Animal Communication and Social Structure Flashcards
Animal Communication
Animal communication is when a (sender) organism initiates a signal to another (receiver) organism
What signals can animals use to convey information? Give examples of each
Visual signals are very effective for animals that are active during the day. for example, the bright red epaulets of male red-winged blackbirds, Agelaius phoeniceus, which are always displayed, are important for territory defense
Acoustic communication is also exceedingly abundant in nature, likely because sound can be adapted to a wide variety of environmental conditions and behavioral situations. Sounds can vary substantially in amplitude, duration, and frequency structure, all of which impact how far the sound will travel in the environment and how easily the receiver can localize the position of the sender. For example, many passerine birds emit pure-tone alarm calls that make localization difficult, while the same species produce more complex, broadband mate attraction songs that allow conspecifics to easily find the sender
chemical signals travel much more slowly through the environment since they must diffuse from the point source of production. Yet, these signals can be transmitted over long distances and fade slowly once produced. In many moth species, females produce chemical cues and males follow the trail to the female’s location. Researchers attempted to tease apart the role of visual and chemical signaling in silkmoths, Bombyx mori, by giving males the choice between a female in a transparent airtight box and a piece of filter paper soaked in chemicals produced by a sexually receptive female. Invariably, males were drawn to the source of the chemical signal and did not respond to the sight of the isolated female
Tactile signals, in which physical contact occurs between the sender and the receiver, can only be transmitted over very short distances. Tactile communication is often very important in building and maintaining relationship among social animals. For example, chimpanzees that regularly groom other individuals are rewarded with greater levels of cooperation and food sharing
For aquatic animals living in murky waters, electrical signaling is an ideal mode of communication. Several species of mormyrid fish produce species-specific electrical pulses, which are primarily used for locating prey via electrolocation,
What is commonly communicated about? E.g. territory
sexual advertisement and mate attraction. Successful reproduction requires identifying a mate of the appropriate species and sex, as well as assessing indicators of mate quality. Male satin bowerbirds, Ptilonorhynchus violaceus, use visual signals to attract females by building elaborate bowers decorated with brightly colored objects.
conflict resolution, including territory defense. When males are competing for access to females, the costs of engaging in physical combat can be very high; hence natural selection has favored the evolution of communication systems that allow males to honestly assess the fighting ability of their opponents without engaging in combat. Red deer, Cervus elaphus, exhibit such a complex signaling system. During the mating season, males strongly defend a group of females, yet fighting among males is relatively uncommon. Instead, males exchange signals indicative of fighting ability, including roaring and parallel walks. An altercation between two males most often escalates to a physical fight when individuals are closely matched in size, and the exchange of visual and acoustic signals is insufficient for determining which animal is most likely to win a fight
allowing animals to relocate and accurately identify their own young. In species that produce altricial young, adults regularly leave their offspring at refugia, such as a nest, to forage and gather resources. Upon returning, adults must identify their own offspring, which can be especially difficult in highly colonial species. Brazilian free-tailed bats, Tadarida brasiliensis, form cave colonies containing millions of bats; when females leave the cave each night to forage, they place their pup in a crèche that contains thousands of other young. When females return to the roost, they face the challenge of locating their own pups among thousands of others. Researchers originally thought that such a discriminatory task was impossible, and that females simply fed any pups that approached them, yet further work revealed that females find and nurse their own pup 83% of the time (McCracken 1984, Balcombe 1990). Females are able to make such fantastic discriminations using a combination of spatial memory, acoustic signaling, and chemical signaling. Specifically, pups produce individually-distinct “isolation calls”, which the mother can recognize and detect from a moderate distance. Upon closer inspection of a pup, females use scent to further confirm the pup’s identity.
convey information about the environment to conspecifics, especially close relatives. A fantastic illustration comes from vervet monkeys, Chlorocebus pygerythrus, in which adults give alarm calls to warn colony members about the presence of a specific type of predator.
Many animals have sophisticated communication signals for facilitating integration of individuals into a group and maintaining group cohesion. In group-living species that form dominance hierarchies, communication is critical for maintaining ameliorative relationships between dominants and subordinates. In chimpanzees, lower-ranking individuals produce submissive displays toward higher-ranking individuals, such as crouching and emitting “pant-grunt” vocalizations. In turn, dominants produce reconciliatory signals that are indicative of low aggression. Communication systems also are important for coordinating group movements. Contact calls, which inform individuals about the location of groupmates that are not in visual range, are used by a wide variety of birds and mammals.
Factors affecting behaviour of species and individuals
- Cues from the external environment are detected by the sensory apparatus of an animal and integrated with their anatomy and physiology to affect behaviour.
- Internal triggers such as appetite for food or a mate also inform behaviour.
- Motivation is therefore affected by internal and external factors and behaviour is modified accordingly.
List the sensory systems of the common domestic veterinary species
eyes and ears, nose,
More complex animals have central nervous systems and a brain that integrates a variety of sensory inputs. The concentration of the coordinating parts of the nervous system and some of the sensory systems in the anterior part of an animal’s body is called cephalization.
