Considerations used by desert isopods to assess scorpion predation risk

Animals adjust behaviors to balance changes in predation risk against other vital needs. Animals must therefore collect sensory information and use complex risk assessment process that estimates risks and weigh costs and benefits entailed in different reactions. Studying this cognitive process is challenging, especially in nature because it requires inferring sensory abilities and conscious decisions from behavioral reactions. Our goal was to address this empirical challenge by implementing psychophysical principles to field research that explores considerations used by desert isopods (Hemilepistus reaumuri) to assess the risk of scorpions that hunt exclusively from within their burrows. We introduced various combinations of chemical and physical cues to the vicinity of the isopods' burrows and recorded their detailed reactions upon first encountering the cues. The isopods reacted defensively to scorpion odor but only when accompanied with excavated-soil or other odors
typically found ...