Blundell, Jacqueline J.

Preisser, Evan L

English

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University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Biological Sciences Faculty Publications Biological Sciences 2020 Editorial: Integrating Predation Risk Across Scales: from Neurons to Ecosystems and Milliseconds to Generations Jacqueline J. Blundell Evan L. Preisser University of Rhode Island, preisser@uri.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/bio_facpubs Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Citation/Publisher Attribution Blundell JJ and Preisser EL (2020) Editorial: Integrating Predation Risk Across Scales: from Neurons to Ecosystems and Milliseconds to Generations. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 14:42. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00042 Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00042 This Editorial is brought to you for free and open access by the Biological Sciences at DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Biological Sciences Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@etal.uri.edu. EDITORIALpublished: 31 March 2020doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00042Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 1 March 2020 | Volume 14 | Article 42Edited and reviewed by:Nuno Sousa,University of Minho, Portugal*Correspondence:Evan L. Preisserpreisser@uri.eduSpecialty section:This article was submitted toEmotion Regulation and Processing,a section of the journalFrontiers in Behavioral NeuroscienceReceived: 07 March 2020Accepted: 12 March 2020Published: 31 March 2020Citation:Blundell JJ and Preisser EL (2020)Editorial: Integrating Predation RiskAcross Scales: From Neurons toEcosystems and Milliseconds toGenerations.Front. Behav. Neurosci. 14:42.doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00042Editorial: Integrating Predation RiskAcross Scales: from Neurons toEcosystems and Milliseconds toGenerationsJacqueline J. Blundell 1 and Evan L. Preisser 2*1Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada, 2Department of BiologicalSciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United StatesKeywords: predation risk, predator, prey, defense, fearEditorial on the Research TopicIntegrating Predation Risk Across Scales: from Neurons to Ecosystems and Millisecondsto GenerationsThis editorial review of the Research Topic “Integrating predation risk across scales: from neuronsto ecosystems and milliseconds to generations” explores prey responses to predation risk froman array of different perspectives. It includes work from neurobiologists, ecologists, and otherdisciplines interested in predator-prey interactions at varying spatial and temporal scales. Takentogether, the 15 papers in this Research Topic represent an attempt to synthesize work acrossdisciplines in search of intellectual synergies and new avenues of research collaboration.ECOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO PREDATION RISK: ORIGINALRESEARCHPapers by Madin et al. and Atwood et al. report on research addressing the phenomena of coralreef “halos,” zones of unvegetated seafloor surrounding coral reef patches. These patches have longbeen thought to result from herbivorous fish seeking shelter from predators within reef cracks andcrevices; they only feed on vegetation growing near the coral because foraging too far from sheltermight expose them to predators. Madin et al. report that coral reef halos found in the Great BarrierReef result from both prey fear and the action of bioturbators, sediment-dwelling organisms thatchurn up the seafloor and affect algal settlement. Atwood et al. conducted complementary researchconfirming the importance of predation risk in changing algal grazing rates and demonstrating thatthese changes decrease sedimentary carbon storage within the reef halos.Both Chizzola et al. and Bleicher et al. describe work exploring the “landscape of fear” interrestrial systems. Fear of lions has long been thought to shape the habitat choices and foragingdecisions of many herbivorous mammals; Chizzola et al. combine behavioral, physiological, andisotopic information to reveal the highly dynamic and scale-dependent responses of wildebeestand impala to this fearsome threat. At a smaller spatial scale, Bleicher et al. explore how desertrodents on two continents respond to the common threat of owls and snakes, two dangerous butvery different predators. They found that the two rodent communities differ in their assessment ofwhich predator is the most threatening and discuss how local environments can profoundly shapeprey responses.The special feature also contains several articles exploring the impact of risk on individuals.First, Trakimas et al. discuss the connections between development rate and physiological stress inthe cricket Gryllus integer. They found that slow-developing crickets had higher resting metabolicBlundell and Preisser Integrating Predation Risk Across Scalesrates than fast-developing ones, presumably reflecting theenergetic costs associated with a higher resting metabolism. Theyalso resumed activity faster following a stressor than did fastdevelopers, a relationship that may translate into higher foragingrates. Second, Baranowski and Preisser report the results of worktesting the impact of predation risk on the survival of lunamoth (Actias luna) larvae. They found that caterpillars exposedto a threatening but non-lethal predator (a wasp with its jawsand stinger immobilized) would “freeze” in place, stop feeding,and die at a higher rate than larvae exposed to a similarly-sized but harmless fly. Finally, Eason et al. describe fascinatingwork addressing how threat type and refuge availability affect thetrajectory of fleeing Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis).Briefly, they found that squirrels preferred not to run to refuges(trees) that were directly behind them and would actually runtoward threats to reach a tree in front of them.ECOLOGICAL RESPONSES TOPREDATION RISK: LITERATURE REVIEWSThe Research Topic includes two large-scale reviews of differentecological processes that affect predator-prey interactions. Inthe first, Weiss summarizes our current understanding of howDaphnia, a crustacean that is a model system for both ecologyand evolutionary biology, detect and avoid predators. In additionto defending themselves against predators, Daphnia exposed topredator cues can