Signaler and receiver boldness influence response to alarm calls in eastern chipmunks

Personality affects response to alarm calls. This study reveals that boldness explains how vigilant chipmunks behave in response to alarm calls, and that vigilance diminishes in response to shyer callers. Chipmunks thus evaluate the personality of callers and discount the danger associated with calls from highly risk-sensitive individuals. Adjusting responsiveness relative to caller reliability improves foraging while reducing the risk of predation.