The effect of pelage, background, and distance on predator detection and the evolution of primate color vision
| Autor: | Pedro Diniz, Maria Helena Constantino Spyrides, Daniel M.A. Pessoa, Pedro Z. de Moraes |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Adult Male Color vision Carnivora Color Vision Defects 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Predation biology.animal medicine Animals Humans 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Primate 050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology Carnivore Predator Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics biology Color Vision Biological Mimicry 05 social sciences Trichromacy medicine.disease Biological Evolution Evolutionary biology Camouflage Predatory Behavior Animal Science and Zoology Dichromacy |
| Zdroj: | American journal of primatologyREFERENCES. 83(2) |
| ISSN: | 1098-2345 |
| Popis: | Primates' predators, such as carnivore mammals, usually rely on camouflage to increase proximity to prey and start a predatory attempt. Camouflage depends not only on the color pattern presented by a predator's pelage but also on the background scene in which the hunting takes place. Another factor that influences camouflage effectiveness is prey's color vision since a given camouflage strategy might not work for all visual phenotypes. Still, little research has been made on the effect of primate visual phenotype on predator detection. Here, we investigate the effects of natural pelages, background scenarios, visual phenotypes, and detection distances on predator detection. We used photographs of taxidermized carnivores (ocelots, cougars, and lesser grisons) as detection stimuli, taken in three different natural scenarios (forest, savanna, and grassland), and at two viewing distances (near and far). On a touchscreen monitor, sets of four images (only one containing a hidden animal) were randomly presented to 39 human males (19 dichromats and 20 trichromats). We found that trichromats, when compared to dichromats, present a lower latency and a higher accuracy of carnivore detection for some conditions tested. We also found that pelage color, background scenario, and detection distance interact to influence the effectiveness of camouflage. Our results suggest that trichromacy might be even more advantageous for carnivore detection than thought before, since it facilitates detection of mammals with diverse pelage colorations, in environments with different phytophysiognomies, and at longer distances. We also propose that the higher rates of dichromacy found in modern human societies could have resulted from a relaxation in predation. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|
Plný text