Temporal dynamics of information use in learning and retention of predator-related information in tadpoles

Due to the high variability in predation risk through space and time, prey have to continuously update information about the risk level posed by predators. Despite numerous studies focusing on temporal risk assessment, we know very little about how individuals deal with information regarding changes in risk level of a given predator through time. In this study, we conditioned tadpoles to recognize a predator as a high or low risk twice 2 weeks apart, in a 2 × 2 design. We tested the responses of the tadpoles 1 and 11 days after each conditioning event. Prey showed responses to the predator 1 day after the first conditioning, but the low-risk group failed to respond to the predator after 11 days. However, we found that information learned during the first conditioning affected the response to the predator after the second conditioning, indicating that prey do not ‘forget’ old information, but simply ignore it. Moreover, tadpoles were able to assess their change in vulnerability over the 2-week period and further extrapolate the risk level of the predator through time to display adaptive threat-sensitive antipredator responses. Our study highlights the complex decision-making that prey use to assess temporal fluctuation in predation risk.