Unck et al 2009 - evidence for function adaptation to survival

Question 1

What was the study species?

Answer 1

cape ground squirrels

Question 2

what did they look at

Answer 2

affects of predation risk

Question 3

what does evidence indicate about how individuals perceive environmental threat?

Answer 3

both social conditions and predator risk influence this

Question 4

what is the risk allocation hypothesis?

Answer 4

considers how individuals respond to predation risk over time by adapting their investment in high quality or low quality vigilance

Question 5

what did they do?

Answer 5

measured vigilance time according to - age, sex, distance to a safe refuge, distance from a nearest neighbour, predator risk

Question 6

what did unck et al 2009 find?

Answer 6

individuals were more vigilant in areas with more potential predators and when they were further from a safe refuge or nearest neighbour.

Individuals in high predation risk areas invested more time in high cost vigilance behaviour than in low cost vigilance / foraging behaviour campared with individuals in low predation risk areas