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"What's for dinner?" Predator perception and cognition in the evolution of prey defences

Every day of their lives, animals are faced with the problem of finding prey and deciding what to eat. Prey have evolved strategies to avoid being detected, and if they are detected, to avoid being eaten. Although prey defences have long fascinated evolutionary biologists, we are only really starting to understand how the sensory and cognitive mechanisms of predators select for the rich complexity of anti-predator strategies that we see in nature. Challenges remain, particularly in terms of understanding the design of the defensive colour patterns, how conspicuous warning signals and chemical defences co-evolve, and what predators learn about their prey as they attempt to balance the costs and benefits of finding and eating different types of prey.

This symposium will bring together scientists who study different predator-avoidance strategies, such as the use of eye-spots, disruptive coloration, counter-shading, aposematism, and mimicry. Our aim is to discuss recent findings in a broad dietary context, where we consider the evolution of alternative defensive strategies in response to how predators search for and learn about prey in their environments.

The organisers of this session are Dr Candy Rowe (candy.rowe@ncl.ac.uk, Phone: 0044 191 2228671) and Dr John Skelhorn (john.skelhorn@ncl.ac.uk, Phone: 0044 191 2225248), at the Centre for Behaviour & Evolution, Newcastle University, Henry Wellcome Building, Framlington Place, Newcastle, NE2 4HH, UK

Confirmed contributors:

  • Marianne Aronsson (Stockholm, Sweden)
  • Innes Cuthill (Bristol, UK)
  • Alice Exernova (Prague, Czech Republic)
  • Christina Halpin (Newcastle, UK)
  • Johanna Mappes (Jyvaskyla, Finland)
  • Nicola Marples (Dublin, Eire)
  • Candy Rowe (Newcastle, UK)
  • John Skelhorn (Newcastle UK)
  • Martin Stevens (Cambridge UK)
  • Pavel Stys (Prague, Czech Republic)

Other possible contributors: Leena Lindstrom (Jyvaskyla, Finland), Sami Merilaita (Stockholm, Sweden), Mike Speed (Liverpool, UK), Graeme Ruxton (Glasgow, UK), Loys Richards-Hobbs (Cardiff, UK)