Lecture 15: Communication

Question 1

2 types of communication

Answer 1

1) deceptive communication

2) honest communication

Question 2

deceptive communication;

Answer 2

1) cuckoo and dartford warbler and feeding

2) Hornet clear wing moth, appears to look like hornet

Question 3

Sexual deception examples

Answer 3

• fly orchid & bee orchid males appear like females for pollen transportation
• bluegill sunfish: satellite male appear to look like females, enter territory of other males and take advantage of payed eggs

Question 4

sexual deception: Bolas spider

Answer 4

release pheromone similar to one female moths release, attracting male moths

Question 5

how can selection favour Honest Communication? Book

Answer 5

Maynard Smith & Harper (2003) Animal signals

Question 6

how can selection favour Honest Communication? 3 main ways that animal signals may be honest/reliable

Answer 6

1) common interest
- - honey bee communication
- -long-tailed tits
- -raven yelling
2) Handicap/cost
- -begging by chick
- -male displayed to attract females
3) index of quality (uncheatable signals)
- -body size/weight
- -volume & depth of calls

Question 7

honest communication due to common interests: honeybees

Answer 7

‘waggle dance’

-no conflict here as all individuals have a common interest to go out, find food, due to individuals being related

Question 8

honest communication due to common interest: long tailed tits

Answer 8

• helpers assist relatives
• -calls allow discrimination of kin from non-kin
• > -individually distinctive
• repeatable
• family specific
• learned form carers as nestlings
• ‘environmental’ cues to kinship

Question 9

honest communication due to common interest: Genetic cues - fire ants

Answer 9

'Green beard' genes 
--causes a phenotypic effect 
-- permits recognition of itself in other bearers 
--causes differential behaviour towards bearers 
--all egg-laying females are Bb
---bb females die prematurely 
---BB females are killed by Bb workers 
RECOGNITION BY ODOUR CUES?

Question 10

Honest communication due to common interests: Genetic cues -Storm petrels

Answer 10

Directed reading; can identify related individuals to avoid inbreeding

Question 11

honest communication due to common interest: Raven yelling

Answer 11

• over the carcasses of large mammals
• yell to get other ravens to aggregate
• WHY?
• –> intruder ravens to overwhelm defence of territory holding ravens
• -TH ravens didn’t yell
• -intruders yelled
• -TH unable to repeal many intruders

Question 12

Costly signals; begging chicks

Answer 12

• parents often give more food to chicks that beg more
• begging calls can attract predators
• hungry chicks benefit most from begging, as food has a greater effect to them than already satiated chicks

Question 13

costly signals: begging chick

—why don’t chicks beg at high rate even when they’re not that hungry?

Answer 13

ITS COSTLY, & begging attracts predators

Question 14

ground nester vs tree nesting begging calls

Answer 14

ground nests are especially vulnerable to predation.

-Ground nesters beg at higher frequency that tree nesters as high freq sound doesnt travel as far (GRAPH)

Question 15

begging: as relatedness decreases begging ___

Answer 15

becomes more loud as less interested in survival of whole group

Question 16

male signalling quality with a costly display

Answer 16

• M high quality males with no ornament = highest SURVIVAL
• Handicap & high quality = greatest survival and matings
• display = honest signal of male quality, = handicap that only high quality males can afford

Question 17

Honest communication: index of quality

Answer 17

• body size/weight

- volume & depth of calls

Question 18

Honest communication: index of quality; toad calls

Answer 18

• F more attracted to deep calls

- deep calls = honest signal of male size and ability to deter rivals

Question 19

Cheating body size =

Answer 19

possible up to a point

• inflation of abdomen
• puffing out chest
• making hair stand on end
• elongating larynx to make deeper calls

Question 20

signals and communication can be

Answer 20

honest / deceptive

Question 21

selection will often result in ___ communication & an evolutionary _____

Answer 21

deceptive communication

-result in an evolutionary arms race between signaller and receiver

Question 22

honest signals may evolve when:

Answer 22

there is common interest

• signals are costly
• signals are uncheatable