Ultimate causes of antipredator vocalizations in a nonhibernating squirrel
Name:
Burnett&Koprowski2020_preprint.pdf
Size:
253.6Kb
Format:
PDF
Description:
Final Accepted Manuscript
Affiliation
Univ Arizona, Sch Nat Resources & EnvironmIssue Date
2020-09-22
Metadata
Show full item recordPublisher
ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTDCitation
Burnett, A. D., & Koprowski, J. L. (2020). Ultimate causes of antipredator vocalizations in a nonhibernating squirrel. Animal Behaviour, 168, 225-230.Journal
ANIMAL BEHAVIOURRights
© 2020 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
Communication plays an integral role in facilitating intra- and interspecific interactions. The study of signal function and content reveals the rules that govern such interactions, informing hypotheses in behavioural ecology and evolution. The ubiquitous nature of antipredator vocalizations in ground squirrels provides a useful model for studying the evolution of communication. Conspecifics in many ground squirrel species respond to anti-predator vocalizations, and sociality functions as a strong selective force favouring more informative antipredator vocalizations. However, studies of a single antipredator vocalization system in both social and nonsocial contexts are relatively scarce, preventing diagnosis of selective forces other than sociality. We conducted a 2-year study to test two alternative hypotheses relating to the function of antipredator vocalizations in a nonhibernating squirrel, the Harris' antelope squirrel, Ammospermophilus harristi. We hypothesized that if vocalizations function as a predator deterrent, callers should be of equal sex ratio and vocalize year-round. If vocalizations function primarily as a warning to offspring, callers should be predominantly female and vocalize only when juveniles are above ground. We found that spontaneous callers were predominantly female but vocalized throughout the year. We also found that call bouts varied in trill number, which could hold additional layers of information. Our results suggest that antipredator vocalizations function as both a predator deterrent and a warning to offspring. Antipredator vocalizations with multiple functions or receivers are subject to a greater compilation of selective forces that may induce communicative complexity to arise. (C) 2020 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Note
24 month embargo; published 22 September 2020ISSN
0003-3472Version
Final accepted manuscriptSponsors
American Society of Mammalogistsae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.016