Intro To Communication

Question 1

What does communication mean

Answer 1

Animal communication is the transfer of information from an individual animal or a group to another individual or group

Question 2

Types of communication

Answer 2

Visual
Peacocks use their elaborate tails during courting rituals

Auditory
Male whales use their song to communicate with females

Tactile
Baboons use touch to show affection and groom each other

Chemical
Skunks use their signature smell to determine predators

Question 3

Reasons for communication

Answer 3

~to assert dominance
~as a warning e.g. presence of predators
~initiate mating/courtship behaviour
~as a stress signal
~to locate conspecifics or offspring
~to intimidate predators
~to share resources e.g. indicate the location of food

Question 4

Signal production

Answer 4

Animals communicate by sending signals
The most appropriate signal to use is dependable on various factors, such as:
~the environment
~the distance between the sender and the receiver
~chances of interference

Question 5

Auditory signalling pros and cons

Answer 5

Pros
~can be used to signal to large groups at any time
~the receiver and sender dont have to be in direct line of vision
~sender doesn’t have to already have the receivers attention
Cons
~signals may be lost in noisy environments
~can give away an animals location to predators
~speed of sound varies depending on environment

Question 6

Releasers

Answer 6

Lorenz studied animal communication and devised the term “releasers”
A releaser is a stimulus, signal sent from one animal to another, which prompts a specific response from another.

Question 7

Pheromones

Answer 7

Chemical substance produced and released into the environment affecting the behaviour and physiology of others of its species

Ectohormones- any hormone that is secreted into an individual’s environment and affects the behaviour or activity of another individual…produced by glands on the skin or by ducts within the body, leading to the external areas of the animal

Question 8

Role of pheromones

Answer 8

Pheromones work externally outside of the body
Pheromones cause a response from other animals e.g. sexual arousal
Many insects use pheromones as their primary method of communication
Pheromones are produced in and released from a variety of specialised skin glands

Can be used to trigger many behavioural repsonse,such as:
~as a warning
~to raise alarm
~to from bonds between a mother and her offspring
~to signal a food trail