Presentation Details
| How can potential prey best fail to realize their potential? Peter A.Bednekoff. Eastern Michigan Uniiversity, Ypsilanti, MI, USA |
Abstract
Predation ends lives and truncates lifetime fitness. In general, we expect potential prey to act in ways that decrease their chances of becoming actual prey. Successful predation requires predators to encounter, detect, attack, capture, and consume prey. Anti-predator defenses can disrupt this sequence at any point. How should potential prey invest in defenses along this sequence? I first consider investment in one strong defense. Potential prey could be safe by completely avoiding encounters, or by completely avoiding consumption. Costs of late defenses are effectively lower, however, because late defenses act against the subset of predators that have proceeded through early stages. Second, I consider a portfolio of investment across the entire sequence. Defenses are likely imperfect as well as costly. Investing in defenses at each stage is commonly the best strategy. If highly effective and costly defenses apply only late in the sequence, the costs rarely paid unnecessarily. I speculate that heavy investment in early defenses occurs when highly effective late defenses are not an option.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
Content Locked. Log into a registered attendee account to access this presentation.