Exposure to predators reduces collective foraging aggressiveness and eliminates its relationship with colony personality composition

摘要: Predation is a ubiquitous threat that often plays central role in determining community dynamics. Predators can impact prey species by directly consuming them, or indirectly causing to modify their behavior. Direct consumption has classically been the focus of research on predator-prey interactions, but substantial evidence now demonstrates indirect effects predators populations are at least as strong as, if not stronger than, direct consumption. Social animals, particularly those live confined colonies, rely coordinated actions may be vulnerable presence predator, thus impacting society's productivity and survival. To examine effect behavior social animal societies, we observed collective foraging spider colonies (Stegodyphus dumicola) when they interact with dangerous predatory ants either directly, indirectly, both. We found were exposed ant cues, attacked approximately 40-50% fewer spiders, 40-90% slower than any predator cues. Furthermore, exposure disassociated well-documented positive relationship between colony behavioral composition (proportion bold spiders) aggressiveness (number attackers) S. dumicola, which vital for growth. Thus, limit success. These results suggest enemy could compromise organizational attributes societies.