Coral degradation impairs learning of non-predators by Whitetail damselfish

A prerequisite for effective antipredator responses is the ability of the prey to distinguish animals that pose a threat from those that do not. Prey often have efficient learning mechanisms to learn threats but learning to recognize nonpredators may be equally or more important. Moreover, the ability to generalize learned information is of key importance for prey animals. Prey take information they know about one species to make ‘educated guesses’ about the predatory/nonpredatory status of other unknown species.
Here, we investigate the ability of Whitetail damselfish (Pomacentrus chrysurus) to learn the identity of non-predators and then generalize their responses to other unknown animals. Our work is completed within the context of unprecedented habitat degradation in reef ecosystems. When corals die, the remaining skeleton is colonized by algae, cyanobacteria and sessile invertebrates. These opportunistic colonists change the physical and chemical landscape of the reef and henc...

有效反捕食反应的前提是猎物具备区分威胁动物与非威胁动物的能力。猎物通常拥有高效的学习机制来掌握威胁信息，但学会识别非捕食者可能同样重要，甚至更为关键。此外，泛化所学信息的能力对猎物而言至关重要——它们会利用已知物种的信息，对其他未知物种的捕食/非捕食状态做出“有根据的推测”。
本文探究了白尾雀鲷（Pomacentrus chrysurus）学习非捕食者身份并将其反应泛化至其他未知动物的能力。本研究开展于珊瑚礁生态系统遭遇史无前例栖息地退化的背景下：当珊瑚死亡后，剩余的骨架会被藻类、蓝细菌及固着无脊椎动物占据。这些机会主义殖民者改变了珊瑚礁的物理与化学环境，进而……