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Bernal XE, Page RA. Tactics of evasion: strategies used by signallers to deter eavesdropping enemies from exploiting communication systems. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:222-242. [PMID: 36176190 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Eavesdropping predators, parasites and parasitoids exploit signals emitted by their prey and hosts for detection, assessment, localization and attack, and in the process impose strong selective pressures on the communication systems of the organisms they exploit. Signallers have evolved numerous anti-eavesdropper strategies to mitigate the trade-off between the costs imposed from signal exploitation and the need for conspecific communication. Eavesdropper strategies fall along a continuum from opportunistic to highly specialized, and the tightness of the eavesdropper-signaller relationship results in differential pressures on communication systems. A wide variety of anti-eavesdropper strategies mitigate the trade-off between eavesdropper exploitation and conspecific communication. Antagonistic selection from eavesdroppers can result in diverse outcomes including modulation of signalling displays, signal structure, and evolutionary loss or gain of a signal from a population. These strategies often result in reduced signal conspicuousness and in decreased signal ornamentation. Eavesdropping enemies, however, can also promote signal ornamentation. While less common, this alternative outcome offers a unique opportunity to dissect the factors that may lead to different evolutionary pathways. In addition, contrary to traditional assumptions, no sensory modality is completely 'safe' as eavesdroppers are ubiquitous and have a broad array of sensory filters that allow opportunity for signal exploitation. We discuss how anthropogenic change affects interactions between eavesdropping enemies and their victims as it rapidly modifies signalling environments and community composition. Drawing on diverse research from a range of taxa and sensory modalities, we synthesize current knowledge on anti-eavesdropper strategies, discuss challenges in this field and highlight fruitful new directions for future research. Ultimately, this review offers a conceptual framework to understand the diverse strategies used by signallers to communicate under the pressure imposed by their eavesdropping enemies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ximena E Bernal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, 915 W State Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Rachel A Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
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Bilby J, Colombelli-Négrel D, Katsis AC, Kleindorfer S. When aggressiveness could be too risky: linking personality traits and predator response in superb fairy-wrens. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14011. [PMID: 36193436 PMCID: PMC9526405 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Personality syndromes in animals may have adaptive benefits for survival. For example, while engaging in predator deterrence, reactive individuals tend to prioritise their own survival, while proactive individuals engage in riskier behaviours. Studies linking animal personality measured in captivity with individual fitness or behaviours in the wild are sparse, which is a gap in knowledge this study aims to address. We used playback experiments in superb fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus), a common Australian songbird with a cooperative breeding system, to assess whether three personality traits measured during short-term captivity correlated with behavioural responses in the wild to a perceived nest and adult predator, the grey currawong (Strepera versicolor). We used three standard measures of personality in birds: struggle responses to human handling (boldness), exploration during a novel environment test, and aggressiveness during a mirror presentation. Superb fairy-wrens showed a significantly stronger response to the predator playback than to the control (willie wagtail, Rhipidura leucophrys) playback, suggesting that they recognised the predator playback as a threat without any accompanying visual stimulus. Birds that attacked their mirror image during the mirror presentation and those that spent a moderate amount of time close to the mirror responded more strongly to predator playback (by approaching the speaker faster and closer, spending more time near the speaker, and being more likely to alarm call) compared to those with low aggressiveness or those that spent very short or long durations close to the mirror. Neither boldness nor exploration in the novel environment test predicted playback response. Our results align with a growing number of studies across species showing the importance of animal personalities as factors for fitness and survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Bilby
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
| | - Diane Colombelli-Négrel
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
| | - Andrew C. Katsis
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
| | - Sonia Kleindorfer
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia,Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition & Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Ellison AM, Ydenberg R. Risk allocation: acute and chronic predator exposure have contrasting effects on Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) singing behaviour. CAN J ZOOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2018-0147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Increasing the danger posed by predators may cause prey animals to alter their behaviour. For example, they may be more vigilant and so feed more slowly. Breeding male Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia (A. Wilson, 1810)) spend much time in conspicuous, loud song, which is an important behaviour for territorial defense and for mate attraction. We measured their singing behaviour in relation to both chronic (active Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii (Bonaparte, 1828)) nest nearby) and acute (playback of hawk calls) predator exposure. We found that proximity to a Cooper’s Hawk nest had little or no influence. In contrast, the response to acute exposure was strong and immediate: Song Sparrows reduced the song rate and the proportion of time spent singing, lowered perch height, and increased concealment. The decline in the amount of song during the few minutes following playback attributable to the acute exposure was 34.6%. We analyze these results in light of theories about how animals adjust risk taking in response to predation danger. Given that the numbers of their predators have risen steadily for the past few decades and affect the level of singing, we consider the implications for trend estimates of songbird populations based on surveys using auditory methods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ron Ydenberg
- Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
- Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
