Naive poison frog tadpoles use bi-modal cues to avoid insect predators but not heterospecific predatory tadpoles

• DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243647
• Publication Date: 2021-11-30T08:32:12Z
• Authors: Birgit Szabo; Rosanna Mangione; Matthias Rath; Andrius Pašukonis; Stephan A. Reber; Jinook Oh; Max Ringler; Eva Ringler
• Keywords: Tadpole (physics); Sensory cue; Escape response

ABSTRACT For animals to survive until reproduction, it is crucial that juveniles successfully detect potential predators and respond with appropriate behavior. The recognition of cues originating from can be innate or learned. Cues various modalities might used alone in multi-modal combinations distinguish but studies investigating integration predator avoidance are scarce. Here, we wild, naive tadpoles the Neotropical poison frog Allobates femoralis ( Boulenger, 1884) test their reaction two different sympatrically occurring predators: heterospecific predatory Dendrobates tinctorius dragonfly larvae. We presented A. olfactory visual cues, a combination two, compared water control between-individual design. In our trials, reacted stimuli (a chemical information) larvae showed no uni-modal tadpoles. addition, conspecifics increased swimming activity while had effect on tadpole activity. Our results show innately recognize some probably need both information effectively avoid them. This first study looking at anti-predator behavior discuss how parental care influence expression responses