Lecture 10

Question 1

What does alarm call detection depend on?

Answer 1

• 1.Amplitude of signal at the source
• 2.Attenuation characteristics of environment
• 3.Signal-to-noise ratio at the receiver
• 4. Sensitivity and discrimination ability of the receiver

Question 2

describe avian alarm calls

Answer 2

young are most vulnerable to predation.
parents can:
--• Alarm call
• Mobthepredator
• Perform distraction displays

Question 3

Risks of predation by specific predators can vary by what?

Answer 3

developmental stage

Question 4

What sorts of animals will warrant avian alarm calls

Answer 4

garter snakes
kestrels
scrub jays

Question 5

When do parents produce the greatest number of alarm calls (chinks)?

Answer 5

at the corresponding developmental stage of offspring, parents can match threat level to predator and developmental stage of offspring.

Question 6

Alarm calling changed as a result of…?

Answer 6

offspring reproductive value

• more alarm calls given with increasing reproductive value of offspring
• reproductive value increases with age

Question 7

rates of alarm calls to snakes were highest when the nests contained…?

Answer 7

nestlings

Question 8

rates of alarm calls to hawks were highest when the nests contained…?

Answer 8

fledglings

Question 9

rates of alarm calls to jays were highest when the reproductive value of __________ was highest.

Answer 9

offspring

Question 10

What animal has difficulty deterring a snake?

Answer 10

white crowned sparrow

Question 11

rates of alarm calling were lowered for what?

Answer 11

lowest for snakes despite developmental age.

Question 12

What crowned sparrows are most effective at deterring attacks from…?

Answer 12

hawks and jays; calling rates were highest for these predators and spiked for the most vulnerable developmental stage

Question 13

what are avian alarm calling rates effected by?

Answer 13

reproductive value of the young but also the stimulus value as well

Question 14

Downy woodpeckers and black capped chickadees alarm call to…?

Answer 14

protect mates

Question 15

What did Sullivan do?

Answer 15

Created artifcial flights of these predators over the potential prey species.

Question 16

downy woodpeckers never called when…?

Answer 16

Foraging alone
• Whenpartofamixedspeciesflock
with no other conspecifics
• Whenpartofasame-sexforaging pair

Question 17

describe mammalian alarm calls

Answer 17

tend to follow a pattern of related females staying in their natal groups while males disperse to neighboring territories as they mature

• Creates patter of with-in group kinship and neighboring group kinship

Question 18

T/F: If alarm calls are costly to produce but aid others in predatory evasion, then individuals with the greatest number of relatives should alarm call

Answer 18

true

Question 19

alarm calling in mammals should be impacted by what?

Answer 19

genetic relatedness

Question 20

for belding ground squirrels, whistles are given for what?

Answer 20

low risk predators

Question 21

chatters and trills are given for?

Answer 21

high risk predators

Question 22

characteristics of belding ground squirrels?

Answer 22

live in burrows in social groups
high elevations
one litter of 5-8 pups each season
Pups remain underground until they are approximately 25 days old
Members of these groups alarm call with trills (terrestrial) and whistles (aerial)

Question 23

what makes up squirrel groups and what posits alarm calls??

Answer 23

groups made up of closely related females and unrelated males.
Individuals with large number of relatives will alarm call the most

Question 24

Focusing specifically on ground predators, Sherman found

Answer 24

Males called less than expected
• Females called more than males •
• Adult females alarm called as often in the presence of kin as in their absence

Question 25

what were some of the conclusions on sherman’s study of squirrels?

Answer 25

Aerial alarm calling did not seem to produce the same results
• Sherman compared individual’s responses to ground versus aerial
predators
• effects of kinship existed or sex

Question 26

what did sherman find in relation to alarm callers?

Answer 26

Callers had a much higher chance of escape when calling for aerial predators over terrestrial predators
• Aerial predator alarms were given when individuals were running and away from cover
• Ground predator alarms were given when caller was close to its burrow and had stopped running

Question 27

What did Mateo discover about juvenile squirrels?

Answer 27

Glucocorticoid system …

• Activation of this system may help juveniles to rapidly learn response associations to differing calls

Question 28

________ elicit high cortisol

Answer 28

trills (terrestrial)

Question 29

__________ did not result in significant cortisol spikes but did induce _________

Answer 29

whistles (aerial), bradycardia