Call of duty? Variation in use of the watchman's song by sentinel dwarf mongooses, Helogale parvula

Kern, Julie M.; Radford, Andrew N.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.02.020

Cited by 48 publications

(89 citation statements)

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“…Two trials were conducted to each focal individual in the morning (0800-1200) on each of two days (separated by 1-3 days); trials on the same day were separated by at least 1 h, and treatment order was counterbalanced between individuals. Trials were conducted in calm conditions when the focal individual had been foraging in a relatively open area for at least 5 min prior to playback, and at least 10 min after any natural disturbance, such as a natural alarm call, encounter with a predator, or inter-group interaction (Kern and Radford, 2013;. The immediate response of the focal individual to each vocalisation (no response, look up or flee) was recorded.…”

Section: Playback Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dwarf mongoose aerial alarm calls were recorded from dominant males when heard during observation sessions or elicited by throwing a Frisbee over those individuals when they were slightly apart from the rest of the group and were being vigilant (Rogerson, 2014). Close calls, given throughout foraging bouts (Kern and Radford, 2013), were recorded ad libitum from the same individuals. Baboon and tree squirrel alarm calls were also recorded ad libitum on the reserve.…”

Section: Playback Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A minimum of 10 min was left before playbacks commenced following a conspecific or heterospecific alarm call, or any other group disturbance, such as predatory encounters or inter-group interactions (Kern and Radford, 2013;. Trials were abandoned if the focal individual went on sentinel duty (adopted a raised position at least 10 cm above the ground; Kern and Radford, 2013) or paused to scan the surroundings immediately before the call-type (control or alarm) was broadcast. Similarly, if a natural alarm call was produced, if the individual stopped foraging to interact socially with another group member (e.g.…”

Section: Playback Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study was conducted on Sorabi Rock Lodge Reserve, South Africa, a 4 km 2 private game reserve in north-eastern South Africa (24°11'S, 30°46'E); full details are available in Kern and Radford (2013). The reserve borders a tar road (R530), thus anthropogenic noise from this source is ecologically relevant , and is home to a wide range of terrestrial and aerial predators (Sharpe et al, 2010;Kern, 2012).…”

Section: Study Site and Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Anthropogenic noise alters dwarf mongoose responses to heterospecific alarm calls

Morris-Drake

Bracken

Kern

et al. 2017

Environmental Pollution

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General rightsThis document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. (0) 960028260, no fax number Statement of authorshipAll authors contributed to the conception and design of the study; AM and AB collected the data; AM and AB analysed the data with advice from JMK and ANR; ANR and AM wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and all authors contributed significantly to revisions. 2Anthropogenic noise is an evolutionarily novel and widespread pollutant in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Despite increasing evidence that the additional noise generated by human activities can affect vocal communication, the majority of research has focused on the use of conspecific acoustic information, especially sexual signals.Many animals are known to eavesdrop on the alarm calls produced by other species, enhancing their likelihood of avoiding predation, but how this use of heterospecific information is affected by anthropogenic noise has received little empirical attention.Here, we use two field-based playback experiments on a habituated wild population of dwarf mongooses (Helogale parvula) to determine how anthropogenic noise influences the response of foragers to heterospecific alarm calls. We begin by demonstrating that dwarf mongooses respond appropriately to the alarm calls of sympatric chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) and tree squirrels (Paraxerus cepapi); fleeing only to the latter.We then show that mongoose foragers are less likely to exhibit this flee response to tree squirrel alarm calls during road-noise playback compared to ambient-sound playback.One explanation for the change in response is that noise-induced distraction or stress result in maladaptive behaviour. However, further analysis revealed that road-noise playback results in increased vigilance and that mongooses showing the greatest vigilance increase are those that do not subsequently exhibit a flee response to the alarm call. These individuals may therefore be acting appropriately: if the greater gathering of personal information indicates the absence of an actual predator despite an alarm call, the need to undertake costly fleeing behaviour can be avoided. Either way, our study indicates the potential for anthropogenic noise to interfere with the use of acoustic information from other species, and suggests the importance of considering how heterospecific networks are affected by this global pollutant.Capsule: Anthropogenic noise reduces the likelihood of fleeing to a heterospecific alarm call.3

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Section: Playback Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Playback Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Playback Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Site and Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Anthropogenic noise alters dwarf mongoose responses to heterospecific alarm calls

Morris-Drake

Bracken

Kern

et al. 2017

Environmental Pollution

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“…Sentinel behavior, in which individuals scan for predators and alert other group members of danger, is also found in some social carnivores (e.g. Clutton-Brock et al, 1999;Kern & Radford, 2013). In addition, allies are critical during within-group disputes (e.g.…”

Section: Mixing Proximate and Ultimate Explanationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proximate mechanisms underlying cooperation in carnivores

Romero

2015

Japanese Journal of Animal Psychology

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While the evolution of cooperative behaviors has generated an intense debate among evolutionists and animal behaviorists, the proximate mechanisms underlying cooperative relationships have received much less attention. In recent years, it has become clear that an understanding of proximate causation of cooperation is needed in order to obtain a more balanced and complete picture of the phenomenon. The proximate cause of cooperation refers to the immediate situation that triggers behavior, and the role of learning, memory, physiology, and neural processes. Since from an evolutionary point of view cooperative relationships are maintained because of the subsequent benefits they bring, there has been the tendency to erroneously assume that they are also motivated by their future benefits. This assumption would imply that animals engage in social interactions in order to gain future benefits, or that they are able to remember the services given by another individual in order to offer a service in return at a later date. While this "rational" calculation offers a possible explanation, it is currently unclear whether or not some animal species have these cognitive capacities. Here I will argue that, while complex cognitive mechanisms may be present in some species, lesscognitively demanding mechanisms, based on emotions, could be at the basis of the flexibility needed to form complex, enduring cooperative relationships in both human and non-human animals.

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Audience effects in a group‐living bird: How contact call rate is affected by vegetation and group size and composition

Meaux

Zeng

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Call of duty? Variation in use of the watchman's song by sentinel dwarf mongooses, Helogale parvula

Cited by 48 publications

References 58 publications

Anthropogenic noise alters dwarf mongoose responses to heterospecific alarm calls

Anthropogenic noise alters dwarf mongoose responses to heterospecific alarm calls

Proximate mechanisms underlying cooperation in carnivores

Audience effects in a group‐living bird: How contact call rate is affected by vegetation and group size and composition

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