Antipredatory behaviour in lizards: interactions between group size and predation risk

Group size effects on antipredatory behaviour are well documented in numerous animals, but little is known about how the level of predation risk influences this process. We tested the hypothesis that group size and level of risk interact to affect the levels of antipredatory behaviour in the group-living sun skink, Lampropholis delicata. We controlled the size of lizard groups (N = 1, 2, 4, 8 or 12 females) and altered predation risk by providing either a basking tile covered with chemical cues from a predator (high risk) or one without scent (low risk). The time allocated to individual antipredatory behaviour decreased significantly with increasing group size. The relation between group size and time allocated to individual antipredatory behaviour was nonlinear and asymptotic, and did not change under low and high risks of predation. However, group size and predation risk interacted to affect significantly the time that lizards allocated to antipredatory behaviour. When the overall risk from predators was high, individual responsiveness decreased strongly as group size became larger. In contrast, when the overall risk from predators was low, individual responsiveness decreased weakly as group size became larger. Consequently, the time that lizards allocated to antipredatory behaviour under different risks of predation converged as group size increased. (C) 2004 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.