Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The concept of the ‘landscape of fear’ assumes that animals perceive predation risk and adjust their behaviour to minimize it. If species share the same predator, the presence of one species displaying calm behaviour, may be perceived as a cue indicating a ‘landscape of safety’. We evaluated whether rodents (bank vole, Myodes glareolus, and yellow-necked mouse, Apodemus flavicollis) can detect landscapes of fear and safety, by using camera traps to monitor covered and uncovered feeders, and emitting sounds of a shared predator (tawny owl, Strix aluco) as well as a possible sentinel species (thrush nightingale, Luscinia luscinia). Additionally, we examined whether interspecific competition could have influenced the behaviour of both rodent species. We found that mouse visitation probability and the number of visits within each 1-hour period were lower at higher risk sites (uncovered feeders) than at safer sites (covered feeders), and the visitation probability was higher when sentinel species calls were played than when predator calls were emitted. Likewise, bank voles visited feeders more often on nights following sentinel species song being played than when predator calls were played on the previous night. The number of vole visitations was on average equal when nightingale song was played and when there was no sound, but was lower when tawny owl calls were played. Vole visitation probability decreased with the increasing number of past visits of a competitor (mouse) when the feeder was covered, but previous presence of a competitor had no effect on vole visitation probability at uncovered feeders. Voles visited feeders less as the number of previous visits of their competitor increased. These results imply that interactions within a community are often more complex than assumed, even if there are no apparent links between prey and sentinel species. Animals may perceive the landscape as continuously transitioning over time, ranging from one invoking fear, through neutral, and to a safe one and this continuous gradient may shape the behavior and distribution of individuals and species. We evaluated whether two rodent species respond to landscapes of fear and safety, created through the use of playback of predator calls (tawny owl) and the song of a possible sentinel species (thrush nightingale). We found that rodent foraging activity depended on the gradient of danger, neutral, and safety cues, but both species exhibited distinct responses, as the behavior of the subordinate species was influenced by the presence of the dominant competitor. Our results confirm that species may eavesdrop on other community members within the habitat and adjust their behavior in response to direct cues of landscape safety.
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,590
OpenAlex ID: W7160708027