Communication

Question 1

Spotted hyena

- greeting

Answer 1

females have strange display

- smell between legs

Question 2

spotted hyena

• reproduction system
• impacts on young mothers

Answer 2

birth offspring through bent birth canal and elongated pseudopenis

birth complications are common in 1st babies
-> young mother often die

Question 3

spotted hyena

• social rank
• effects on high ranking mothers

Answer 3

live in social clans led by females
- females dominant over all males

have cubs with higher survival rates
+ have high-ranking daughters

Question 4

spotted hyena

- pseudopenis explanations

Answer 4

1. by-products of high ranking mothers
2. females may mimic males
3. gives females control over mates

Question 5

pseudopenis explanations

• by product of high ranking mothers
• is this adaptive or not?

Answer 5

high ranking mothers have elevated androgen production
-> form pseudopenis

not adaptive

Question 6

why is the non-adaptive explanation of a pseudpenis unlikely?

Answer 6

testosterone concs in female spotted hyenas:

> similar to those in other female mammals

> an order of magnitude lower than conc in reproductively active males

pseudopenis formation appears androgen independent

Question 7

pseudopenis explanations

• females mimic males
• is this adaptive or not?

Answer 7

can drive higher social status
- useful trait in hyena society

adaptive

Question 8

pseudopenis explanations

• female mating control
• how does this affect reproduction rate?
• is this adaptive or not?

Answer 8

females have control over who to mate with

indirectly increases rte by choosing the best mates for the best offspring

adaptive

Question 9

communication

- define

Answer 9

process in which actors use specifically designed signals to modify the behaviour of reactors

not random

Question 10

signal

- define

Answer 10

any trait/behaviour designed to alter the behaviour of 1 or more receivers

Question 11

aggression vs threat displays

- define

Answer 11

behaviour between members of same species intended to cause pain/harm

ritualised showing of of weaponry

could escalate into fight

Question 12

aggression

- example

Answer 12

throat patches in side-blotched lizards

3 different coloured throat patches
- orange, blue and yellow

all have distinct behavioural strategies
- none of which is an overall winner

Question 13

aggression

- orange-throated lizard

Answer 13

largest
weak pair bonds

fights blue males for females

cannot defend against yellow males (too fast)

Question 14

aggression

- blue-throated lizard

Answer 14

medium-sized
defend strong pair bonds

outcompeted by orange males

can defend against yellow males

Question 15

aggression

- yellow-throated lizard

Answer 15

smallest
no pair bonds

mate with females behind orange male’s backs

cannot approach blue guarding males

Question 16

lizards

- patch colour signalling

Answer 16

signals to each other

e.g. blue throats recognise each other + work together

Question 17

foraging

- bee example

Answer 17

honey bee dance

• round dance = close food resource
• waggle dance = distant

can tell direction and distance to food source

Question 18

foraging

- bee communication training

Answer 18

learn the behaviour - not born with it
experimental training
-> then test no. of bees that find the source

can identify bad communicators

Question 19

foraging

- leaf cutter ants chemical communication example

Answer 19

travel up to 300m to get leaves

-> lay trail pheromones to find way back to colony

Question 20

predation

- interspecies communication

Answer 20

aposematic signals
= bright + conspicuous
signals dangerous/ unpleasant traits

warning signals
= unusual behaviour that targets predator
e.g. stotting in Thompson’s gazelle

Question 21

stotting in Thompson’s gazelles

Answer 21

could be amplified by body stripe

signals they’re agile and hard to catch

BUT more attention seeking

Question 22

predation

- alarm calls

Answer 22

high pitched short call

targets same species or different species

may be specific to predator

hard for predator to detect emitting individual (frequency outside predator’s hearing range)

Question 23

mating

- examples

Answer 23

frog calls
whale song

emitted by males

may derive from non-mating signals

Question 24

bird song

• what is it?
• used in 2 contexts

Answer 24

v variable behaviour between different songbird species
e.g. simple song in great tit + complex in blackbirds

mate choice
territorial defence

Question 25

bird song | - song learning

Answer 25

learnt in all songbird species - from adult males singing around nest learning + production coordinated by group of brain nuclei

Question 26

spiders - sexual imprinting - importance of recognising mate

Answer 26

young learn the features of a desirable mate from parent | sex or death issue all or nothing

Question 27

spiders | - reproductive system

Answer 27

males have specialised secondary sexual organ that transfer sperm females have specialised openings that receive sperm

Question 28

spiders | - experiment

Answer 28

subadult females allowed to interact with adult males with black or brown forelegs -> as female adults they copulated more often with familiar coloured males

Question 29

spiders | - bad quality males preyed upon

Answer 29

preyed upon less -> signal less -> cannot attract females effectively (courting) = reduced latency to death

Question 30

begging | - why do baby birds beg so loudly?

Answer 30

H1: begging is honest signal H2: competition among siblings

Question 31

begging in birds | - H1 (honest signal)

Answer 31

hungry chick - > begs lots - > revives a lot of food BUT cost to being hungry -> being loud gets you killed

Question 32

begging in birds | - H2 (sibiling competition)

Answer 32

more food goes to one that begs more -> steals more food from sibling relatedness between siblings influences begging - more distantly related, bigger difference in volume

Question 33

threats - fighting vs threats - what are threat postures?

Answer 33

fighting = costly + injures contestants selection favours conflict resolution as less expensive - i.e. threats + assessing strength using threat postures displaying weaponry and making an animal look bigger

Question 34

threats | - examples

Answer 34

croaking in European toads = honest signal of body size claw waiving in crayfish = NOT honest signal - no relationship between claw size + winning contest (quality of male)

Question 35

deception | - example

Answer 35

bright spots + stripes on N. pilipes spider attracts prey to predator at night - NOT honest (elicits behaviour responder doesn't expect)

Question 36

how can sensory exploration + deception evolve?

Answer 36

1. signaller exploits sensory system of receiver | 2. eavesdropping

Question 37

signaller exploits sensory system of receiver - cuckoo example - illegitimate...?

Answer 37

cuckoos lay eggs in songbird nests cuckoo eggs hatch -> kick host species eggs out nest cuckoo chick imitates begging calls of whole brood of reed warbler chicks illegitimate signaller

Question 38

signaller exploits sensory system of receiver - plant examples - illegitimate...?

Answer 38

elbow orchid - imitates female wasps to attract male wasps - > males can carry pollen sundew - has sticky dew resembling sugary fluid to attract insects -> insects trapped + digested illegitimate signaller

Question 39

signaller exploits sensory system of receiver - firefly example - illegitimate...?

Answer 39

firefly males attract females by pulsing light signals predatory firefly females approach signalling males + pretend to be normal firefly females predatory female fireflies eat normal male fireflies illegitimate signalling and receiving

Question 40

eavesdropping - bats and frogs example - illegitimate

Answer 40

Tungara frogs attract females by calling - louder attracts more bats prey on frogs honest signalling but illegitimate receiver