What question did this study set out to answer?

To determine whether incubating female common eiders habituate or become sensitized to repeated nonlethal human disturbance, and to assess how intrinsic traits and extrinsic predation risks shape flight initiation distance.

December 14, 2024Animal BehaviourOpen Access

Habituation or sensitization? Short-term adjustment of flight initiation distance in incubating common eiders

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Authors

BMBertille MohringCentre National de la Recherche Scientifique FAFrédéric AngelierCentre National de la Recherche Scientifique KJKim JaatinenUniversity of Helsinki

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Implication

Field study uncovers state-dependent flight initiation distance adjustments in incubating common eiders, suggesting flexible antipredator behavioral plasticity under repeated nonlethal threats.

Key Points

To determine whether incubating female common eiders habituate or become sensitized to repeated nonlethal human disturbance, and to assess how intrinsic traits and extrinsic predation risks shape flight initiation distance.
Conducted repeated standardized human approaches toward incubating female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) to measure changes in flight initiation distance.
Assessed intrinsic maternal traits, including body condition, clutch size, and laying phenology.
Evaluated extrinsic environmental risk factors across breeding habitats, focusing on island-specific adult and nest predation risks.
Within-individual adjustments in flight initiation distance were modest in magnitude and varied markedly across individuals based on individual state and perceived risk.
Females in poorer body condition, those laying larger clutches, or those breeding earlier in the season exhibited increased sensitization, escaping at greater distances upon repeated approaches.
Females nesting on islands with elevated adult predation risk were less prone to sensitization, aligning with the risk allocation hypothesis.

Cite This Study

Mohring et al. (2024) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a7090dfe5469ee92be14687 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2024.11.008

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Implication

Field study uncovers state-dependent flight initiation distance adjustments in incubating common eiders, suggesting flexible antipredator behavioral plasticity under repeated nonlethal threats.

Habituation or sensitization? Short-term adjustment of flight initiation distance in incubating common eiders

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Habituation or sensitization? Short-term adjustment of flight initiation distance in incubating common eiders

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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