Adaptive significance of social familiarity in mites
Abstract
Information about the social environment is essential when individuals frequently interact with each other such as in group-living animals. Consequently, the ability to recognize familiar individuals is widespread in the animal kingdom but the adaptive value accruing from familiarity is only poorly documented. A possible explanation for the importance of familiarity in group-living animals is provided by limited attention theory. Limited attention theory predicts that the efficiency in a single task is reduced if animals have to simultaneously process information from several tasks. Therefore, in group-living animals assorting with familiar individuals may be adaptive if it allows to focus attention to other behaviors/tasks enhancing survival and reproduction. I here propose to investigate the adaptive significance of familiarity in the plant-inhabiting predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis in light of limited attention theory. Phytoseiulus persimilis is an ideal species for these investigations because it lives in groups and has recently been shown to discriminate familiar and unfamiliar conspecific individuals. I hypothesize that having familiar neighbors is adaptively advantageous for P. persimilis because familiar individuals require less attention, for example because of being less agonistic, than unfamiliar ones. Assorting with familiar individuals allows P. persimilis to target more attention to other behaviors/tasks and increases their efficiency in foraging and anti-predation behavior. Optimized foraging and anti-predation behaviors are reflected in enhanced life history components such as growth, developmental speed and reproductive output. In consequence, familiarity should lead to better coordinated patch exploitation, an optimized interplay between patch residence and patch-leaving tendencies, and finally enhanced local population growth. To the best of my knowledge, such a wide array of major behavioral activities and life history components of a terrestrial animal has never been looked at from the perspective of familiarity and limited attention theory.
keywords behavioral ecology
Publikationen
Die Auswirkung sozialer Vertrautheit auf das Gruppierungsverhalten der Raubmilbe Phytoseiulus persimilis
Autoren: Strodl, M. & Schausberger, P. Jahr: 2010
Journal articles
The influence of familiarity on grouping behavior of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis
Autoren: Strodl, M.A. & Schausberger, P. Jahr: 2010
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
The adaptive value of social familiarity in predatory mites.
Autoren: Schausberger, P. & Strodl, M.A. Jahr: 2010
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Social familiarity enhances antipredation success of Phytoseiulus persimilis threatened by the intraguild predator Amblyseius andersoni
Autoren: Strodl, M.A. and Schausberger, P. Jahr: 2011
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Social familiarity modulates group living and foraging behaviour of juvenile predatory mites.
Autoren: Strodl, MA; Schausberger, P; Jahr: 2012
Journal articles
Social familiarity optimizes prey patch exploitation and dispersal of the group-living predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis
Autoren: Zach, G.J., Peneder, S., Strodl, M.A., Schausberger, P. Jahr: 2012
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Social familiarity affects group-joining decisions of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis
Autoren: Muleta, M.G. & Schausberger, P. Jahr: 2012
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Social Familiarity Governs Prey Patch-Exploitation, - Leaving and Inter-Patch Distribution of the Group-Living Predatory Mite Phytoseiulus persimilis
Autoren: Zach, GJ; Peneder, S; Strodl, MA; Schausberger, P Jahr: 2012
Journal articles
Social Familiarity Reduces Reaction Times and Enhances Survival of Group-Living Predatory Mites under the Risk of Predation
Autoren: Strodl, MA; Schausberger, P Jahr: 2012
Journal articles
Social familiarity enhances antipredation success of Phytoseiulus persimilis threatened by the intraguild predator Amblyseius andersoni
Autoren: Strodl, M A; Schausberger, P Jahr: 2013
Journal articles
Learning by predatory mites in foraging contexts: implications for biological control
Autoren: Schausberger, P. Jahr: 2013
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Family affairs in predatory mites but who is family?
Autoren: Schausberger, P; Zach, GJ; Peneder, S; Muleta, MG; Strodl, MA Jahr: 2014
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Family affairs in predatory mites but who is family?
Autoren: Schausberger, P; Zach, GJ; Peneder, S; Muleta, MG; Strodl, MA Jahr: 2014
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract