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Behavioural Ecology🦓🐝🐒 > Communication > Flashcards

Communication Flashcards

1
Q

What is communication?

A

the transmission of a signal or signals between two or more organisms where selection has favoured both the production and reception of the signal

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2
Q

What are 4 types of reactions in communication?

A

Rapid
Subtle
Delayed
Absent

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3
Q

What is an example of a rapid reaction

A

Male fireflies - rapidly sly towards flashing female

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4
Q

What is an example of a subtle reaction

A

A male antelope slightly alters direction of walking to avoid crossing a territorial boundary

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5
Q

What is an example of a delayed reaction

A

Male goldfish begin to produce milt (sperm) after sensing pheromone signals in the water from females

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6
Q

What is an example of an absent reaction

A

A territorial male blackbird sings for several hours (to attract mate/ ward off rivals) - signal may never be picked up and therefore have no reaction

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7
Q

How does natural selection control communication?

A

Communication helps species survival

The best communication = best survival = passed on to different generations

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8
Q

Give an example of communication that only benefits the sender

A

Female bolas spiders

females produce pheromones that mimic sex-attractant of female moths
Male moths are lured in and captured

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9
Q

Give an example of communication that only benefits the receiver

A

Male tungara frogs call to attract females

Fringe-lipped bats detect this call to locate the male frog and capture it

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10
Q

Give a specific example of mutually benefitting communication

A

GREATER SAGE GROUSE
Males display strutting (energetically expensive)
Females receive the communication, can effectively choose a mate

= honest signalling

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11
Q

Name 4 types of animal communication

A

Sensory communications:

  • Visual
  • Acoustic
  • Chemical
  • Tactile (body language)
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12
Q

What are three examples of visual communication

A 
Body posture
Facial expressions
Leaving signals
Markings
Flashing
Displays
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13
Q

what are acoustic communication examples?

A 
Snorting
Thump
Rattle (rattle snakes)
Calls
Rasp horns
Stridulation (fish, snakes, spiders)
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14
Q

What are some chemical examples of communication

A

(Olfactory/ Gustatory)

  • Glands
  • Urine
  • Faeces
  • Pheromones
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15
Q

What are some tactile examples of communication

A 
Play 
Courtship 
Fighting
Grooming
Parental Care
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16
Q

What do fireflies do to visually communicate?

A

Glow to attract mate

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17
Q

Which type of species communicate most effectively with visual signals

A

Diurnal species in open spaces

Can be short of long lived species

Short distance only

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18
Q

Give an example of auditory communication

A

Echolocation in bats to locate prey

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19
Q

Give an example of chemical signalling in communication

A

Female silkworm moths producing pheromones that are detected by males’ antennae to follow trail and find female

Female Bolas Spiders

Deer stags in rut wallow in own urine to bring females into oestrus

Coyotes use urine to mark territory boundaries

20
Q

Which type of species is auditory signals more common in

A

Short lived species

Over long distances

21
Q

What is the vomeronasal organ/ Jacobson’s organ

A
  • Specialized organ – used exclusively to detect chemical cues – found in horses, elephants, snakes
22
Q

What is the flehmen response

A

a lip curl to direct inhale compounds to the Jacobson’s organ

(in cats and ungulates)

23
Q

How do Asian elephants communicate chemically

A

Males will use the vomeronasal organ to process chemical cues in female’s urine and detect if she is sexually receptive

24
Q

When are tactile signals particularly important?

A

When building and maintaining relationships in social animals

25
Q

What’s a specific example of tactile signalling

A

Grooming in chimps

- been shown that chimps which regularly groom each other show greater cooperation and food sharing

26
Q

How do Knifefish use electrical signals

A

Produce species-specific electrical impulses from electric organs (muscles)
Use it to find prey through electrolocation and distinguish conspecifics

27
Q

What are the 5 main functions of signals

A
  1. Sexual advertisement and mate attraction
  2. Role in conflict resolution
  3. Relocate and identify their own young or mates
  4. Share information with conspecifics
  5. Maintaining social groups
MATE FINDING
CONFLICT
IDENTIFICATION
INFO SHARING
SOCIAL STRUCTURE

IMICS

28
Q

Why do animals need to use different signals

A

Environmental / ecological constraints of the habitat - may determine how effective each signal is

29
Q

How does honest signalling work in conflict resolution

A

Honest signals indicate fighting capabilities

The cost is too high to risk fighting

30
Q

Explain how Red Deer Ruts use honest signalling in conflict resolution

A
  • In the mating season, red deer males defend a territory and a group of females
  • Males roar and parallel walk to assess fighting abilities of each other
  • Fighting is rare, but usually only occurs when individuals are of similar size/ match
31
Q

How are communication signals used to locate offspring in Free-Tailed Bats

A

Females locate young in creches with thousands of others by using spatial memory, acoustic signalling and chemical signally.
Mother locates general area, pup calls, mother recognises and uses scent to confirm the pup identity

32
Q

How do Vervet monkeys use auditory signalling to communicate with conspecifics

A

Vervet monkey adults give alarm calls - warn colony about predators
Allows action to be taken

33
Q

How do Vervet Monkeys use superb starling alarm calls to communicate

A

Monkeys eavesdrop on starling alarm calls

Respond appropriately to aerial threat

34
Q

Which species uses signalling to maintain hierarchical structures

A

wolves

Dominants vs subordinates

35
Q

How do anglerfish use dishonest signalling

A

Their lure attracts other fish

Anglerfish prey on them

36
Q

What is Batesian Mimicry

A

where palatable species mimic unpalatable species warning colouration (for own protection)

37
Q

Give an example of batesian mimicry

A

Hoverflies mimicking wasps
King snakes mimic coral snakes
Atlas moth looks like snake head
Red eyed tree frog eyes look poisonous

38
Q

How is Batesian Mimicry an effective dishonest signal

A

Predators avoid unpalatable-looking species. The palatable species doing the mimicry survives

39
Q

What is Mullerian Mimicry

A

a natural phenomenon in which two or more poisonous species, that may or may not be closely related and share one or more common predators, have come to mimic each other’s warning signals.

40
Q

Why don’t receivers of dishonest signals ignore them?

A

Because the response is often the most beneficial thing to do

i.e: predators won’t eat wasp-looking hoverflies because wasps sting

41
Q

What are the 3 theoretical reasons for honest signals

A

Index
Handicap
Common Interest

42
Q

What is the Index theory for honest signalling

A

A reliable signal of quality that cannot be faked

43
Q

What is the Handicap theory of honest signalling

A

A signal whose reliability is ensured because it is costly to produce or has costly consequences

44
Q

What is the common interest theory for honest signalling

A

Males and females have a shared interest or common interest in males honestly signalling their quality to females.
Nothing is gained from faking a signal, it benefits the greater good.

45
Q

How do female bolas spiders demonstrate dishonest signalling?

A

Females mimic the pheromone attractant of female moths

Attracts male moths so they can be captured and eaten

46
Q

What 2 main things to Red Deer do to show honest signals in a rut

A
  • Roar
  • Parallel walk

(To assess fighting abilities of one another)

47
Q

What is Stridulation?

A

the act of producing sound, usually by rubbing two body parts together

Behavioural Ecology🦓🐝🐒 (13 decks)

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