Nonlethal effects of predation: Presence of insectivorous birds affects the behaviour and level of stress in insects

Abstract

Insect exposure to their predators can affect individuals and community processes, through direct consumption or nonlethal (i.e., nonconsumptive) effects. However, the links between behavioural and physiological responses and stimuli needed for development of the fear are not clear. We therefore subjected the desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria) to three nonlethal treatments, using the great tits (Parus major) as a potential predator. The treatments involved: (1) bird - presence of a live great tit and its calls, (2) call - great tit calls only, (3) control - without any treatment. In the first behavioural laboratory experiment, hungry locusts were kept in an experimental cage with a shelter and food on opposite sides of the cage. The duration of hiding and feeding were considered as an indicator of fear responses. In the second laboratory experiment with the same three treatments, levels of the adipokinetic hormone (AKH) were evaluated in the central nervous system (CNS) and haemolymph. In the third experiment in an outdoor aviary, birds were free to fly in larger distances from locusts, before hormone levels were measured as response to bird and control treatments. In the first behavioural experiment, the presence of tits and their call resulted in significantly longer hiding time and significantly shorter feeding time than in the call/control treatments. The proximity of birds and locusts in the laboratory experiment elicited a significant increase in the AKH levels in the CNS and haemolymph as compared to the call/control treatments. In the outdoor experiment, the AKH levels were significantly higher in the CNS of locusts exposed to the bird than to control; no difference was recorded in their haemolymph. We showed that predator exposure quickly affected behavioural responses and physiological processes of locusts. Playback of the avian calls was not an appropriate stimulus to induce stress responses in desert locusts.