Eavesdropping in animals: the value of social information

How valuable is social information? Are signals available to individuals other than the intended receiver? Do furtive eavesdroppers gather information by watching interactions? What types of behavioral changes does eavesdropping induce? How does the brain respond to watching fights?

Many fish species live in social groups either year round or during discrete breeding seasons. In these groups
a barrage of social interactions take place - from fighting to mating and everything in between. If the point of
these interactions is to gain information about a groupmate, and if interactions are somewhat costly, then it might
pay to gather information without directly engaging with a conspecific. This is where eavesdropping comes in.
We have all experienced times when it seems like a good strategy to listen in, or watch, interactions between others
without being heard or seen. And we've undoubtedly gained some juicy information by doing so. Green swordtail
fish (Xiphophorus helleri) also have tapped into this alternative channel for information acquisition. But we are
just beginning to understand the intricacies of social eavesdropping in animals. Who eavesdrops (males/females,
juveniles/adults, dominants/subordinates)? When is eavesdropping a beneficial strategy? What kinds of information
do individuals gain? How do they use this information in the future? These questions are all informed by behavioral
ecological concepts, particularly those in the realm of animal communication. On the flip side are questions
regarding the endocrine and neurobiological consequences of eavesdropping. Once my lab gets a good handle on
the behavioral aspects of this social phenomenon, we will dig right in to the neuroendocrine mechanisms using
swordtails and other model fish systems.