| Title: | Parents know best: transgenerational predator recognition through parental effects |
| Author(s): | Atherton JA; McCormick MI; |
| Address: | "College of Science & Engineering, James Cook University of North Queensland, Townsville, Queensland, Australia. ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Townsville, Queensland, Australia" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2167-8359 (Print) 2167-8359 (Electronic) 2167-8359 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "In highly biodiverse systems, such as coral reefs, prey species are faced with predatory threats from numerous species. Recognition of predators can be innate, or learned, and can help increase the chance of survival. Research suggests that parental exposure to increased predatory threats can affect the development, behaviour, and ultimately, success of their offspring. Breeding pairs of damselfish (Acanthochromis polyacanthus) were subjected to one of three olfactory and visual treatments (predator, herbivore, or control), and their developing embryos were subsequently exposed to five different chemosensory cues. Offspring of parents assigned to the predator treatment exhibited a mean increase in heart rate two times greater than that of offspring from parents in herbivore or control treatments. This increased reaction to a parentally known predator odour suggests that predator-treated parents passed down relevant threat information to their offspring, via parental effects. This is the first time transgenerational recognition of a specific predator has been confirmed in any species. This phenomenon could influence predator-induced mortality rates and enable populations to adaptively respond to fluctuations in predator composition and environmental changes" |
| Keywords: | Alarm odours Antipredator behaviour Embryos Olfaction Parental effects Predator recognition; |
| Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINEAtherton, Jennifer A McCormick, Mark I eng 2020/07/01 PeerJ. 2020 Jun 18; 8:e9340. doi: 10.7717/peerj.9340. eCollection 2020" |
