DOI: 10.5061/dryad.prr4xgxtr
title: Predator metamorphosis and its consequence for prey risk assessment

description: Living with a diverse array of predators provides a significant challenge
 for prey to learn and retain information about each predator they
 encounter. Consequently, some prey respond to novel predators because they
 have previous experience with a perceptually similar predator species, a
 phenomenon known as generalization of predator recognition. However, it
 remains unknown whether prey can generalize learned responses across
 ontogenetic stages of predators. Using wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)
 tadpole prey we conducted two experiments to explore the extent of
 predator generalization of different life stages of two different
 predators: (1) predacious diving beetles (Dytiscus sp.) and (2) tiger
 salamanders (Ambystoma mavortium). In both experiments, we used chemical
 alarm cues (i.e., injured conspecific cues) to condition tadpoles to
 recognize the odor of either the larval or adult stage of the predator as
 risky. One day later, we tested tadpoles with either the larval or adult
 predator odor to determine whether they generalized their learned
 responses to the other life stages of the predator. Tadpoles generalized
 between larval and adult beetle odors but failed to generalize between
 larval and adult salamander odors. These results suggest that the odor of
 some predator species changes during metamorphosis to an extent that
 reduces their recognisability by prey. This ‘predator identity reset’
 increases the number of threats to which prey need to attend. 
description: # Predator metamorphosis and its consequence for prey risk assessment
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.prr4xgxtr](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.prr4xgxtr) Data provided here show the difference in antipredator response of wood frog tadpoles when tested with different ontogenetic stages of diving beetles and adult salamanders. Tadpoles learned to recognize both adult and larval beetles as risky after being conditioned to recognize one stage or the other. When conditioned to learn either larval or adult salamanders as risky, tadpoles showed antipredator response to only that life stage. ## Description of the data and file structure The file has two sheets. The first sheet is for experiment 1, where we evaluated beetle odor generalization between two ontogenetic stages by tadpoles. The second sheet is for experiment 2, where we evaluated salamander odor generalization between two ontogenetic stages by tadpoles. You will find similar columns in both of the sheets.\ The columns are as follows: * Column A: Pail is where the tadpoles were conditioned to learn a predator odor * Column B: Clutch is used to identify the egg mass from which an individual tadpole was hatched * Column C: Treatment represents the odor/water with which tadpoles were conditioned with to learn it as risky * Column D: Cue is the odor/water that was used for testing tadpoles' response * Column E: Pre represents the number of lines crossed by tadpoles before the test cue exposure during the testing phase * Column F: Post represents the number of lines crossed by tadpoles after the test cue exposure during the testing phase * Column G: Change is the difference between Pre and Post.