produce offspring with spines and “helmets”that make them more difficult for predators to subdue andconsume. The review traces response from the initial cues tothe underlying neurophysiological mechanisms that structureprey responses, providing a concise overview of the molecularmechanisms underlying both short- and long-term phenotypicadaptation. In the second, Draper and Weissburg provide areview and synthesis of the impact of global warming andincreased CO2 levels on the sensory ecology of predator-preyinteractions. Both factors affect multiple parts of the predator-prey encounter sequence, including the ability of predators todetect prey and the ability of prey to flee approaching predators.Although cue production, transmission, and reception will beglobally affected by such large-scale environmental changes, theyhighlight the fact that aquatic predator-prey interactions may bedisproportionately sensitive to these disruptions. Altered CO2levels are likely to have especially strong effects in marine systemsdue to ocean acidification, which can change Ph levels sufficientlyto make the calcium-based shells of prey difficult or impossibleto produce.NEUROBIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TOPREDATION RISK: ORIGINAL RESEARCHMoths and other night-flying prey are often targeted by bats thatuse ultrasonic calls to detect and help capture them. As a result,many moths possess tympanic organs capable of detecting batsonar. Cinel and Taylor explored how chronic exposure to batcalls affected transcription in fall armyworms (Spodoptera exigua)that were either continuously exposed to foraging and attack callsor held in silence. The 290 transcripts they found either up-or down-regulated were involved in a broad range of cellularfunctions, information that lays the foundation for researchaddressing how these changes affect insect physiology, behavior,and demography. Working in a very different system, Tonget al. report on how testosterone affects both mouse fear andphysiology. Exposing male mice to this chemical reduced theirinnate fear of predator cues (cat urine) when allowed to explorepotentially risky habitats. In a complementary experiment, theyalso found that testosterone produced hypomethylation of thepromoter region of the arginine vasopressin gene. The lattercompound plays a key role in socio-sexual behavior; theysuggest that testosterone-induced reductions in fear occur viamanipulations of the trade-off between fear (reduced activity)and social/sexual interactions (increased activity).NEUROBIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TOPREDATION RISK: LITERATURE REVIEWSRecent technical advances in neurobiology have revolutionizedour understanding of how predators and prey detect and respondto each other. This progress has heightened our appreciationfor the role of the periaqueductal gray (PAG) in modulatingsuch interactions; Franklin provides a cogent assessment ofour current understanding. Work in rodent model systemsdemonstrates the role of the rostrolateral PAG in huntingbehaviors and how the dorsal-ventral and rostral-caudal axes ofthe PAG differ in their impact on defensive behavior. The factthat brain imagining work in humans shows threat-induced PAGactivity suggests that large portions of PAG function are likelyconserved across an array of mammalian species.The amygdala, and the basolateral neurons within it, alsoplay a critical role in detecting and responding to predatorcues; Mitra reviews the role of these neurons and how theychange in response to predator odors. While neurons in thebasolateral amygdala respond quickly to risk cues, continuedexposure to stress-related hormones can change them in waysthat also facilitate rapid endocrine responses to future stressors.Current evidence suggests that the basolateral amygdala plays animportant role in risk-related activities across multiple taxa, andthat it may be generally responsible for anticipatory defensivebehaviors in threatening situations.Fear generalization is an adaptive process that promotessurvival in complex and dynamic environments. In theirreview, Asok et al. explore the behavioral, neural, genetic,and biochemical mechanisms involved in this process. Asfear generalization is a hallmark of many anxiety and stress-related disorders (such as posttraumatic stress disorder, PTSD),Asok et al. highlights the importance of sex differencesand remote timescales in rodent models to improve thedialogue between human and animal studies. Factors thatcontribute to PTSD were also considered in the reviewby Bhattacharya et al. Recent research in both humansand animals suggests that experience of the parent mayinfluence its offspring. Bhattacharya et al. review studiesin both humans with PTSD and laboratory predator stressmodels of PTSD that suggest changes to DNA methylationmay underlie the generational effects of trauma transmission.Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 2 March 2020 | Volume 14 | Article 42Blundell and Preisser Integrating Predation Risk Across ScalesBoth Asok et al., and Bhattacharya et al., argue that adeeper understanding of the mechanisms that promote stress-induced psychopathology will accelerate the development ofeffective therapeutics.AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONSAll authors listed have made a substantial, direct and intellectualcontribution to the work, and approved it for publication.Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in theabsence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as apotential conflict of interest.Copyright © 2020 Blundell and Preisser. This is an open-access article distributedunder the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). Theuse, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided theoriginal author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the originalpublication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice.No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with theseterms.Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience | www.frontiersin.org 3 March 2020 | Volume 14 | Article 42

Editorial: Integrating Predation Risk Across Scales: from Neurons to Ecosystems and Milliseconds to Generations

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Editorial: Integrating Predation Risk Across Scales: from Neurons to Ecosystems and Milliseconds to Generations

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