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Taste-rejection behaviour by predators can promote variability in prey defences

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Christina Halpin, Professor Candy Rowe

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Abstract

The evolution and maintenance of toxicity in a prey population is a challenge to evolutionary biologists if the investment in toxin does not benefit the individual. Recent experiments suggest that taste-rejection behaviour enables predators to selectively ingest less toxic individuals, which could stabilize investment in defences. However, we currently do not know if taste rejection of defended prey is accurate across different contexts, and that prey always benefit according to their investment. Using avian predators, we show that the rejection probability does not solely depend on the investment in defence by an individual, but also on the investment by other individuals in the same population. Therefore, taste rejection by predators could lead to destabilization in the investment in defences, and allow variability in prey defences to exist. © 2010 The Royal Society.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Halpin C, Rowe C

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Biology Letters

Year: 2010

Volume: 6

Issue: 5

Pages: 617-619

Print publication date: 24/03/2010

ISSN (print): 1744-9561

ISSN (electronic): 1744-957X

Publisher: The Royal Society Publishing

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2010.0153

DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0153


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