Game theory and the evolution of fearfulness in wild birds. - Université de Rennes Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Journal of Evolutionary Biology Année : 2007

Game theory and the evolution of fearfulness in wild birds.

Résumé

When animals in a group live under predation threat, the fate of each individual depends on the way it reacts to danger, but also on the behaviour of its companions. Game theory should then help to understand the evolution of fearful behaviour in gregarious animals. To illustrate this approach, a model determines evolutionarily stable levels of fearfulness in bird flocks, assuming that flocks are the object of both predatory attacks and nonlethal disturbance. In the model, high levels of flightiness limit the risk of being killed by predators, but increase the amount of energy lost in flights during the season. The predicted levels of fearfulness are extremely variable. They depend on the respective frequencies of predatory attacks and simple disturbing events, and on the capacity of birds to detect and escape predators. These results may help to explain the variability of flightiness reported in birds.
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Dates et versions

hal-00476210 , version 1 (24-04-2010)

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  • HAL Id : hal-00476210 , version 1

Citer

Etienne Sirot. Game theory and the evolution of fearfulness in wild birds.. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 2007, 20 (5), pp.1809-1814. ⟨hal-00476210⟩
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