Behavioral consequences of plant invasion: an invasive plant alters rodent antipredator behavior

Behavioral Ecology, May 2010

Antipredator behavior is an important aspect of predator–prey dynamics and prey survival, and invasive species are becoming an increasing threat to ecosystems worldwide. Although these 2 concepts are frequently connected in terms of invasive predators and naïve prey, other effects of invasive species, such the creation of novel habitats by invasive plants, may also have indirect effects on animal behavior and community dynamics. We used giving-up densities to examine foraging behavior of Peromyscus leucopus in forest habitats that were invaded or uninvaded by the exotic invasive shrub, Lonicera maackii, which forms a novel shrub layer in hickory–oak forests in Missouri. We experimentally manipulated the presence or absence of an artificial cover over foraging trays and predicted that rodents would have less of a preference for artificial cover in invaded sites with high densities of invasive shrub cover. We found that the invasive shrub decreased perceived predation risk, but this effect was contingent on other environmental correlates of predation risk (i.e., clear, moonlit nights) and foraging cost (i.e., warm temperatures). Our results demonstrate that invasive plants can change animal behavior, which may benefit the invasive species by causing apparent competition and promoting further invasion. Our results have implications for further behavioral changes that could affect multiple trophic levels and suggest that plant invasions can have cryptic, interactive effects on animal behavior, aside from their commonly studied effects on other plant species.

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Behavioral consequences of plant invasion: an invasive plant alters rodent antipredator behavior

Behavioral consequences of plant invasion: an invasive plant alters rodent antipredator behavior Kaitlin J. Mattos 0 1 John L. Orrock 0 1 0 The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology. All rights reserved 1 Department of Biology, Washington University , 1 Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63130 , USA Antipredator behavior is an important aspect of predator-prey dynamics and prey survival, and invasive species are becoming an increasing threat to ecosystems worldwide. Although these 2 concepts are frequently connected in terms of invasive predators and na¨ıve prey, other effects of invasive species, such the creation of novel habitats by invasive plants, may also have indirect effects on animal behavior and community dynamics. We used giving-up densities to examine foraging behavior of Peromyscus leucopus in forest habitats that were invaded or uninvaded by the exotic invasive shrub, Lonicera maackii, which forms a novel shrub layer in hickory-oak forests in Missouri. We experimentally manipulated the presence or absence of an artificial cover over foraging trays and predicted that rodents would have less of a preference for artificial cover in invaded sites with high densities of invasive shrub cover. We found that the invasive shrub decreased perceived predation risk, but this effect was contingent on other environmental correlates of predation risk (i.e., clear, moonlit nights) and foraging cost (i.e., warm temperatures). Our results demonstrate that invasive plants can change animal behavior, which may benefit the invasive species by causing apparent competition and promoting further invasion. Our results have implications for further behavioral changes that could affect multiple trophic levels and suggest that plant invasions can have cryptic, interactive effects on animal behavior, aside from their commonly studied effects on other plant species. Key words: antipredator behavior, foraging, giving-up densities, invasive species, rodent. [Behav Ecol 21:556-561 (2010)] - Asurvival, prey population dynamics, and the stability of ntipredator behavior has important consequences for prey predator–prey interactions (Werner and Peacor 2003; Caro 2005; Preisser et al. 2005; Stankowich and Blumstein 2005) , and it may also play an important role in biological invasions (Strauss et al. 2006; Sih et al., 2010) . Investigations of antipredator behavior in biological invasions generally focus on interactions among nonnative predators and na¨ıve prey (Snyder and Evans 2006; Sih et al., 2010) . Less appreciated is that invasive plants may alter the antipredator behavior of consumers by creating novel habitats. Although invasive plants can dramatically change the structure and composition of the areas they invade (Vitousek 1986; Gordon 1998) and animals commonly exploit habitat structure to avoid their predators (Brown and Kotler 2004; Caro 2005; Stankowich and Blumstein 2005) , few studies have examined how invasive plants may alter consumer antipredator behavior. Understanding whether invasive plants alter consumer antipredator behavior is important because antipredator behavior can alter consumer distribution and abundance, ultimately affecting persistence. This is clearly evident in island systems, where introduced predators have strong effects on insular prey, presumably because island prey lack the appropriate antipredator behavior (e.g., Blumstein and Daniel 2005) . However, antipredator behavior can be modified even when prey are adapted to predator presence if habitat is altered to change prey exposure (e.g., Loria et al. 2008) . Moreover, changes in antipredator behavior can alter the dynamics of multiple trophic levels. For example, if invasive plants provide a low-risk refuge for native consumers, shifts in foraging behavior caused by the provision of a refuge can alter the impact of consumers on plant populations (Holt and Kotler 1987; Connell 1990; Chaneton and Bonsall 2000; Orrock et al. 2010) . As plant invasions become more prominent as a component of global environmental change (Wilcove et al. 1998; Theoharides and Dukes 2007) , their effects on varying trophic levels become more important to understand. In this study, we examine whether the exotic woody shrub, Lonicera maackii, alters foraging by a ubiquitous rodent consumer, the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) by creating a dense shrub layer that reduces perceived predation risk. Within deciduous forest woodlands, P. leucopus are common small mammals that experience predation pressure from avian and terrestrial predators (e.g., owls and foxes). Tree seeds may make up a considerable portion of their diet, which can also include insects and fruit (Lackey et al. 1985) . Dynamics of P. leucopus may affect plant recruitment (e.g., Jones et al. 1998; McShea 2000) , the abundance of forest insects (Ostfeld et al. 1996; Jones et al. 1998) , and prev (...truncated)


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Mattos, Kaitlin J., Orrock, John L.. Behavioral consequences of plant invasion: an invasive plant alters rodent antipredator behavior, Behavioral Ecology, 2010, pp. 556-561, Volume 21, Issue 3, DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq020