A1 Journal article (refereed)
Social information use by predators : expanding the information ecology of prey defences (2022)

Hämäläinen, L., M. Rowland, H., Mappes, J., & Thorogood, R. (2022). Social information use by predators : expanding the information ecology of prey defences. Oikos, 2022(10), Article e08743. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.08743

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Hämäläinen, Liisa; M. Rowland, Hannah; Mappes, Johanna; Thorogood, Rose

Journal or series: Oikos

ISSN: 0030-1299

eISSN: 1600-0706

Publication year: 2022

Publication date: 14/12/2021

Volume: 2022

Issue number: 10

Article number: e08743

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.08743

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/78985

Abstract

Social information use is well documented across the animal kingdom, but how it influences ecological and evolutionary processes is only just beginning to be investigated. Here we evaluate how social transmission may influence species interactions and potentially change or create novel selection pressures by focusing on predator–prey interactions, one of the best studied examples of species coevolution. There is extensive research into how prey can use social information to avoid predators, but little synthesis of how social transmission among predators can influence the outcome of different stages of predation. Here we review evidence that predators use social information during 1) encounter, 2) detection, 3) identification, 4) approach, 5) subjugation and 6) consumption. We use this predation sequence framework to evaluate the implications of social information use on current theoretical predictions about predator–prey dynamics, and find that social transmission has the potential to alter selection pressures for prey defences at each predation stage. This suggests that considering social interactions can help answer open questions about species coevolution, and also predict how populations and communities respond to rapid human-induced changes in the environment.

Keywords: animal behaviour; predation; defence mechanisms (biological phenomena); social learning

Free keywords:  antipredator defences; information ecology; predator–prey interactions; social information

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Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2022

JUFO rating: 2