Visual. Auditory. Olfactory (smell) System. Gustatory (taste) System. Tactile System. Tactile System (see above) Vestibular (sense of head movement in space) System. Proprioceptive (sensations from muscles and joints of body) System.
What physiological systems are involved in behavioural responses and development of behaviours?
The Nervous System- Specialized functions, like learning and memory, coordination of movement, and regulation of physiological functions are performed in different regions of the brain, and neural connections within the brain allow the transfer of information among these regions. Neurotransmitters, small molecules such as acetylcholine, serotonin, and dopamine, transmit information among brain cells. Overall levels of neurostransmitters in the brain also affect general behavior; manipulation of dopamine, for example, affects wakefulness.
The Endocrine System- The endocrine system is a system of glands and organs that secrete hormones into the bloodstream to regulate behavioral responses, seasonal changes in behavior, mating, and parental care. This is true in both vertebrates and invertebrates.
Appetites
Appetites — perceptions of need — usually link directly to physiological control systems and fall into a general category called behavioral homeostasis. Homeostasis is the tendency for an organism to maintain internal equilibrium. Hunger, thirst, the need for sleep, and the need to regulate body temperature, all drive important behaviors. Animals forage for food to meet their caloric requirements and to obtain macro-, and micro-, nutrients necessary for sustaining life.
Behavioral thermoregulation is important for both ectotherms and endotherms. Ectotherms may seek sunny locations in which to bask; this warms their body fluids and tissues, allowing for freer muscular movements and faster metabolic processes, such as digestion. Conversely, they seek shade when overheated.
examples of unwanted behaviours caused by restriction of natural behaviours
Separation anxiety, repetitive pacing, swaying, head-bobbing, bar-biting, over-grooming or excessive licking
What is the natural habitat of dogs,
Dogs live in many habitats, including prairies, deserts, grasslands, forests, rain forests, coastal regions and arctic zones. Dogs are highly adaptable, yet some evolved for specific environments, such as breeds that developed heavy coats to withstand freezing climates
What is the natural habitat of cats
The cat evolved from the The African wildcat which occurs across Africa, around the periphery of the Arabian Peninsula, and in the Middle East as far eastward as the Caspian Sea.[27] It inhabits a broad variety of habitats, especially in hilly and mountainous landscapes such as the Hoggar Mountains. In deserts such as the Sahara, it occurs at much lower densities.
Today. They can survive in a broad range of habitats
What is the natural habitat of rabbits
Wild rabbits can be found in woods, forests, meadows, grasslands, deserts, tundra and wetlands
What is the natural habitat of horses
Domesticated, or tamed, horses can live in almost any habitat, but wild horses prefer plains, prairies, and steppes for many reasons. Horses need wide open spaces for defense purposes, and they need some shelter, like trees or cliffs, to protect them from the elements.
What is the natural habitat of cows
Grasslands. Our domesticated cattle – female heifers and cows, and male bulls and steers – as well as bison and oxen often live in grasslands
What is the natural habitat of sheep
Wild sheep live throughout the world — in the Middle East, Asia, Central Europe and North America — mostly in mountainous areas. Bighorn sheep live in the Rocky Mountain region of North America.
Pigs
Wild pigs typically live in grasslands, wetlands, rain forests, savannas, scrublands and temperate forests.
Like shade
How do dogs acquire food in the wild
dogs are usually thought of as cooperative pack hunters that chase large prey for long distances across the open plains, tiring out their quarry before going in for the kill
Foraging
How do cats acquire food in the wild
Stalk and pounce technique
Fishing technique.
How do rabbits acquire food in the wild
Wild rabbits tend to follow pretty reliable meal schedules. For the most part, they eat first thing in the morning at daybreak and then again right in the beginning of the evening. Their basic feeding schedule carries over to many rabbits in captivity, who do a lot of their eating during those specific times of the day, too.
Wild rabbits are classic herbivores. Their menus differ slightly depending on the season. In the coldest times of the year, they chow down on lots of green vegetation, woody shoots, tree bark, conifer needles and buds. In the spring and summer, wild rabbits focus their attentions onto agricultural crops, flowers, grass and clovers.
How do horses acquire food
Horses are herbivores. This means they only eat vegetation. Typically, horses eat grass
Horses only have one stomach, unlike cows, and it is small. So to get enough food, a horse must graze throughout the day.
How do cows acquire food
Cows are a very unique animal in that they are ruminants. An animal that is a ruminant means that they regurgitate their food, this food is known as ‘cud.’ The cud is about a baseball size portion of the grass or hay that they had earlier swallowed (2).
Cows first start the process of eating by putting their head down to the ground, about two inches above the soil because of how their face is shaped. This is why the ideal height of grass is six inches, because any more than that amount, or any less than that amount results in an in-balance of energy consumption than they need (1). As the cows start to lift their head up, they wrap their long tongues around the plant part and pull the food into its mouth as it pulls its head back up. The cow then chews the grass for a very short amount of time and swallows, which will later turn into ‘cud.’
Longer grass
How do sheep acquire food
Grazing
Shorter grass
