Navigating the landscape of fear: Fruit flies exhibit distinct anti-predator and anti-parasite defensive behaviours

Most organisms are at risk of being consumed by a predator or infected by a parasite at some point in their life. Theoretical constructs such as the landscape of fear (perception of risk) and non-consumptive effects (NCEs, costly responses sans predation or infection) have been proposed to describe and quantify anti-predator and anti-parasite responses. How prey/host species identify and respond to these risks determines their survival, reproductive success and, ultimately, fitness. Most studies to date have focused on either predator-prey or parasite-host interactions, yet habitats and ecosystems contain both parasitic and/or predatory species that represent a complex and heterogenous mosaic of risk factors. Here, we experimentally investigated the behavioural responses of a cactophilic fruit fly, Drosophila nigrospiracula, exposed to a range of species that include parasites (ectoparasitic mite), predators (jumping spiders), as well harmless heterospecifics (non-parasitic mites, ants ..., Video analysis: behavioural assays were documented using digital video recorded in a DanioVisionTM observation chamber (Noldus Information Technology, Leesburg, VA, USA) and response variables were measured with EthoVisionTM computer tracking software (Noldus Information Technology, Leesburg, VA, USA). In total, we generated 286 videos of fly behaviour in response to male mites (n=30), female mites (n=30), ant (n=30), weevils (n=30), spider (n=22), control (n=144); flies were only tested once. Once the arenas were placed in the DanioVisionTM chamber, 5 minutes of unused video was recorded before the five-minute experimental recording period. The experimental five-minute video was analysed using EthovisionTM software that recorded all response variables 12.5 times per second. Response variables reported were velocity (mm/s), distance travelled (mm), ambulatory movement (yes/no), distance between fly and cage (mm), and meander (the number of degrees through which the fly changed direction..., , # Navigating the landscape of fear: fruit flies exhibit distinct anti-predator and anti-parasite defensive behaviours

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.6hdr7sr8c](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.6hdr7sr8c)

This data set contains measurements of fruit fly behavior, specifically: distance travelled in millimeters (abbreviated as 'Dist' in data file), Velocity while moving in millimeters per second ('Vel_mov' in data file), proportion of time spend moving ('Mov_pr' in data file), distance to stimuli species in millimeters ('Dist_Z' in data file), Meander while moving in degrees per millimeter traveled ('Meand_mov' in data file), and time spent grooming in seconds ('Grm_s' in data file). These behaviors were responses to exposure to a variety of other species: mites, weevils, spiders and ants. The column 'Treatment' contains the specifics of which species the fruit flies were exposed to. Of note, mites were further broken down into three additional categories: 10 male mites ('MaleMite' in data...