals tolerated closer approach and fled shorter distances at locations with relatively less human disturbance than at locations with medium and high human disturbance, respectively. In addition, skinks living at high human disturbance sites had less variable FIDs than at low human disturbance sites. Two theories may explain these results. Selection against less favorable phenotypes has reduced behavioral variation in urban habitats and behavioral plasticity allows individuals to flexibly adjust their behavioral patterns in response to human disturbance. These results highlight the importance of studying variation within populations, at the individual level, which may better elucidate the impact that human disturbance has on the behavioral composition of populations.
生活在人类周围的动物可能会根据与人类的接近程度改变其反捕食行为，而这种反应对于一个种群是否能够与人类共存具有深远影响。我们研究了内陆蓝尾石龙子是否会根据对人类的不同接触程度来改变其个体反捕食行为。我们进行了多次连续驱赶，并记录了反捕食反应的两个指标：逃跑起始距离（FID），即个体逃离威胁刺激的距离，以及逃跑距离，即个体在一次驱赶后逃离的距离。我们采用多模型比较方法来量化个体在多种接近方式下逃跑行为的变化，并测试不同种群间个体差异的差异。我们发现，与中度和高度人类干扰的地点相比，个体在人类干扰相对较小的地点能容忍更近的接近距离，且逃跑距离更短。此外，生活在高人类干扰地点的石龙子的逃跑起始距离比低人类干扰地点的变化更小。有两种理论可以解释这些结果。对不太有利表型的选择减少了城市栖息地的行为变化，而行为可塑性使个体能够根据人类干扰灵活调整其行为模式。这些结果凸显了在个体层面研究种群内部变化的重要性，这可能会更好地阐明人类干扰对种群行为构成的影响。
