Alarm calls as costly signals of antipredator vigilance: the watchful babbler game

被引:70
作者
Bergstrom, CT
Lachmann, M
机构
[1] Emory Univ, Dept Biol, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA
[2] Santa Fe Inst, Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA
基金
美国国家卫生研究院;
关键词
D O I
10.1006/anbe.2000.1636
中图分类号
B84 [心理学]; C [社会科学总论]; Q98 [人类学];
学科分类号
03 ; 0303 ; 030303 ; 04 ; 0402 ;
摘要
Alarm-calling behaviour is common in many species that suffer from predation. While kin selection or reciprocal altruism are typically invoked to explain such behaviours, several authors have conjectured that some alarm calls may instead be costly signals sent by prey to inform approaching predators that they have been detected. We develop a general game-theoretical model, the watchful babbler game, in which prey signal awareness to predators. We derive necessary and sufficient conditions for alarm calls to function as honest signals. We show that signals can honestly reveal prey awareness if (1) the prey's sense of predation risk accurately reflects the probability that the predator is present, and (2) greater awareness of the predator allows the prey a greater chance of escape. When honest signalling is possible, the model predicts that prey will be more willing to signal when predators are common than when predators are rare, and that greater pursuit costs to the predator will allow cheaper signals by the prey. (C) 2001 The Associntion for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
引用
收藏
页码:535 / 543
页数:9
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