Animal Communication: Test-Check Questions

Question 1

Recognize and explain the differences between the Bruce, Vandenbergh, and Lee Boot/Whitten effects

Answer 1

• Bruce effect: effects offspring/pregnant aniamls
• Vandenbergh effect: effects puberty development
• Lee Boot/Whitten effect: effects menstrual cycle (stop and start)

Question 2

How are specific pieces of information relayed by the waggle dance?

Answer 2

Waggle dance: when location of food farther from hive (more then 50m)

Direction: toward(straight up) vs away(straight down) from sun

Abundance of food: decode by waggle intensity(better food means more intense)

Question 3

Why is the round dance in bee communication useful?

Answer 3

• it will communicate when food is close to the hive, closer resource

Question 4

For what reasons are pheromones used in communication?

Answer 4

• receptiveness of mates

Question 5

In what ways (know at least 3) were Dr. McClintock’s menstrual synchrony results controversial?

Answer 5

Data analysis – convoluted, old; when out of her way to make data statistically significant when it was not

Natural variation responsible

Study not significantly replicable, puts validity into question

Social factors – could still be responsible, not discounted in study

No specific molecule identified as pheromone in humans, puts cologne things in question (wtf is in it then lol)

No evidence of functional vomeronasal system in humans; suggested in other studies but no strong conclusion(absent or not functionally present)

Question 6

How does Zahavi’s hypothesis influence communication between animals?

Answer 6

• it influences animals to believe all behaviors shown to them, regardless of deceit, since animals cannot lie about behavior in the long term

Question 7

In what ways (know at least 3) do pheromones differ from general odorants?

Question 8

How can animals alter their behavior in response to an illegitimate receiver(aka eavesdropping)?

Answer 8

• control aspects of communication by modifying where (bees dancing), modifying when (tungara frog), and modifying how(fireflies)

Question 9

In what ways (know at least 3) does the main olfactory system differ from the vomeronasal system?

Question 10

What unique communication strategy does the female Photurius firefly exhibit?

Answer 10

responds to multiple male fireflies with flashes, shows extreme attraction to lure male in and then eats him

Question 11

What can happen to communication signals during ritualization?

Answer 11

• When signal ritualized, signal is clear
• Movement smore stereotyped, more repetitive, and exaggerated
• Structures/coloration more enlarged or brilliant