Habituation under natural conditions: model predators are distinguished by approach direction

• DOI: 10.1242/jeb.061614
• Publication Date: 2011-11-23T19:17:31Z
• Authors: Chloé A. Raderschall; Robert D. Magrath; Jan M. Hemmi
• Keywords: Burrow; Descent (aeronautics); Escape response

SUMMARY Habituation is an active process that allows animals to learn identify repeated, harmless events, and so could help individuals deal with the trade-off between reducing risk of predation minimizing escape costs. Safe habituation requires accurate distinction dangerous but in natural environments such assessment challenging because sensory information often noisy limited. What, then, comprises use recognize objects they have previously learned be harmless? We tested whether fiddler crab Uca vomeris distinguishes purely by their signature or identification also involves more complex attributes as direction from which object approaches. found crabs habituated responses after repeated presentations a dummy predator consistently approaching same compass direction. Females both movement towards burrow descent into burrow, whereas males only burrow. The were likely respond again when physically identical approached them new distinguished two dummies even though visible for entire duration experiment there was no difference timing dummies' movements. Thus, position approach encodes important event habituate it. These results argue against traditional notion simple, non-associative learning process, instead suggest very selective uses distinguish not available itself.