Behavioral Responses of Wild Rodents to Owl Calls in an Austral Temperate Forest
Ecologically based rodent management strategies are arising as a sustainable approach to rodent control, allowing us to preserve biodiversity while safeguarding human economic activities. Despite predator signals being known to generally repel rodents, few field-based studies have compared the behav...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/2/428 |
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| author | Mᵃ Carmen Hernández Denise M. Jara-Stapfer Ana Muñoz Cristian Bonacic Isabel Barja André V. Rubio |
| author_facet | Mᵃ Carmen Hernández Denise M. Jara-Stapfer Ana Muñoz Cristian Bonacic Isabel Barja André V. Rubio |
| author_sort | Mᵃ Carmen Hernández |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ecologically based rodent management strategies are arising as a sustainable approach to rodent control, allowing us to preserve biodiversity while safeguarding human economic activities. Despite predator signals being known to generally repel rodents, few field-based studies have compared the behavioral effects of several predators on different prey species, especially in Neotropical ecosystems. Here, we used camera traps to study the behavior of rodent species native to the Chilean temperate forest (<i>Abrothrix</i> spp., long-tailed pygmy rice rat <i>Oligoryzomys longicaudatus</i>) and an introduced rodent (black rat <i>Rattus rattus</i>). Using playbacks of raptor calls, we experimentally exposed rodents to three predation risk treatments: austral pygmy owl calls (<i>Glaucidium nana</i>), rufous-legged owl calls (<i>Strix rufipes</i>) and a control treatment (absence of owl calls). We evaluated the effects of the treatments on the time allocated to three behaviors: feeding time, locomotor activity and vigilance. Moonlight and vegetation cover were also considered in the analyses, as they can modify perceived predation risk. Results showed that predator calls and environmental factors modified prey behavior depending not only on the predator species, but also on the rodent species. Consequently, owl playbacks could be regarded as a promising rodent control tool, knowing that future studies would be critical to deeply understand differences between species in order to select the most effective predator cues. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:15:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-696f8d97f16041fa99fbed2a667dfc52 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:15:57Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-696f8d97f16041fa99fbed2a667dfc522023-12-03T12:45:09ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152021-02-0111242810.3390/ani11020428Behavioral Responses of Wild Rodents to Owl Calls in an Austral Temperate ForestMᵃ Carmen Hernández0Denise M. Jara-Stapfer1Ana Muñoz2Cristian Bonacic3Isabel Barja4André V. Rubio5Laboratory of Etho-Physiology, Department Biology (Unit Zoology), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Darwin 2, Campus Universitario de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Ciencias Biológicas Animales, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santa Rosa 11735, La Pintana, Santiago 8820808, ChileDepartamento de Ecosistemas y Medio Ambiente, Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8940000, ChileDepartamento de Ecosistemas y Medio Ambiente, Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8940000, ChileLaboratory of Etho-Physiology, Department Biology (Unit Zoology), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Darwin 2, Campus Universitario de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Ciencias Biológicas Animales, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santa Rosa 11735, La Pintana, Santiago 8820808, ChileEcologically based rodent management strategies are arising as a sustainable approach to rodent control, allowing us to preserve biodiversity while safeguarding human economic activities. Despite predator signals being known to generally repel rodents, few field-based studies have compared the behavioral effects of several predators on different prey species, especially in Neotropical ecosystems. Here, we used camera traps to study the behavior of rodent species native to the Chilean temperate forest (<i>Abrothrix</i> spp., long-tailed pygmy rice rat <i>Oligoryzomys longicaudatus</i>) and an introduced rodent (black rat <i>Rattus rattus</i>). Using playbacks of raptor calls, we experimentally exposed rodents to three predation risk treatments: austral pygmy owl calls (<i>Glaucidium nana</i>), rufous-legged owl calls (<i>Strix rufipes</i>) and a control treatment (absence of owl calls). We evaluated the effects of the treatments on the time allocated to three behaviors: feeding time, locomotor activity and vigilance. Moonlight and vegetation cover were also considered in the analyses, as they can modify perceived predation risk. Results showed that predator calls and environmental factors modified prey behavior depending not only on the predator species, but also on the rodent species. Consequently, owl playbacks could be regarded as a promising rodent control tool, knowing that future studies would be critical to deeply understand differences between species in order to select the most effective predator cues.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/2/428landscape of fearpredation riskpredator–prey interactionssmall mammals |
| spellingShingle | Mᵃ Carmen Hernández Denise M. Jara-Stapfer Ana Muñoz Cristian Bonacic Isabel Barja André V. Rubio Behavioral Responses of Wild Rodents to Owl Calls in an Austral Temperate Forest Animals landscape of fear predation risk predator–prey interactions small mammals |
| title | Behavioral Responses of Wild Rodents to Owl Calls in an Austral Temperate Forest |
| title_full | Behavioral Responses of Wild Rodents to Owl Calls in an Austral Temperate Forest |
| title_fullStr | Behavioral Responses of Wild Rodents to Owl Calls in an Austral Temperate Forest |
| title_full_unstemmed | Behavioral Responses of Wild Rodents to Owl Calls in an Austral Temperate Forest |
| title_short | Behavioral Responses of Wild Rodents to Owl Calls in an Austral Temperate Forest |
| title_sort | behavioral responses of wild rodents to owl calls in an austral temperate forest |
| topic | landscape of fear predation risk predator–prey interactions small mammals |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/2/428 |
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