Sex‐specific antipredator response to auditory cues in the black spiny‐tailed iguana

Abstract

The selective pressures exerted by predation can have considerable influence on the behavior of prey species across a wide range of taxa. Within a species, this force may differ between the sexes, leading to sex‐specific behavioral responses to predators. We tested whether the black spiny‐tailed iguana Ctenosaura similis is able to use auditory cues to detect an avian predator and whether antipredator responses differ in a sex‐dependent fashion. We conducted behavioral assays in which a food item was used as bait while iguanas were subjected to a recording of a Harris's hawk or white noise as a control. We found that a significantly greater percentage of individuals of either sex responded to the hawk call than to the white noise. We also found that a significantly greater percentage of females than males responded to either sound. These results suggest that not only do black spiny‐tailed iguanas incorporate auditory cues into predator detection, but that antipredator behavioral responses differ between the sexes as well. Such sex‐specific behaviors can be attributed to morphological and endocrine differences between male and female iguanas. These findings may also lend insight into how behavior can influence the evolution of sexual dimorphism within a species.

Female response to predation risk alters conspecific male behaviour during pre‐copulatory mate guarding

“…A sex‐related difference in vulnerability to predators during mating can cause sexual conflict. Our results indicate that differential selective pressures on predation avoidance result in sex‐dependent responses to predation risk, as reported in various organisms (Bernal et al., ; Curlis et al., ; Han et al., ; Hazlett & Rittschof, ; Magurran & Nowak, ; Wormington & Juliano, ). If sex‐dependent responses mitigate the sex's vulnerability to predators, such sexual conflict could be resolved.…”

“…Differential vulnerability to predators between the sexes likely leads to sex‐dependent behavioural responses to predation risk (Bernal et al., ; Curlis et al., ; Han et al., ; Hazlett & Rittschof, ; Magurran & Nowak, ; Wormington & Juliano, ). Furthermore, sex‐dependent responses can alter the behaviour of the opposite sex (Dill et al., ; Evans et al., ; Su & Li, ), even in organisms in which males employ pre‐copulatory mate guarding (the present study).…”

“…Although many studies showed that both sexes change behaviour in response to predation risk (Acharya & McNeil, ; Koga, Backwell, Jennions, & Christy, ; Mathis & Hoback, ; Sih, Krupa, & Travers, ), this is not always the case. Examples have been described where the behavioural responses to predation risk are sex‐dependent (Bernal, Rand, & Ryan, ; Curlis, Macklem, Davis, & Cox, ; Han, Jablonski, & Brooks, ; Hazlett & Rittschof, ; Magurran & Nowak, ; Wormington & Juliano, ). In many organisms, one sex is more vulnerable to predators than the other sex while mating (Kojima, Sugiura, Makihara, Ishikawa, & Takanashi, ; Raghuram, Deb, Nandi, & Balakrishnan, ; Su & Li, ).…”

Does sex matter? Gender‐specific responses to forest fragmentation in Neotropical bats

“…), anti‐predator‐behavior ( e.g ., Curlis et al . ), habitat selection ( e.g ., Penado et al . ), and physiological responses to stress levels ( e.g ., Small & Schoech ).…”

“…Accounting for differences between sexes in the evaluation of animal responses to anthropogenic pressures is important as males and females may differ, sometimes greatly, in key features of their biology such as parental care (e.g., Lucass et al 2016), anti-predator-behavior (e.g., Curlis et al 2016), habitat selection (e.g., Penado et al 2015), and physiological responses to stress levels (e.g., Small & Schoech 2015). These dissimilarities can translate into differential susceptibility to fragmentation between sexes and consequently result in locally skewed sex ratios, potentially leading to greater extinction risks (Le Galliard et al 2005, Melbourne & Hastings 2008.…”