Data from: Experimental evidence for within- and cross-seasonal effects of fear on survival and reproduction

Fear of predation can have non-lethal effects on individuals within a
season but whether, and to what extent, these effects carry over into
subsequent seasons is not known. Using a replicated seasonal population of
the common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, we examined both within-
and cross-seasonal effects of fear on survival and reproductive output.
Compared to controls, flies exposed to the scent of mantid (Tenodera
sinensis) predators in the non-breeding season had 64% higher mortality,
and lost 60% more mass by the end of the non-breeding season and, in the
subsequent breeding season, produced 20% fewer offspring that weighed 9%
less at maturity. Flies exposed to the scent of mantids in the breeding
season did not produce fewer offspring, but their offspring developed
faster and weighed less as adults compared to the controls. Our results
demonstrate how effects of fear can be manifested both within and across
seasons and emphasize the importance of understanding how events
throughout the annual cycle influence individual success of animals living
in seasonal environments.

捕食恐惧可对单季内的个体产生非致死效应，但此类效应是否能延续至后续季节、以及延续程度如何，目前尚不明确。本研究以经重复实验的季节性种群——黑腹果蝇（Drosophila melanogaster）——为研究对象，探究了捕食恐惧对其存活能力与繁殖产出的季内及跨季效应。与对照组相比，在非繁殖季暴露于螳螂（Tenodera sinensis）气味的果蝇，死亡率升高64%，非繁殖季结束时体重流失量较对照组高出60%；且在后续繁殖季中，其所产后代数量减少20%，成熟后代的体重亦低9%。若果蝇在繁殖季暴露于螳螂气味，则其后代数量并未减少，但相较于对照组，其子代发育速率更快，成虫体重却更低。本研究结果证实，捕食恐惧效应可同时体现在季内与跨季尺度，并凸显了理解年度周期内的各类事件如何影响季节性环境中动物个体适合度的重要性。