Abstract

DINIZ, Ivone Rezende  and  MORAIS, Helena Castanheira de. Learning and efficiency of predation: a teaching approach. Rev. etol. [online]. 2005, vol.7, n.2, pp. 79-82. ISSN 1517-2805.

Experiments were designed to investigate the effect of the experience on the efficiency of predation by using as “predators” students and lecturers of University of Brasília, Brazil. The preys were the external folivorous lepidopteran larvae, exposed or inside shelters on plants in the cerrado vegetation. The predators were classified in three groups: 1. Naive - students without experience; 2. Varied experience - including students from the third to the last semester; 3. Experienced - lecturers and students that have had worked with caterpillars in the field. Plants were marked and during the first examination by the predators (1 or 2) all larvae were removed. Soon after that the third predator group examined the same plants and all remaining larvae, on each plant were recorded. This procedure was repeated in 1998, 2000 e 2003, and results were similar. The experienced predators were more efficient in prey detection than the naive ones, encountering always more larvae (27 to 85%) and also more plants with larvae (18 to 76%).

Keywords : Efficiency of predation; Teaching; Lepidoptera.

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