Temporary Translocation of Entire Mistletoe Plants to Understand the Mechanistic Basis of Animal Foraging Decisions.

Cook, M; Leigh, A; Watson, DM

Temporary Translocation of Entire Mistletoe Plants to Understand the Mechanistic Basis of Animal Foraging Decisions.

Cook, M Leigh, A

Watson, DM

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Publisher:: JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: J Vis Exp, 2022, 2022, (183)
Issue Date:: 2022-05-10

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Cook, M
dc.contributor.author	Leigh, A https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3568-2606
dc.contributor.author	Watson, DM
dc.date.accessioned	2023-04-17T00:34:50Z
dc.date.available	2023-04-17T00:34:50Z
dc.date.issued	2022-05-10
dc.identifier.citation	J Vis Exp, 2022, 2022, (183)
dc.identifier.issn	1940-087X
dc.identifier.issn	1940-087X
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/169834
dc.description.abstract	Fruiting mistletoes present a model system for understanding decisions made by foraging animals when locating food. Where, when, and how animals find food is central to many ecological questions, relating to the basis of individual foraging decisions and the extent to which these decisions are innate or acquired. Ecologists have paid particular attention to frugivores, quantifying their preference for fruits with specific shapes, colors, or scents, which, over evolutionary time, confer selection for suites of traits in their favored plants whose seeds they disperse. This work outlines a novel experimental approach to manipulating food plant occurrence and measuring the response of wild, free-living animals, ideally suited to studying the evolutionary origin and ecological maintenance of seed dispersal. This "cut and paste" protocol involves removing an entire fruiting mistletoe plant from its host and either returning it to its original location or moving it to a novel location, affixing it to a 'pseudo-host' of the same or different tree species. By counting visits to the mistletoe and noting the duration, species, and behaviors, a series of comparisons can discern the most important factors affecting foraging decisions and the consequences for both plant and animal. Here, the protocol is illustrated with a case study to determine between-guild differences in mistletoe frugivory. The experimental approach teases apart the mechanistic basis of search image formation and refinement, spatial learning, interspecific differences in foraging strategies, and how these changes modify seed dispersal effectiveness. Finally, potential modifications are considered with respect to addressing other questions on foraging ecology, plant-animal interactions, and coevolution.
dc.format	Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS
dc.relation	University of Technology Sydney
dc.relation.ispartof	J Vis Exp
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.3791/63201
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess
dc.subject	0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology, 1701 Psychology, 1702 Cognitive Sciences
dc.subject.mesh	Animals
dc.subject.mesh	Behavior, Animal
dc.subject.mesh	Fruit
dc.subject.mesh	Mistletoe
dc.subject.mesh	Seed Dispersal
dc.subject.mesh	Seeds
dc.subject.mesh	Animals
dc.subject.mesh	Mistletoe
dc.subject.mesh	Fruit
dc.subject.mesh	Seeds
dc.subject.mesh	Behavior, Animal
dc.subject.mesh	Seed Dispersal
dc.subject.mesh	Animals
dc.subject.mesh	Behavior, Animal
dc.subject.mesh	Fruit
dc.subject.mesh	Mistletoe
dc.subject.mesh	Seed Dispersal
dc.subject.mesh	Seeds
dc.title	Temporary Translocation of Entire Mistletoe Plants to Understand the Mechanistic Basis of Animal Foraging Decisions.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	2022
utslib.location.activity	United States
utslib.for	0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology
utslib.for	1701 Psychology
utslib.for	1702 Cognitive Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
utslib.copyright.embargo	2024-05-10T00:00:00+1000Z
dc.date.updated	2023-04-17T00:34:47Z
pubs.issue	183
pubs.publication-status	Published online
pubs.volume	2022
utslib.citation.issue	183

Abstract:

Fruiting mistletoes present a model system for understanding decisions made by foraging animals when locating food. Where, when, and how animals find food is central to many ecological questions, relating to the basis of individual foraging decisions and the extent to which these decisions are innate or acquired. Ecologists have paid particular attention to frugivores, quantifying their preference for fruits with specific shapes, colors, or scents, which, over evolutionary time, confer selection for suites of traits in their favored plants whose seeds they disperse. This work outlines a novel experimental approach to manipulating food plant occurrence and measuring the response of wild, free-living animals, ideally suited to studying the evolutionary origin and ecological maintenance of seed dispersal. This "cut and paste" protocol involves removing an entire fruiting mistletoe plant from its host and either returning it to its original location or moving it to a novel location, affixing it to a 'pseudo-host' of the same or different tree species. By counting visits to the mistletoe and noting the duration, species, and behaviors, a series of comparisons can discern the most important factors affecting foraging decisions and the consequences for both plant and animal. Here, the protocol is illustrated with a case study to determine between-guild differences in mistletoe frugivory. The experimental approach teases apart the mechanistic basis of search image formation and refinement, spatial learning, interspecific differences in foraging strategies, and how these changes modify seed dispersal effectiveness. Finally, potential modifications are considered with respect to addressing other questions on foraging ecology, plant-animal interactions, and coevolution.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/169834