title: Exploiting interspecific olfactory communication to monitor predators.
abstract: Olfaction is the primary sense of many mammals and subordinate predators use this sense to detect dominant species, thereby reducing the risk of an encounter and facilitating coexistence. Chemical signals can act as repellents or attractants and may therefore have applications for wildlife management. We devised a field experiment to investigate whether dominant predator (ferret Mustela furo) body odor would alter the behavior of three common mesopredators: stoats (Mustela erminea), hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus), and ship rats (Rattus rattus). We predicted that apex predator odor would lead to increased detections, and our results support this hypothesis as predator kairomones (interspecific olfactory messages that benefit the receiver) provoked "eavesdropping" behavior by mesopredators. Stoats exhibited the most pronounced responses, with kairomones significantly increasing the number of observations and the time spent at a site, so that their occupancy estimates changed from rare to widespread. Behavioral responses to predator odors can therefore be exploited for conservation and this avenue of research has not yet been extensively explored. A long-life lure derived from apex predator kairomones could have practical value, especially when there are plentiful resources that reduce the efficiency of food-based lures. Our results have application for pest management in New Zealand and the technique of using kairomones to monitor predators could have applications for conservation efforts worldwide.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.|Landcare Research, Private Bag 92170, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Patrick M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Garvey
authors.affiliation: Landcare Research, Private Bag 92170, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Alistair S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Glen
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Mick N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Clout
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.|Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wakehurst Place, RH17 6TN, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sarah V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Wyse
authors.affiliation: Centre for Wildlife Management and Conservation, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nichols
authors.affiliation: Landcare Research, PO Box 69040, Lincoln, 7640, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Roger P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Pech
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D005260:Female; D005289:Ferrets / Q000502:physiology; D020387:Food Chain; D006364:Hedgehogs / Q000502:physiology*; D058865:Introduced Species; D008297:Male; D045969:Mustelidae / Q000502:physiology*; D009520:New Zealand; D009812:Odorants; D055696:Olfactory Perception; D010571:Pest Control / Q000379:methods*; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D051381:Rats / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: carnivore; conservation behavior; eavesdropping; interference competition; invasive species; monitoring; olfaction; pest management; pheromone; predator odor