Animal communication of fear and safety related to foraging behavior and fitness: An individual-based modeling approach

Animal communication impacts many kinds of behavior including mating and courtship, escaping from predators and foraging activity. In this article, our investigation focuses primarily on how alarm communication impacts foraging activity, using individual based computer simulations. We used this appr...

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Vydáno v:Ecological informatics Ročník 54; s. 101011
Hlavní autoři: Bhattacharjee, Sourodeep, MacPherson, Brian, Wang, Ranxiao Frances, Gras, Robin
Médium: Journal Article
Jazyk:angličtina
Vydáno: Elsevier B.V 01.11.2019
Témata:
Alarm communication
algorithms
animal communication
animals
computer simulation
courtship
decision support systems
fearfulness
foraging
Foraging activity
habituation
Individual fitness
Machine learning
Non-communication
Population density
predators
Risk-allocation
Alarm communication
Machine learning
Individual fitness
Non-communication
Foraging activity
Population density
Risk-allocation
ISSN:1574-9541
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Shrnutí:Animal communication impacts many kinds of behavior including mating and courtship, escaping from predators and foraging activity. In this article, our investigation focuses primarily on how alarm communication impacts foraging activity, using individual based computer simulations. We used this approach to help resolve a debate in the literature between the risk-allocation hypothesis, which predicts that over time, animals become habituated to alarm communication versus the hypothesis that alarm communication consistently decreases foraging activity to avoid predators. We found that in most cases, alarm communication did indeed decrease foraging activity whereas in other cases, alarm communication resulted in habituation and a gradual increase in foraging activity, suggesting that there is some truth to both hypotheses. Moreover, it is possible that a decrease in foraging as well as habituation in response to alarm communication both contribute to fitness, or more generally, that alarm communication contributes to fitness as opposed to non-communication. Among the communication runs, we found that although there were higher levels of fitness compared with non-communication runs, fitness was higher when communication results in decreased foraging activity vs. runs where communication results in increased foraging activity. Finally, we used a variational autoencoder based estimation of distribution algorithms in conjuction with C4.5 decision trees as a wrapper to discern the features that distinguish communication runs from non-communication runs. In general, communication runs tend to have relatively low population densities, whereas non-communication runs tend to have relatively high population densities, suggesting that the ability to communicate fear obviates the need for prey to stay in close proximity to one another in order to defend against predators. Also a high level of reproductive urgency was observed in individuals with communication ability when the level of fear of predators was low. •In most cases alarm communication decreased foraging activity.•Communication becomes more urgent when there are fewer conspecifics to defend against predators.•There were higher levels of fitness in Communication runs compared to non-communication runs•The fitness was higher when communication results in decreased foraging activity
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ISSN:1574-9541
DOI:10.1016/j.ecoinf.2019.101011