Cues from a common predator cause survival-linked behavioral adjustments in Mojave Desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii)

Nafus, Melia G.; Germano, Jennifer M.; Swaisgood, Ronald R.

doi:10.1007/s00265-017-2387-0

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Moreover, predators can reduce fitness of potential prey by means of different mechanisms besides direct consumption (reviewed in Preisser et al. 2005): behavioral (such as increased refuge use; Martín and López 2000; Nafus et al. 2017), morphological (Castellanos et al.…”

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confidence: 99%

Simulated predation pressure in Pelobates cultripes tadpoles modulates morphology at the metamorphic stage

2018

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Studies on the impacts of variation of biotic interactions at key life cycle stages are crucial to understand the interface between ecological and developmental processes. Predators exert a major impact on prey fitness. Although direct consumption entails the greatest effect, predators can affect prey by means of other mechanisms. For instance, injuries inflicted by failed predation attempts can jeopardize prey fitness, even beyond the short-term. In anuran tadpoles, failed predation typically results in partial tail loss, which is known to reduce swimming speed. However, the potential consequences of tadpole partial tail loss after metamorphosis remain understudied. Because tail materials could be important in conforming metamorph body, we assess the effects of tadpole partial tail loss on metamorph body size in Iberian spadefoot toads Pelobates cultripes. We clipped 55% tail length of pre-tail-resorption stage anesthetized tadpoles, and compared their body size as metamorphs with anesthetized and non-anesthetized non-tail-clipped controls. Also, we tested whether tail length correlated with metamorph body size of individuals of the control groups. Tail-clipped tadpoles produced smaller metamorphs than both controls (the bdy size of metamorphs from both controls was similar), which could incur costs in mid-term survival or time to first reproduction. This effect could be particularly important in areas with introduced predators, if autochthonous tadpoles lack defenses against them. Results suggest that materials resorbed from tadpole tail tissues might be reallocated into metamorph body, according to the negative effect of shorter tails in a correlational analysis, and clipped tails in an experimental test, on metamorph body size.

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confidence: 99%

Simulated predation pressure in Pelobates cultripes tadpoles modulates morphology at the metamorphic stage

2018

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“…testosterone levels) conditions also coincide with shifts in tortoise behaviour (e.g. burrow-use patterns, aggression [36, 52, 53]) that can affect the microenvironment experienced by the host or stimulate social interactions that require energy expenditure [54–56]. Our methods prevented many of these situations, and so do not incorporate the potential influence of these factors on host and infection status.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The slow dynamics of mycoplasma infections in a tortoise host reveal heterogeneity pertinent to pathogen transmission and monitoring

et al. 2018

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The epidemiology of infectious diseases depends on many characteristics of disease progression, as well as the consistency of these processes across hosts. Longitudinal studies of infection can thus inform disease monitoring and management, but can be challenging in wildlife, particularly for long-lived hosts and persistent infections. Numerous tortoise species of conservation concern can be infected by pathogenic mycoplasmas that cause a chronic upper respiratory tract disease (URTD). Yet, a lack of detailed data describing tortoise responses to mycoplasma infections obscures our understanding of URTDs role in host ecology. We therefore monitored Mycoplasma agassizii infections in 14 captive desert tortoises and characterised clinical signs of disease, infection intensity, pathogen shedding and antibody production for nearly 4 years after initial exposure to donor hosts. Persistent infections established in all exposed tortoises within 10 weeks, but hosts appeared to vary in resistance, which affected the patterns of pathogen shedding and apparent disease. Delays in host immune response and changes to clinical signs and infection intensity over time resulted in inconsistencies between diagnostic tools and changes in diagnostic accuracy throughout the study. We discuss the implications these results have for URTD epidemiology and past and future research assessing disease prevalence and dynamics in tortoise populations.

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“…While limited, there is some research available on tortoise personality [ 28 ]. Several studies have focused on the potential implications of personality on reintroduction outcomes and survival, particularly in the desert tortoise ( Gopherus agassizii ) [ 20 , 29 ]. In these studies, individuals that were more timid had a higher probability of survival in environments containing predators [ 29 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Behavior and Personality Structure of the Aldabra Tortoise during Human Interactions and Training Events

Pastorino

Smith

Faustini

et al. 2022

Animals

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Human–animal interaction (HAI) can be valuable for captive animals, and many zoo-housed species benefit from interactions with their keepers. There is also an increasing body of evidence that some animal species possess personalities that are temporally consistent. However, the majority of zoo research, particularly on personality and HAI, traditionally has focused on mammals, and there are comparatively fewer studies on reptiles. Research was undertaken at the Faunistic Park Le Cornelle, Italy, to investigate the effects of approach tests and food interaction events on 5 male and 5 female Aldabra tortoise (Aldrabrachelys gigantea) behavior. During human–tortoise interactions, continuous focal sampling of behavior took place. The behavioral differences between individual tortoises, interaction type (approach or training) and person involved in the interaction (keeper, vet, or observer) were analysed using general linear mixed-effects models. The personality components of the tortoises were also quantified using principal component analysis. Overall, the study revealed that individuals acted significantly differently to one another, and that while females initially appeared to display a greater number of shy behaviors, this was not consistent across the group. PCA revealed two personality dimensions in the tortoises: boldness and avoidance. Overall, the study revealed that the tortoises possessed personalities that were independent of sex or scenario. The study also revealed that many tortoises chose to interact with their keepers during training and approach tests: this suggests that human–tortoise interactions may have some enrichment value. Future research could quantify tortoise personality in other scenarios such as in social interactions with other tortoises.

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Cues from a common predator cause survival-linked behavioral adjustments in Mojave Desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii)

Cited by 10 publications

References 53 publications

Simulated predation pressure in Pelobates cultripes tadpoles modulates morphology at the metamorphic stage

Simulated predation pressure in Pelobates cultripes tadpoles modulates morphology at the metamorphic stage

The slow dynamics of mycoplasma infections in a tortoise host reveal heterogeneity pertinent to pathogen transmission and monitoring

Investigating the Behavior and Personality Structure of the Aldabra Tortoise during Human Interactions and Training Events

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