西藏拉萨越冬黑颈鹤家庭群的警戒同步性

以往关于动物警戒行为的研究多以经典随机独立模型为基础,然而,近期一些理论和实证研究则向该模型发出了挑战。根据警戒行为同步性程度的不同,集体警戒可能存在基于模仿的同步警戒和避免重复的协调警戒两种模式。研究了中国雅鲁藏布江自然保护区越冬黑颈鹤家庭群的警戒行为,通过独立样本t检验验证由于年龄和是否携幼所导致的个体警戒水平的差异,通过单因素方差分析比较不同类型家庭群的集体警戒水平,通过配对t检验比较集体警戒的实际观测值和独立假设下的预期值从而确定越冬黑颈鹤家庭群的警戒同步性。结果表明家庭群中的幼年黑颈鹤警戒行为时间显著低于成年黑颈鹤,但幼鹤的存在对成鹤的警戒水平没有显著影响。不同类型黑颈鹤家庭群的集体警戒水平没有差异,但并未如预期表现为同步警戒。警戒行为模式是动物在特定环境中的适应性表现,越冬黑颈鹤生境中不存在落后目标策略的捕食者和高强度的捕食风险,因而可能不足以诱发以降低捕食风险为主要功能的高强度的警戒行为同步性;同时,在资源匮乏的冬季对食物获取的优先性可能也削弱了对同步警戒的需求。     

Group size effect on vigilance: evidence from Tibetan gazelle in Upper Buha River, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Tibetan gazelle Procapra picticaudata is a threatened and endemic species to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. With the method of group scan sampling, we observed the behaviours of males and females of the gazelle in the two summers of 2005 and 2006, in order to test the group size effect on group vigilance. We found that male gazelles were significantly more vigilant than the females at both group scan level (percentage of individuals scanning during a session) and group scan frequency (percentage of intervals with at least one individual scanning). We also found a negative correlation between group scan level and group size and a positive correlation between group scan frequency and group size, showing the group size effect on vigilance was testified in Tibetan gazelle. The predation factor might be the main driving force for the group size effect.     

东方田鼠警觉对其功能反应的作用格局

植食性哺乳动物功能反应描述了摄入率与植物可利用性变量的动态关系。动物警觉因占用了处理食物时间即觅食中断时间而延迟与下一口食物相遇,引致摄入率降低,进而对功能反应构型产生影响。在新鲜白三叶叶片构成的各类食物密集斑块上,测定东方田鼠觅食行为,建立功能反应函数模型,检验觅食中断对功能反应的作用格局及机制。结果发现,除小叶片斑块觅食中断时间在觅食活动中所占的比例较低外,在大、中型叶片斑块的觅食中断时间比例均达到15.42%-26.82%;尽管,觅食中断使摄入率降低了33%,但东方田鼠功能反应仍为Ⅱ型功能反应。除东方田鼠采食时间及觅食回合时间随叶片重增大保持相对稳定外,处理时间及觅食中断时间均随叶片重增大呈线性递增趋势;采食时间、处理时间及觅食中断时间随口量的增大呈线性递增趋势;采食率随叶片重和口量增大呈指数递减趋势。研究结果揭示,东方田鼠因警觉引起的觅食中断事件是导致采食率及摄入率降低的主要因子。摄入率测定值与模型预测值的线性回归极显著(P < 0.01),表明,新建立的功能反应模型具有良好的可预测性。推测,东方田鼠因警觉引起采食率及摄入率减小的代价,是以延长觅食时间来补偿的。研究结果充分验证了,在可利用性植物密集斑块,由植物大小调控的动物口量决定其摄入率,且受采食和处理食物竞争及觅食中断的制约,其功能反应为Ⅱ型功能反应的假说。     

