Receiving behaviour is sensitive to risks from eavesdropping predators |
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Authors: | Nelika K Hughes Jennifer L Kelley Peter B Banks |
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Institution: | (1) School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia;(2) Present address: Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia |
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Abstract: | Conspicuous signals may attract both intended receivers as well as unintended receivers such as predators. However, signalling
individuals are not the only ones at risk when communicating, as the intended receiver may encounter eavesdropping predators
that are attracted to the same signals. Here, we show that the house mouse (Mus domesticus) behaviourally responds to social signals (scents) as though receiving carries a risk of predation. We presented mice with
their own scents (low social benefit to receiving) and those from an unknown “intruder” (high social benefit to receiving)
under high (cat urine added) and low (water added) perceived predation risk. Mice traded-off the potential social benefits
of receiving a signal against the costs of potential predator encounter. Receiving rates of both social signals (own and intruder)
were high under low predation risk. Mice reduced receiving of both social signals when predation risk was increased; however,
the effect was greater for their own low value scent than for the high social value intruder scent. Notably, rates of signalling
did not vary with the level of perceived predation risk. Our findings suggest that mice traded-off the potential social benefits
of receiving a signal (scent mark) against the costs of potential predator encounter. We suggest that, for some species, the
costs of communication are borne more by the receivers than the signallers, and that the influence of risks to receivers on
the design of communication systems may have been underestimated. |
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Keywords: | Predation risk Eavesdropping Olfactory communication Signal exploitation House mouse |
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