10.5061/DRYAD.TK273
Adelman, James S.
Iowa State University
Mayer, Corinne
Virginia Tech
Hawley, Dana M.
Virginia Tech
Data from: Infection reduces anti-predator behaviors in house finches
Dryad
dataset
2016
infectious disease
Mycoplasma
Haemorhous mexicanus
Mycoplasma gallisepticum
National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/021nxhr62
IOS-1054675
2016-09-23T15:09:34Z
2016-09-23T15:09:34Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.01058
20027 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Infectious diseases can cause host mortality through direct or indirect
mechanisms, including altered behavior. Diminished anti-predator behavior
is among the most-studied causes of indirect mortality during infection,
particularly for systems in which a parasite's life-cycle requires
transmission from prey to predator. Significantly less work has examined
whether directly-transmitted parasites and pathogens also reduce
anti-predator behaviors. Here we test whether the directly-transmitted
bacterial pathogen, Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), reduces responses to
predation-related stimuli in house finches Haemorhous mexicanus. MG causes
conjunctivitis and reduces survival among free-living finches, but rarely
causes mortality in captivity, suggesting a role for indirect mechanisms.
Wild-caught finches were individually housed in captivity and exposed to
the following treatments: 1) visual presence of a stuffed, mounted
predator (a Cooper's hawk Accipiter cooperii) or control object (a
vase or a stuffed, mounted mallard duck Anas platyrhynchos), 2)
vocalizations of the same predator and non-predator, 3) approach of a
researcher to enclosures, and 4) simulated predator attack (capture by
hand). MG infection reduced anti-predator responses during visual exposure
to a mounted predator and simulated predator attack, even for birds
without detectable visual obstruction from conjunctivitis. However, MG
infection did not significantly alter responses during human approach or
audio playback. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that
predation plays a role in MG-induced mortality in the wild, with reduced
locomotion, a common form of sickness behavior for many taxa, as a likely
mechanism. Our results therefore suggest that additional research on the
role of sickness behaviors in predation could prove illuminating.
Data on cage-side preference and latency to move in experiment 1Please see
README file for variable descriptions.Adelman et al JAB 2016 Exp 1
Preference and Latency 20160902.csvResponses to audio playback of predator
vs non-predatorPlease see README file for variable descriptions.Adelman et
al JAB 2016 Exp 1 Audio 20160902.csvData on time to capture during
infection among captive finchesPlease see README file for variable
descriptions.Adelman et al JAB Capture Speed Data 20160905.csv
North America