Collaborative Research: Fear, Death, and Life History Switch Points - Cumulative Effects of Phenotypic Plasticity and Predation across Three Life Stages

Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA

Investigators

Abstract

Many prey have plastic defenses that they use only when at risk of predation, otherwise saving the costs of defense. In some contexts, these plastic responses and their costs can have surprisingly large consequences both for individuals later in life and for population dynamics. In other contexts the lethal effects of predation matter much more. This collaborative project focuses on predator-induced plasticity in hatching and metamorphosis, two ecologically pivotal events that exemplify the life-stage transitions common among animals. The focal species, red-eyed treefrogs, hatch early to escape egg predators, metamorphose early in response to tadpole predators, and delay metamorphosis in response to predators of froglets. The project uses mathematical models and field experiments integrated across these three life stages to assess how environmental context shapes the relative importance of plastic responses to risk and direct predation for both population dynamics and individual fitness. This will advance understanding of population ecology, life history, and development, and strengthen links among these fields. It will directly support a postdoctoral researcher, 2-3 graduate students, and 6 undergraduate interns, and provide research opportunities for 15-20 more undergraduates. Students will gain cross-cultural experience and training in tropical field biology and ecology. Results will be broadly disseminated - the Principal Investigator's prior research has been widely reported in the popular media and in textbooks.