It is crucial for prey to be able to learn to discriminate between predators and non-predators. While this task can be challenging and dangerous for prey animals, it appears that amphibian embryos have found a way to get a head start on their homework.
The present study indicates that woodfrogs can learn to distinguish their future predators from their future non-predators while still in the egg. Woodfrog embryos repeatedly exposed to a novel odour (salamander odour) without any reinforcement are subsequently unable to label this odour as threatening.
This mechanism, known as latent inhibition, is likely useful at limiting the number of stimuli mistakenly recognized as potentially dangerous by prey.
Royal Society Journal Biology Letters
Biology Letters publishes short, innovative and cutting-edge research articles and opinion pieces accessible to scientists from across the biological sciences. The journal is characterised by stringent peer-review, rapid publication and broad dissemination of succinct high-quality research communications.
Biology Letters
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