A Matador-like Predator Diversion Strategy Driven by Conspicuous Coloration in Guppies.

Autor:	Heathcote RJP; Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK; School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK. Electronic address: r.j.p.heathcote@gmail.com., Troscianko J; Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK., Darden SK; Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK., Naisbett-Jones LC; Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK; Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA., Laker PR; Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK., Brown AM; Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK; Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK., Ramnarine IW; Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago., Walker J; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME, USA., Croft DP; Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Current biology : CB [Curr Biol] 2020 Jul 20; Vol. 30 (14), pp. 2844-2851.e8. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Jun 11.
DOI:	10.1016/j.cub.2020.05.017
Abstrakt:	Understanding the adaptive function of conspicuous coloration has been a major focus of evolutionary biology for much of the last century. Although considerable progress has been made in explaining how conspicuous coloration can be used in functions as diverse as sexual and social signaling, startling predators, and advertising toxicity [1], there remain a multitude of species that display conspicuous coloration that cannot be explained by existing theory. Here we detail a new "matador-like" divertive antipredator strategy based on conspicuous coloration in Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Guppies encountering predatory fish rapidly enhance the conspicuousness of their eyes by blackening their irises. By pitting biomimetic robotic guppies against real predatory fish, we show this conspicuous eye coloration diverts attacks away from the guppies' center of mass to their head. To determine the function of this seemingly counterintuitive behavior, we developed a method for simulating escape probabilities when live prey interact with ballistic attacking predators, and find this diversion effect significantly benefits black-eyed guppies because they evade capture by rapidly pivoting away from the predator once it has committed to its attack. Remarkably, this antipredator strategy reverses the commonly observed negative scaling relationship between prey size and evasive ability, with larger fish benefiting most from diverting predators. Taken together, our results introduce a new antipredator divertive strategy that may be widely used by conspicuously colored prey that rely on agility to escape their predators. Competing Interests: Declaration of Interests The authors declare no competing interests. (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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