Alarm communication networks as a driver of community structure in African savannah herbivores.

ABSTRACT: Social information networks have the potential to shape the spatial structure of ecological communities by promoting the formation of mixed-species groups. However, what actually drives social affinity between species in the wild will depend on the characteristics of the species available to group. Here we first present an agent-based model that predicts trait-related survival benefits from mixed-species group formation in a multi-species community and we then test the model predictions in a community-wide field study of African savannah herbivores using multi-layered network analysis. We reveal benefits from information transfer about predators as a key determinant of mixed-species group formation, and that dilution benefits alone are not enough to explain patterns in interspecific social

SUBMITTER: Meise K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6973068 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature