Frog or Fruit? The Importance of Color and Shape to Bird Predators in Clay Model Experiments

Paluh, Daniel J.; Kenison, Erin K.; Saporito, Ralph A.

doi:10.1643/ce-13-126

Cited by 20 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Shape as well as colour contributes to frog predation. Paluh, Kenison & Saporito () found that red‐coloured models of the dendrobatid O. pumilio were predated on by birds less than were brown frog models, or round balls of either red or brown plasticine (see ‘’). Red balls, despite being the same colour as the ‘aposematic’ frog models, appeared to be perceived as fruit, and birds, particularly the Great Tinamou Tinamus major , foraged on them.…”

Section: The Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Paluh et al . () used cameras on a subset of their model frogs O. pumilio and associated round controls, and identified tinamous as predators. Willink et al .…”

Section: Interpretation and Problemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If, as suspected, emus Dromaius novaehollandiae were the predators, this could be a similar result to that recorded by Paluh et al . (), where tinamous preferentially preyed on plasticine balls that were perceived as fruit.…”

Section: Interpretation and Problemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A different kind of ecological modelling: the use of clay model organisms to explore predator–prey interactions in vertebrates

2016

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We review the use of clay models to explore questions about predation rates on small vertebrate taxa that are typically difficult to observe directly. The use of models has a relatively long history and we examine the range of taxa studied, which includes squamate reptiles, amphibians, mammals and birds. Within this review, we have also included studies of model eggs, which are used in nest predation studies. We review the questions that have been asked and the interpretations arising from the data. The use of clay model animals has provided us with insights into how differences in prey morphology, size, and colour influence the rate at which they are attacked by predators. This allows us insights into the ecological, behavioural and evolutionary selective pressures of different predators on small vertebrate prey, including analysis of what characteristics predators target and how predators approach their prey (e.g. which part of the body is attacked). Further available interpretations include how regional and habitat variation influences predation events on models. We also briefly discuss the potential for clay models to study interspecific sociality and competition. Finally, we review the problems and limitations with the method and make some suggestions for further studies and amendments to help standardize this creative tool for ecological research.

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Section: The Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Paluh et al . () used cameras on a subset of their model frogs O. pumilio and associated round controls, and identified tinamous as predators. Willink et al .…”

Section: Interpretation and Problemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A different kind of ecological modelling: the use of clay model organisms to explore predator–prey interactions in vertebrates

2016

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“…Since mammals and arthropods rely primarily on non-visual cues to locate prey, they can be attracted to frog models regardless of their coloration. Therefore, only avian attacks were considered as attempts of interest (Bell & Card e 1984;Vander Wall, 1998;Paluh, Kenison & Saporito, 2015). Moreover, multiple attack marks on a single model were considered as a single predation attempt (Saporito et al, 2007).…”

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

An experimental assessment of the antipredatory function of green dorsal coloration in poisonous Neotropical red‐bellied toads

et al. 2019

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Crypsis and aposematism are important forms of antipredatory strategies. Through cryptic coloration, animals reduce their detectability by matching the coloration of backgrounds, while through aposematic coloration, prey species signal to potential predators their unprofitability by conspicuous coloration. The efficacy of aposematism depends on a predator’s ability to identify and avoid unprofitable prey. Among amphibians, both strategies are well known for many species. Most species of red‐bellied toads, Melanophryniscus spp., present conspicuous coloration with a likely aposematic function, both dorsally and ventrally, and display the behavior known as the unken reflex. However, there are a few species, like M. cambaraensis, that only present ventral conspicuous coloration. The dorsal coloration of this species is dull green, which is usually associated with camouflage. Although this species is diurnal and toxic, the exposition of red ventral coloration does not seem to serve as an aposematic signal. Here, we evaluated experimentally if the green dorsal color of M. cambaraensis functions as warning coloration for visually oriented natural predators. We conducted field predation experiments using clay models, representing M. cambaraensis (green models) and a generalized cryptic frog (brown models), to compare attack rates between treatments. The avian attacks were concentrated mainly on the anterior end, suggesting models were perceived as prey. However, attack rates were similar on green and brown frog models. Our results suggest that the green dorsal color of the species does not act as an aposematic signal, but functions as a cryptic color. Although crypsis in poisonous species remains a complex topic, under certain circumstances, the selection pressures imposed by predators may favor a cryptic coloration instead of a conspicuous coloration, even for diurnal species.

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“…Despite its high achromatic contrast, yellow fruits were not consumed preferentially over red and/or dark-blue fruits at forest edges. Although conspicuousness increases the probability of consumption because it allows for easier detection of fruits , colour preferences are much more complex because they also depend on innate and learned behaviours (Burns & Dalen, 2002;Camargo et al, 2015;Honkavaara, Siitari, & Viitala, 2004;Paluh, Kenison, & Saporito, 2015;Schaefer et al, 2007). For instance, some studies show that omnivorous birds have an unlearned preference for red or reddish fruits Willson & Comet, 1993) and that fruit preferences match the frequency of natural colours in the community (Duan et al, 2014).…”

Section: Coloursmentioning

confidence: 99%

<b>Fruit colour and edge effects poorly explains frugivorous bird-plant interactions in disturbed semideciduous forests

Pires

Gonçalves

Ferreira

et al. 2018

Acta Sci. Biol. Sci.

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Fruit colour is considered an important feature mediating interactions between plants and frugivorous birds. Despite that, colour mediated interactions are context-dependent, and habitat disturbances may affect how frugivorous birds perceive fruit colours. This study assessed the influence of fruit colour and edge effect on the consumption of artificial fruits by frugivorous birds in three disturbed semideciduous forests in southeastern Brazil. In each of those areas, we performed a field experiment in which we placed artificial fruits of three different colours on plants and recorded their consumption by birds. Red-coloured fruits were ingested more often than yellow, but neither of them was consumed differently from dark-blue. Edge effect only affected consumption of yellow fruits. Our data neither support the hypothesis of preferential consumption of the highest contrasting colours nor of increased fruit consumption in the forest interior. These findings indicate that colour and edge effects, as well as the interaction between them, may not be strong predictors of fruit choice by birds in disturbed environments, especially because generalist species, which are less sensitive to the physical alterations in forests, are favoured in these areas.

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Frog or Fruit? The Importance of Color and Shape to Bird Predators in Clay Model Experiments

Cited by 20 publications

References 47 publications

A different kind of ecological modelling: the use of clay model organisms to explore predator–prey interactions in vertebrates

A different kind of ecological modelling: the use of clay model organisms to explore predator–prey interactions in vertebrates

An experimental assessment of the antipredatory function of green dorsal coloration in poisonous Neotropical red‐bellied toads

<b>Fruit colour and edge effects poorly explains frugivorous bird-plant interactions in disturbed semideciduous forests

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