Ch 8 - Communication

Question 1

communication

Answer 1

transfer of info from sender to receiver that affects current or future behavior and individual fitness

Question 2

sender

Answer 2

animal that sends a signal

Question 3

signal

Answer 3

specially evolved message, containing info - can be visual, scent, sound, etc.

Question 4

receiver

Answer 4

animal that receives signal, behavior may be influenced

Question 5

communication is _________ between members of the same species

Answer 5

usually, but not always

warning calls can extend beyond species, etc.

Question 6

communication is usually _______

Answer 6

adaptive to both sender and receiver

Question 7

c/b framework of communication

Answer 7

coevolutionary process between senders and receivers
honest signaling = adaptive coevolution
deceitful signaling/eavesdropping = coevolutionary arms race

Question 8

deceitful signaling

Answer 8

sender uses a specially evolved signal to manipulate behavior of receiver
sender benefits, receiver suffers

Question 9

eavesdropping

Answer 9

sender suffers, receiver benefits
cue - unintentional info transfer - different from a signal

Question 10

stable information

Answer 10

non-mutable, ex. identity, sex, toxicity

Question 11

information states

Answer 11

changeable info, ex. physiological condition, dominance rank

Question 12

motivational info

Answer 12

info abt self - ex. advertising for mate

Question 13

referential info

Answer 13

context-specific info or about a specific object - ex. warning signal

Question 14

functionally referent signal case study

Answer 14

bees waggle dance is referent to the food distance and location

Question 15

4 methods of communication

Answer 15

visual signals and displays
auditory/sound
touch/tactile
chemical

Question 16

visual signals and displays

Answer 16

wide range with no interference
can be simple (body color) or complex (mating dance)

Question 17

ritualization

Answer 17

simple display with movements that become more conspicuous, intensive, and precise - mating dances

Question 18

visual communication pros

Answer 18

instant transmission
lots of info
direction and specific
can use less energy/be sent constantly

Question 19

visual communication cons

Answer 19

not long-range
blocked by interference
requires light

Question 20

auditory/sound signals

Answer 20

very flexible, complex
most animals can detect sound ways in some form
nearly all terrestrial animals can make sounds

Question 21

auditory/sound signals pros

Answer 21

can get around obstacles, used in darkness
immediate
can be lengthy and complex

Question 22

auditory/sound signals disadvantages

Answer 22

subject to sound interference
distorts over distance
works only for the present moment

Question 23

chemical signals

Answer 23

insects and some mammals
produce pheromones

Question 24

releaser

Answer 24

pheromone affects behavior of another animal
attracts makes, establishes territory, etc.

Question 25

primer

Answer 25

pheromones affect physiology of other animals ex. naked mole rat queen has pheromones preventing other females from breeding (wtf)

Question 26

chemical signals pros

Answer 26

sender can leave the signal even when not present works in the dark, over distances, and over time - communicate into the future

Question 27

chemical signals cons

Answer 27

can dissipate eventually - ex. must return to re-mark one's territory

Question 28

touch/tactile signals

Answer 28

used when animals come into close contact between mates, family, group members ex. mutual grooming, reciprocal feeding (regurgitating)

Question 29

signals are usually 4 things:

Answer 29

1. not subtle 2. stereotypical - performed the same way between individuals 3. transmitting multiple messages 4. changing as roles change

Question 30

preexisting trait hypothesis

Answer 30

animal signals evolve through senders' preexisting traits - which already provide informative cues to receivers, and are modified into a signal by ritualization

Question 31

preexisting bias hypothesis

Answer 31

signals evolve through receivers' preexisting biases - biases in sensory system allowing them to detect some stimuli better, which can be exploited by signal senders (sensory exploitation)

Question 32

piloerection

Answer 32

fluffing of hairs ritualized by many animals to communicate - making oneself appear bigger

Question 33

panda principle/principle of imperfection

Answer 33

evolutionary artifacts that originally served a different purpose ex. panda thumb - evolved from a non-finger bone (radial sesamoid bone) now used to strip the leaves from bamboo

Question 34

pseudomale sexual behavior in asexual female lizards

Answer 34

makes the receiving lizard more likely to produce a clutch of eggs - remnant of ancestral signal

Question 35

sensory drive

Answer 35

process by which signals are fine-tuned to the environment - driven by sensory system of the receiver

Question 36

sensory exploitation in trinidadian guppies

Answer 36

males with more orange pigments from carotenoids are more attractive to females, maybe due to preexisting preference for nutritionally valuable orange fruits

Question 37

did preexisting trait or preexisting bias come first?

Answer 37

some signals indicating preexisting biases may elicit responses because of ancestral traits (preexisting)

Question 38

honest signaling

Answer 38

pros: avoid wasting energy, risking injury/death cons: can't be faked, may have maintenance costs

Question 39

multiple message hypothesis

Answer 39

signaling modalities convey different information

Question 40

redundant signal hypothesis

Answer 40

different modalities independently convey the same information - insurance in case of signaling errors

Question 41

trade off of multimodal signals

Answer 41

signals are energetically costly - both traits can't be maximized reinforces signal honesty - can't invest in multiple dishonest signals ex. male red-collared widowbirds - must invest either in neck color (territory signal to other males) or tail length (mating signal to females)

Question 42

dishonest signals

Answer 42

often directed at members of another species greater average benefit over cost, implying selective pressure will keep it in a population

Question 43

novel environment hypothesis (for deceptive signals)

Answer 43

present environment of an animal differs from its previous environment and it has not yet evolved

Question 44

net benefit hypothesis (for deceptive signals)

Answer 44

sensory mechanisms result in losses for some receivers but greater average benefits for most - group fitness is higher

Question 45

eavesdropping can drive co-evolutionary arms race - ex.

Answer 45

frogs chuck, bats eavesdrop to find them frogs chuck less -> bats get better at listening

Question 46

The fish X. hellerii has an elongated swordtail, but its close relative X. maculatus does not. However, females of X. maculatus find males of their species with experimentally elongated tails more attractive. This suggests that

Answer 46

the male swordtail entails a production cost that only X. helleri males are fit enough to endure

Question 47

Meerkats produce different types of alarm calls to warn of approaching predators. These calls, which convey information about both the predator type and the level of urgency, are examples of

Answer 47

functionally referent signals, they are context-specific and elicit responses in the other meerkats even when the predator is absent.