Demars, C.A., Breed, G.A., Potts, J. et al. (1 more author) (2016) Spatial patterning of prey at reproduction to reduce predation risk: what drives dispersion from groups? American Naturalist, 187 (5). pp. 678-687. ISSN 1537-5323
Abstract
Group living is a widespread behavior thought to be an evolutionary adaptation for reducing predation risk. Many group-living species, however, spend a portion of their life cycle as dispersed individuals, suggesting that the costs and benefits of these opposing behaviors vary temporally. Here, we evaluated mechanistic hypotheses for explaining individual dispersion as a tactic for reducing predation risk at reproduction (i.e., birthing) in an otherwise group-living animal. Using simulation analyses parameterized by empirical data, we assessed whether dispersion increases reproductive success by (i) increasing predator search time, (ii) reducing predator encounter rates because individuals are inconspicuous relative to groups, or (iii) eliminating the risk of multiple kills per encounter. Simulations indicate that dispersion becomes favorable only when detectability increases with group size and there is risk of multiple kills per encounter. This latter effect, however, is likely the primary mechanism driving females to disperse at reproduction because group detectability effects are presumably constant year-round. We suggest that the risk of multiple kills imposed by highly vulnerable offspring may be an important factor influencing dispersive behavior in many species, and conservation strategies for such species will require protecting sufficient space to allow dispersion to effectively reduce predation risk.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016 University of Chicago Press. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in American Naturalist. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | group living; dispersion; predation risk; multiple kills; reproductive behavior; spacing out |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Mathematics and Statistics (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 22 Mar 2016 16:34 |
Last Modified: | 20 Jul 2017 04:00 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/685856 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | University of Chicago Press |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1086/685856 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:96762 |