Communication and tool use Flashcards
When does communication occur?
When one organism (the sender) transmits a signal of some kind that another organism (the receptor) is capable of responding to appropriately
What questions are raised by the fact that animals can communicate?
What sort of information do they communicate?
How does this ability develop?
Is such communication intentional? e.g. when animal captured by predator they might secrete hormones detectable by other members of species - is this a simple stress response or an intentional behaviour to alert the others to the threat?
How do bees communicate information about food sources?
Run a short distance in a straight line vertically up honey comb while waggling abdomen
Turns through 360 degrees left and returns to straight line
Runs waggling again, before turning to right in 360 turn
Dance continues in figure of 8 pattern
How does this dance confer info about distance?
Longer straight run, further away source is
Fewer turns made, further distance
How does the bee dance confer info about direction of food source?
Upper part of honeycomb represents sun, so if run upwards means go in direction of sun
Angle indicates precise angle of direction and they adjust this with suns movement (every 4 minutes adjust 1 degree west)
How is this behaviour thought to be determined?
Primarily genetically, but modulated by learning
Bees from different regions perform slightly different versions of the dance, but can learn the dialect of others in order to adapt and optimise survival
How can the ability to communicate develop?
1) LEARNED - young chaffinches learn to sing if they hear song of adult during critical period; can hear adults even before hatch so learning occurs very early
2) GENETIC PREDISPOSITION + MODULATED BY LEARNING - velvet monkeys innately display alarm calls for eagles in response to any aerial stimuli initially, but in present of real threat adults make the call and reinforces helping the babies to discriminate - they learn how to appropriately signal danger in this way
How is tool use in animals determined?
Rudimentary behaviour seems to be genetically determined e.g. without any prior exposure, Egyptian vulture knew to try to crack egg using stones, throwing them randomly
Thought to be an evolutionary extension of the way of cracking small eggs by throwing them down
Ability refined through learning - choosing better stones, throwing in right direction with right force etc
Learning seems to help increase the accuracy and inventiveness of behaviours which may, at their core, be innate and genetically pre-determined
