Data from: Prey responses to foxes are not determined by nativeness
Data files
Jan 08, 2024 version files 49.32 KB
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Behaviour_data.csv
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Consumption_data.csv
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README.md
Abstract
Introduced predators are thought to be responsible for the decline and extinction of their native prey. The prey naivety hypothesis provides a mechanism for these declines, suggesting that native prey are vulnerable to introduced predators as their coevolutionary history is insufficiently long for antipredator behaviours to fully develop. The prey naivety hypothesis thus predicts that prey will be less responsive to introduced predators than to native predators. Australia’s endemic small mammals are thought to be vulnerable to predation by red foxes because they are less responsive to – or naive to – a predator with whom they have only co-occurred since the 19th century. To test whether nativeness determines antipredator behaviours we compared small mammal behavioural responses to fox scent outside (Australia) and inside the foxes’ native range (North America and Israel). We conducted giving-up density experiments in the deserts of these three regions and evaluated small mammal anti-predator responses to fox scent. To place these results in a broader context, we then integrated our results into a meta-analysis of studies assessing prey responsiveness to fox scent. All small mammals similarly increased their vigilance in response to fox scent, regardless of their coevolutionary history with foxes. Australian small mammals responded with greater wariness to fox scent, by decreasing time at food patches in response to fox scent more than Israeli and American small mammals did. However, we found no evidence that this behaviour influenced foraging as nut consumption was unaffected. Our meta-analysis revealed that globally, small mammals respond with similar wariness to fox scent regardless of whether foxes are their native predator. We found no evidence that Australian small mammals respond in a maladaptive manner, compared to the foxes’ native prey. Our results suggest that animals can develop antipredator behaviours to introduced predators to the same magnitude as native prey.
README
This README file for dataset Data from: "Prey responses to foxes are not determined by nativeness" was generated on 2023-12-12 by Eamonn Wooster
GENERAL INFORMATION
1. Title of Dataset: Data from: Prey responses to foxes are not determined by nativeness
2. Corresponding Author Information
Name: Eamonn Wooster
3. Date of data collection (single date, range, approximate date): 2018-2020
4. Geographic location of data collection: Death Valley, USA. Arava, Isreal. Simpson and Painted Deserts, Australia.
5. Information about funding sources that supported the collection of the data: ARC DP180100272
SHARING/ACCESS INFORMATION
1. Licenses/restrictions placed on the data:
2. Links to publications that cite or use the data: DOI:10.1111/ecog.07031
3. Links to other publicly accessible locations of the data: NA
4. Links/relationships to ancillary data sets: NA
5. Was data derived from another source? Wallach, Arian D., et al. "Savviness of prey to introduced predators." Conservation Biology 37.2 (2023): e14012.
6. Recommended citation for this dataset: Cite the paper.
DATA & FILE OVERVIEW
1. File List:
Behaviour_data.csv - all behavioural variables included in the paper.
Consumption_data.csv - data on peanut consumption at foraging trays.
METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION
1. Description of methods used for collection/generation of data:
All data were collected form camera trapping and foraging tray experiments. Read the full paper for details.
2. Methods for processing the data:
Read the full paper for details.
3. Instrument- or software-specific information needed to interpret the data: N/A
4. Standards and calibration information, if appropriate: NA
5. Environmental/experimental conditions: NA
6. Describe any quality-assurance procedures performed on the data: NA
7. People involved with sample collection, processing, analysis and/or submission: All authors
DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR: Behaviour_data.csv
1. Number of variables: 10
2. Number of cases/rows: 364
3. Variable List:
Site: Study site
TrayID: Foraging tray identification number
Region: Country of study site
Scent_trt: fox scent or control scent
Nativness: Is the fox introduced or native to the study site
Genus: the genus of the small mammal
Variable: the behavioural variable
Control: Proportion of time spent in behaviour across the control periods, prior to scent application
Experiment: Proportion of time spent in behaviour across the experimental periods, after to the addition of scent
Diff: Difference between control and experiment
DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR: Consumption_data.csv
1. Number of variables: 8
2. Number of cases/rows: 150
3. Variable List:
Site: Study site
TrayID: Foraging tray identification number
Region: Country of study site
Scent_trt: fox scent or control scent
Nativeness: Is the fox introduced or native to the study site
Control: Proportion of nuts consumed across the control periods, prior to scent application
Experiment: Proportion of nuts consumed across the experimental periods, after to the addition of scent
Diff: Difference between control and experiment