捕食风险对东方田鼠功能反应格局的作用

植食性哺乳动物对食物斑块的选择和利用不仅取决于食物的可利用性,且与觅食环境潜存的各种风险紧密关联。捕食风险是否通过作用于动物觅食活动中的警觉影响其功能反应格局。在新鲜白三叶叶片构成的各类食物密集斑块上,测定东方田鼠觅食行为,建立功能反应模型,检验捕食风险对其功能反应格局的作用。结果发现,捕食风险能显著地延长东方田鼠的觅食决定时间,但其摄入率保持稳定,功能反应构型亦未发生改变,仍为Ⅱ型功能反应;除了对照组个体的采食时间随叶片大小增大无明显变动规律外,处理组个体的采食时间及对照组和处理组个体的处理时间、觅食中断时间均随叶片大小及口量的增大呈线性增高趋势,处理组个体的觅食中断时间明显大于对照组个体的;对照组和处理组个体的采食率均随叶片大小及口量呈非线性渐近递减趋势,但处理组个体的采食率较对照组个体的略有降低。结果揭示,在捕食风险压力下,虽然上述觅食参数变异能潜在地降低摄入率,但个体能通过改变觅食活动中各种警觉行为动作如降低嗅闻和静听监视动作的发生频次,增大视觉监视动作比重,以此缓冲捕食风险压力,维持摄入率。摄入率测定值与模型预测值的线性回归极显著,表明,功能反应模型具有良好的预测性。在可利用植物密集斑块,动物觅食活动中的警觉能缓冲捕食风险压力;动物摄入率是由植物大小调控的口量决定的,且受采食与处理食物竞争及觅食中断的制约;其功能反应仍属Ⅱ型功能反应。     

Cooperative vigilance: the guanaco's (Lama guanicoe) key antipredator mechanism

The concept of sociality has been associated with the effectiveness of antipredator mechanisms, like cooperative vigilance and the dilution effect. Lama guanicoe (guanaco) is a social native herbivore in South America and a social species. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the antipredator responses of different-sized groups of guanacos in areas with varying predation risks and to determine antipredator mechanisms in guanacos. For this, we measured different antipredator responses to a potential predator (human subjects). Detection of predator and flight distances from predator both increased with a greater number of guanacos per group and with greater distances among guanacos within the social group. Both buffer distance and flight time decreased with a greater number of guanacos per group, but increased with greater distances among guanacos inside the social group. Solitary adult males moved shorter distance and mixed groups moved greater distances. Flight distances were greater in areas with tall and dense vegetation than in areas with low vegetation. Buffer distance and flight time were shorter in undulating land than on flat lands, and groups were usually observed on hill slopes. Our results suggest that the benefit of social grouping in guanacos is the increased probability of avoiding predator with cooperative vigilance and not with the dilution effect. This means that a predator could be detected earlier when approaching a guanaco group than when approaching a solitary individuals and could thus be avoided.     

Vigilance and its complex synchrony in the red-necked pademelon, Thylogale thetis

Several adaptive functions, including gaining information fromother group members and detecting predators, are generally ascribedto vigilance in groups of animals subject to predation. Moststudies of the effects of neighbors on vigilance have focusedon individual vigilance. We investigated the effects of neighborson vigilance in wild red-necked pademelons Thylogale thetisforaging at night in nonpersistent aggregations in a clearingin rain forest. Neither the total number of pademelons in theclearing nor the numbers at various distances around focal individualsaffected the individual vigilance of focal animals. However,focal animals’ individual vigilance did change with thedistance to their nearest neighbor and also with distance tocover. Pairs of individuals closer than 10 m apart tended tosynchronize their bouts of individual vigilance and foraging.The degree of synchrony within pairs increased with both distanceto cover and the total number of pademelons foraging in thearea and decreased with increasing distance to the pair's nearestneighbor but did not vary with the distance separating the membersof the pair. Thus, despite their individual vigilance beingunaffected by the number of other pademelons in the feedingaggregation, pademelons were nonetheless sensitive to the presenceof conspecifics and adjusted their behavior in relation to theirseparation from neighbors. Thus, some vigilance benefits maybe obtained from the presence of conspecifics even in speciesthat aggregate only temporarily on food patches without formingmore permanent social groups.     

Cutting costs in response to predatory threat by Geoffroy's marmosets (Callithrix geoffroyi)

Ideally, prey should respond to their predators efficiently, without over- or underreacting to the threat. This may be particularly important for small-bodied species for whom metabolic demands are high and predatory risk is great. In the current study, two family groups of Callithrix geoffroyi living outside in a rural setting at the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species, San Diego Wild Animal Park, were observed before, during, and after ten presentations of a great horned owl model. The owl was mounted on a post on a nearby hillside, simulating a situation in which a real but nonimminent threat is posed. As controls, a model of a crow and a cloth bag were also presented, each for ten trials. During the 10 min presentations of the owl, rates of play and foraging decreased, and rates of locomotion and vigilant looking increased from baseline rates. Data on occupation of the best viewing area suggest that the marmosets shared the job of monitoring a potential threat. After the owl was removed, behavior quickly returned to baseline rates, with the exception of looking at the place where the owl had been, and play. Neither the bag nor the crow generated significant differences from the baseline condition that preceded it. Marmosets may reduce the costs of antipredator behavior by appropriately assessing the degree of risk and by quickly resuming important activities once a potential threat has passed. Am. J. Primatol. 46:187–196, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.