The costs of chronic noise exposure for terrestrial organisms
Growth in transportation networks, resource extraction, motorized recreation and urban development is responsible for chronic noise exposure in most terrestrial areas, including remote wilderness sites. Increased noise levels reduce the distance and area over which acoustic signals can be perceived by animals. Here, we review a broad range of findings that indicate the potential severity […]
Anti-predator response to raptor calls in wild crows, Corvus brachyrhynchos hesperis
Studies of anti-predator adaptations typically focus on behavioural tactics such as vigilance, alarm calling and mobbing. Less information is available regarding the sorts of environmental cues available to prey for detecting predators, together with the design features of the sensory mechanisms facilitating detection and recognition. Several recent studies, however, have indicated that prey are capable […]
Factors increasing snake detection and perceived threat in captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)
The primary predators of primates are all ambush hunters, and yet felids, raptors, and snakes differ in aspects of their ecology that affect the evasive strategies of their primate prey. Felids and raptors can traverse long distances quickly, thus the urgency of threat they present increases as they come closer in proximity to primates. In […]
Mean fecal glucocorticoid metabolites are associated with vigilance, whereas immediate cortisol levels better reflect acute anti-predator responses in meerkats
Adrenal hormones likely affect anti-predator behavior in animals. With experimental field studies, we first investigated associations between mean fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGC) excretion and vigilance and with behavioral responses to alarm call playbacks in free-ranging meerkats (Suricata suricatta). We then tested how vigilance and behavioral responses to alarm call playbacks were affected in individuals administered […]