Class
Article
Department
Psychology Department
Faculty Mentor
Amy Odum
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
Over the past several decades, coyotes (Canis latrans) have expanded substantially across a range of habitats. Consequently, coyote expansion into urban and rural areas has led to increased conflicts with humans. The success of coyote expansion across habitats is often attributed to their ability to flexibly adapt to changes in their environment. Our study is designed to examine how coyotes adapt their foraging strategy under predation risk as an aspect of their behavior that could contribute to their successful expansion across habitats. To quantify foraging strategy, we are using the matching law to characterize choices between two food sources. The matching law was developed from the basic behavioral laboratory and states that the ratio of choices between two food sources matches the ratio of food obtained from those sources. For example, if we deliver twice as much food at Option A than at Option B, we would expect coyotes to choose Option A twice as often as Option B, an outcome known as perfect matching. Deviations from perfect matching can indicate how and to what degree animals change their foraging strategy in response to changes in their environment (e.g., the introduction of a predator). There is strong evidence that coyotes are responsive to predation risk by wolves; however, it is unclear how and to what degree predation risk by wolves influences coyote foraging behavior. Therefore, we are simulating wolf predation risk using a wolf dummy scented with wolf urine to examine whether the wolf cues will induce changes in foraging strategy among captive coyotes. Data collection is still in progress; however, based on prior research, we expect that the introduction of wolf cues (i.e., simulated predation risk) will bias coyotes away from rich food sources. Presentation Time: Thursday, 12-1 p.m.
Location
Logan, UT
Start Date
4-12-2021 12:00 AM
Included in
The Influence of Predation Risk on Coyote Behavior: An Application of the Matching Law
Logan, UT
Over the past several decades, coyotes (Canis latrans) have expanded substantially across a range of habitats. Consequently, coyote expansion into urban and rural areas has led to increased conflicts with humans. The success of coyote expansion across habitats is often attributed to their ability to flexibly adapt to changes in their environment. Our study is designed to examine how coyotes adapt their foraging strategy under predation risk as an aspect of their behavior that could contribute to their successful expansion across habitats. To quantify foraging strategy, we are using the matching law to characterize choices between two food sources. The matching law was developed from the basic behavioral laboratory and states that the ratio of choices between two food sources matches the ratio of food obtained from those sources. For example, if we deliver twice as much food at Option A than at Option B, we would expect coyotes to choose Option A twice as often as Option B, an outcome known as perfect matching. Deviations from perfect matching can indicate how and to what degree animals change their foraging strategy in response to changes in their environment (e.g., the introduction of a predator). There is strong evidence that coyotes are responsive to predation risk by wolves; however, it is unclear how and to what degree predation risk by wolves influences coyote foraging behavior. Therefore, we are simulating wolf predation risk using a wolf dummy scented with wolf urine to examine whether the wolf cues will induce changes in foraging strategy among captive coyotes. Data collection is still in progress; however, based on prior research, we expect that the introduction of wolf cues (i.e., simulated predation risk) will bias coyotes away from rich food sources. Presentation Time: Thursday, 12-1 p.m.