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Møller AP, Liang W, Samia DSM. Flight initiation distance, color and camouflage. Curr Zool 2019; 65:535-540. [PMID: 31616484 PMCID: PMC6784497 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoz005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Camouflage is widespread throughout the animal kingdom allowing individuals to avoid detection and hence save time and energy rather than escape from an approaching predator. Thus, camouflage is likely to have co-evolved with antipredator behavior. Here, we propose that camouflage results in dichotomous escape behavior within and among species with classes of individuals and species with cryptic coloration having shorter flight initiation distances (FIDs; the distance at which an individual takes flight when approached by a human). We report the results of 2 tests of this hypothesis. First, bird species with cryptically colored plumage have consistently shorter FID than closely related species without such color. Within species with sexually dimorphic plumage, brightly colored adult male common pheasants Phasianus colchicus and golden pheasants Chrysolophus pictus have long and variable FID, whereas cryptically colored juveniles and adult females have short and invariable FID. Second, FID in females was predicted by presence or absence of cryptic color, FID in males and their interaction. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that risk-taking behavior has been attuned to camouflage, and that species with different levels of camouflage differ consistently in their FID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Pape Møller
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, CNRS UMR, Université Paris-Sud, Batiment 362, Orsay Cedex, France.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Liang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
| | - Diogo S M Samia
- Department of Ecology, Federal University of Goias, Goiania, Brazil
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McQueen A, Naimo AC, Teunissen N, Magrath RD, Delhey K, Peters A. Bright birds are cautious: seasonally conspicuous plumage prompts risk avoidance by male superb fairy-wrens. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:rspb.2017.0446. [PMID: 28659448 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased predation risk is considered a cost of having conspicuous colours, affecting the anti-predator behaviour of colourful animals. However, this is difficult to test, as individual factors often covary with colour and behaviour. We used alarm call playback and behavioural observations to assess whether individual birds adjust their response to risk according to their plumage colour. Male superb fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus) change from a dull brown to conspicuous blue plumage each year, allowing the behaviour of different coloured birds to be compared while controlling for within-individual effects. Because the timing of colour change varies among males, blue and brown birds can also be compared at the same time of year, controlling for seasonal effects on behaviour. While blue, fairy-wrens fled more often in response to alarm calls, and took longer to emerge from cover. Blue fairy-wrens also spent more time foraging in cover and being vigilant. Group members appeared to benefit from the presence of blue males, as they reduced their response to alarms, and allocated less time to sentinel behaviour when a blue male was close by. We suggest that fairy-wrens perceive themselves to be at a higher risk of predation while in conspicuous plumage and adjust their behaviour accordingly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra McQueen
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Annalise C Naimo
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Niki Teunissen
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Robert D Magrath
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia
| | - Kaspar Delhey
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Anne Peters
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
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Labra A, Reyes-Olivares C, Weymann M. Asymmetric Response to Heterotypic Distress Calls in the LizardLiolaemus chiliensis. Ethology 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Antonieta Labra
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas; Facultad de Medicina; Universidad de Chile; Casilla 70005, Correo 7, Santiago Chile
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Bioscience; University of Oslo; P.O.Box 1066 Blinder, N-0316, Oslo Norway
| | - Claudio Reyes-Olivares
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas; Facultad de Medicina; Universidad de Chile; Casilla 70005, Correo 7, Santiago Chile
| | - Michael Weymann
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas; Facultad de Medicina; Universidad de Chile; Casilla 70005, Correo 7, Santiago Chile
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7
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Pérez i de Lanuza G, Carretero MÁ, Font E. Thermal dependence of signalling: do polymorphic wall lizards compensate for morph-specific differences in conspicuousness? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2123-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Martínez AE, Gomez JP, Ponciano JM, Robinson SK. Functional Traits, Flocking Propensity, and Perceived Predation Risk in an Amazonian Understory Bird Community. Am Nat 2016; 187:607-19. [PMID: 27104993 DOI: 10.1086/685894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Within a community, different species might share similar predation risks, and, thus, the ability of species to signal and interpret heterospecific threat information may determine species' associations. We combined observational, experimental, and phylogenetic approaches to determine the extent to which evolutionary history and functional traits determined flocking propensity and perceived predation risk (response to heterospecific alarm calls) in a lowland Amazonian bird community. We predicted that small birds that feed myopically and out in the open would have higher flocking propensities and account for a higher proportion of positive responses to alarms. Using generalized linear models and the incorporation of phylogeny on data from 56 species, our results suggest that phylogenetic relationships alongside body size, foraging height, vegetation density, and response to alarm calls influence flocking propensity. Conversely, phylogenetic relationships did not influence response to heterospecific alarm calls. Among functional traits, however, foraging strategy, foraging density, and flocking propensity partially explained responses to alarm calls. Our results suggest that flocking propensity and perceived predation risk are positively related and that functional ecological traits and evolutionary history may explain certain species' associations.
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Blumstein DT, Flores G, Munoz NE. Does Locomotor Ability Influence Flight Initiation Distance in Yellow-Bellied Marmots? Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California; Los Angeles CA USA
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory; Crested Butte CO USA
| | - Guadalupe Flores
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California; Los Angeles CA USA
| | - Nicole E. Munoz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California; Los Angeles CA USA
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Heterospecific alarm call eavesdropping in nonvocal, white-bellied copper-striped skinks, Emoia cyanura. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Ibáñez A, López P, Martín J. Inter-individual Variation in Antipredator Hiding Behavior of Spanish Terrapins Depends on Sex, Size, and Coloration. Ethology 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Ibáñez
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales; CSIC; Madrid Spain
| | - Pilar López
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales; CSIC; Madrid Spain
| | - José Martín
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales; CSIC; Madrid Spain
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