#735 Daniel Blumstein: Predator-Prey Research, Antipredator Behavior, and Conservationism
RECORDED ON OCTOBER 31st 2022.
Dr. Daniel Blumstein is a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Professor at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. He is a behavioral ecologist broadly interested in the evolution of behavior and the application of behavioral and evolutionary principles to policy, health, and defense. He has studied the behavior and ecology of mammals (including humans), birds, fish, lizards, hermit crabs, and sea anemone, and runs the 50+ year project studying the behavioral and evolutionary ecology of yellow-bellied marmots at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado. He is the author of books like A Primer of Conservation Behavior, The Failure of Environmental Education (And How We Can Fix It), and The Nature of Fear: Survival Lessons from the Wild.
In this episode, we talk about predator-prey research. We get first into antipredator behavior, and how it influences sociality, and we talk specifically about alarm calling and escape strategies. We then talk about arms races between predators and prey, and the sociality of predator species. Finally, we discuss how knowledge about animal behavior, with a focus on antipredator behavior, might play a role in the conservation of species.
Time Links:
Intro
Predator-prey research
Antipredator behavior
How antipredator behavior influences sociality
Alarm calling, and escape strategies
Arms-races between predators and prey
The sociality of predator species
Behavioral ecology, antipredator behaviors, and conservationism
Follow Dr. Blumstein’s work!
Follow Dr. Blumstein’s work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/3zJlppN
Blumstein Lab: https://bit.ly/3Bf4Tgf
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/39CO59d
The Nature of Fear: https://amzn.to/3DJXOXA
Amazon page: https://amzn.to/3LeCgo7