Social transmission in the wild can reduce predation pressure on novel prey signals

Liisa Hämäläinen (), William Hoppitt, Hannah M. Rowland, Johanna Mappes, Anthony J. Fulford, Sebastian Sosa and Rose Thorogood
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Liisa Hämäläinen: University of Cambridge
William Hoppitt: University of London
Hannah M. Rowland: University of Cambridge
Johanna Mappes: University of Jyväskylä
Anthony J. Fulford: University of Cambridge
Sebastian Sosa: Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC, UMR 7178
Rose Thorogood: University of Cambridge

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Social transmission of information is taxonomically widespread and could have profound effects on the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of animal communities. Demonstrating this in the wild, however, has been challenging. Here we show by field experiment that social transmission among predators can shape how selection acts on prey defences. Using artificial prey and a novel approach in statistical analyses of social networks, we find that blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) and great tit (Parus major) predators learn about prey defences by watching others. This shifts population preferences rapidly to match changes in prey profitability, and reduces predation pressure from naïve predators. Our results may help resolve how costly prey defences are maintained despite influxes of naïve juvenile predators, and suggest that accounting for social transmission is essential if we are to understand coevolutionary processes.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24154-0

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