Competition and sex-age class alter the effects of group size on vigilance in white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus

IF 1.1 4区 生物学 Q4 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES acta ethologica Pub Date : 2023-10-18 DOI:10.1007/s10211-023-00430-8
Erik R. Olson, Timothy R. Van Deelen
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Abstract

Increased group size is predicted to dilute predation risk for individuals and increase predator detection at the group level. Individual vigilance tends to decrease with group size for many species. However, this pattern varies across species, context, space, and time. We explored the effects of group size on vigilance behaviors of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in relation to season, sex-age status, group composition, diminishing food returns, and intraspecific competition. We used classical behavioral observation methods and camera traps to study deer behavior. Sex-age class, season, intraspecific competition, and diminishing food returns interacted with group size to shape vigilance behaviors in deer. During spring, the effect of group size was essentially non-existent, and during winter, vigilance patterns exhibited a non-linear relationship with group size. Subadult deer benefited most in terms of increased foraging and decreased vigilance from the presence of 1–2 conspecifics, likely a maternal family group. This effect diminished in the presence of additional conspecifics (≥3), apparently as a function of contest competition. Individual deer spent less time at a site in areas with greater intraspecific abundance; however, in the presence of conspecifics, the relationship was reversed. Our research suggests that maternal family groups play an important seasonal role in vigilance behaviors of deer. Our study demonstrates the complex effects of group size in white-tailed deer. Group size effects are generally considered to be in response to changes in predation risk; however, our work supports a growing body of evidence that group size effects may also be influenced by intraspecific interactions.

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竞争和性别年龄等级会改变群体大小对白尾鹿警惕性的影响
群体规模的扩大预计会稀释个体的捕食风险,并在群体水平上提高捕食者的发现率。在许多物种中,个体的警惕性往往会随着群体规模的扩大而降低。然而,这种模式在不同物种、不同环境、不同空间和不同时间都有所不同。我们探讨了群体大小对白尾鹿(Odocoileus virginianus)警戒行为的影响,这些影响与季节、性别年龄状况、群体组成、食物回报递减和种内竞争有关。我们使用经典的行为观察方法和相机陷阱来研究鹿的行为。性别-年龄等级、季节、种内竞争和食物收益递减与群体大小相互作用,形成了鹿的警戒行为。在春季,群体大小的影响基本不存在,而在冬季,警戒模式与群体大小呈现非线性关系。1-2个同类(可能是母系家族群体)的存在对亚成体鹿最有利,它们可以增加觅食量并降低警惕性。当同类数量增加(≥3 头)时,这种效应就会减弱,这显然是竞争的结果。在种内丰度较高的地区,鹿个体在某一地点停留的时间较少;然而,在有同种动物存在的情况下,这种关系则相反。我们的研究表明,母系家族群体在鹿的警戒行为中扮演着重要的季节性角色。我们的研究证明了群体大小对白尾鹿的复杂影响。群体大小效应通常被认为是对捕食风险变化的反应;然而,我们的研究支持了越来越多的证据,即群体大小效应也可能受到种内相互作用的影响。
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来源期刊
acta ethologica
acta ethologica 生物-动物学
CiteScore
1.90
自引率
0.00%
发文量
18
审稿时长
>12 weeks
期刊介绍: acta ethologica publishes empirical and theoretical research papers, short communications, commentaries, reviews and book reviews as well as methods papers in the field of ethology and related disciplines, with a strong concentration on the behavior biology of humans and other animals. The journal places special emphasis on studies integrating proximate (mechanisms, development) and ultimate (function, evolution) levels in the analysis of behavior. Aspects of particular interest include: adaptive plasticity of behavior, inter-individual and geographic variations in behavior, mechanisms underlying behavior, evolutionary processes and functions of behavior, and many other topics. acta ethologica is an official journal of ISPA, CRL and the Portuguese Ethological Society (SPE)
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