The evolution of eavesdropping on heterospecific alarm calls: Relevance, reliability, and personal information.

ABSTRACT: Interceptive eavesdropping on the alarm calls of heterospecifics provides crucial information about predators. Previous research suggests predator discrimination, call relevance, reliability, and reception explain when eavesdropping will evolve. However, there has been no quantitative analysis to scrutinize these principles, or how they interact. We develop a mathematical framework that formalizes the study of the key principles thought to select for eavesdropping. Interceptive eavesdropping appears to be greatly affected by the threat faced by caller and eavesdropper, as well as presence of informational noise affecting the detection of calls and predators. Accordingly, our model uses signal detection theory to examine when selection will favor alarm calling by a sender species and fleein

SUBMITTER: Turner CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10337016 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature