Behaviour and conservation
Behavioural studies typically collect information on a species-by-species basis to solve specific conservation problems. There is little overarching theoretical application of behavioural principles to wildlife conservation. We are studying the anti-predator responses of tammar wallabies - a key trait that influences a population's persistence - to better understand how a fundamental understanding of behaviour can contribute to conservation programs. Our recent theoretical reviews consider ways in which behavioural work can address practical problems. A particular focus of this work has been development of techniques for inculcating adaptive reactions to introduced predators, such as the fox, in naive animals. Simple conditioning techniques are highly effective for this purpose: wallabies quickly learn about a fox model when it predicts a capture attempt by a human. The acquired fear response is specific to predators. Remarkably, this anti-predator behaviour is socially-transmitted; naive wallabies can learn to avoid the fox model simply by watching the behaviour of a trained companion.
Participants: Andrea Griffin & Chris Evans
Collaborators: Rob Harcourt & Dan Blumstein (University of California, Los Angeles)
Project details
Recent news articles: [Nature] [Nature science update] [New Scientist] [Macquarie University News]