Communication Flashcards
What’s convergent evolution ?
Organisms that are not closely related but evolve traits that are similar, or analogous, as an adaptive response to similar environmental pressures.
What’s eavesdropping ?
Eavesdropping is the act of secretly or stealthily listening to the private conversation or communications of others without their consent
What’s the concept of deceitful signalling ?
Within-species deceit is a different matter, since dishonest signaling can sometimes backfire on the sender. For example, an outright lie has been described in birds foraging in flocks, where one individual may give a false alarm call to scare competitors away from a rich food find.
What does olfactory mean ?
Related to odors and olfaction.
What does maladaptive mean ?
Maladaptive behaviors refer to types of behaviors that inhibit an animal’s ability to adjust to particular situations.
What does redundant mean ?
Unnecessary because it is more than is needed.
What does degenerate mean ?
Having declined or become less specialized (as in nature, character, structure, or function) from an ancestral or former state.
What does pluripotent mean ?
Not fixed as to developmental potentialities. especially : capable of differentiating into one of many cell types. pluripotent stem cells.
What are carotenoids ?
Yellow, orange, and red organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as several bacteria, archaea, and fungi.
What’s amplexus ?
Type of mating behavior exhibited by some externally fertilizing species (chiefly amphibians and horseshoe crabs) in which a male grasps a female with his front legs as part of the mating process, and at the same time or with some time delay, he fertilizes the eggs, as they are released.
What’s the panda principle ?
Derived from the fact that a species such as the Panda is actually not very optimal, having quite small and silly thumbs not very suited for climbing bamboo stalks.
What’s a sensory trap ?
Event that occurs in nature where male members of a species perform behaviors or display visual traits that resemble a non-sexual stimulus which females are responsive to. This tricks females into engaging with the males, thus creating more mating opportunities for males.
What’s piloerection ?
Erection or bristling of hairs due to the involuntary contraction of small muscles at the base of hair follicles that occurs as a reflexive response of the sympathetic nervous system especially to cold, shock, or fright.
What’s ritualization ?
Process by which non-signaling behavior patterns evolve to become communicative signals.
What’s the sensory drive hypothesis ?
The sensory drive hypothesis focuses on how communication systems adapt to local environments and predicts that divergence in communication systems will occur when environments differ.
