Quiz on Communication

Question 1

What are the four types of sensory receptors:

Answer 1

• Chemoreceptors: chemical signals
• Mechanoreceptors: changes in the environment
• Photoreceptors: detects light
• Thermoreceptors: temperature

Question 2

What factors might vary in the cells of the nervous system of these caterpillars that cause their feeding behavior to vary?
Specify which cells, and which characteristics you’re thinking of.

Answer 2

Chemoreceptors, they taste things with their feet
Thermoreceptors-touch and vibration

Question 3

Connect them to the five senses:
-chemoreceptors
-mechanoreceptors
-photoreceptors
-thermoreceptors

Answer 3

• taste and smell
• touch and hearing
• sight
• touch

Question 4

Notice the variation in sensory receptors. Why do you think there is so much structural variation?

Answer 4

They serve different purposes

Question 5

Communication

Answer 5

transmission of a signal from a sender to a receiver

Question 6

Signal

Answer 6

something the animal produces that has evolved to carry a specific message to another animal; traits evolved for communication

Question 7

Give an example of a signal that is behavioral, but does not involve words.

Answer 7

Waving your arms

Question 8

Give an example of a signal that is morphological (having to do with shapes, sizes or colors of body parts).

Answer 8

Toxic colors in frogs signaling that they are poisonous

Question 9

What can suggest something is a signal?

Answer 9

Is it going from a living sender to a living receiver?

Is the information in the message specific?

Does the receiver have a predictable response?

Question 10

abiotic

Answer 10

non-living

Question 11

Consider the example of the wind rustling the leaves of the trees. This certainly contains information for an observer because that noise indicates that the wind is blowing. However, the wind is abiotic.

Answer 11

If we consult our definition of a signal, we see that it is something that evolves to carry a specific message. Non-living things do not evolve, and can therefore not produce signals.

Question 12

was is the difference between taste and smell

Answer 12

Taste involves touching the chemical on a surface; smelling involves encountering the chemical in the air!

But chemoreception is not limited to sensing chemicals in the external environment.

Question 13

Mode (of communication):

Answer 13

classification according to the kind of sensory receptor used to receive the signal

Question 14

types of modes of communication

Answer 14

Auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory, gustatory

Question 15

Auditory

Answer 15

mechanoreceptors, touch and hearing

Question 16

Visual

Answer 16

Photoreceptors

Question 17

Tactile

Answer 17

Mechanoreceptors-touch and hearing
Thermoreceptors-temperature

Question 18

Olfactory

Answer 18

Chemoreceptors-smelling

Question 19

Gustatory

Answer 19

Chemoreceptor-taste

Question 20

Auditory limitation

Answer 20

if they have ears

Question 21

Visual limitation

Answer 21

suddenly dark environment, has to evolve its auditory responses i order to be able to survive

Question 22

Tactile limitation

Answer 22

In order for communication by touch to evolve, the communicating individuals need to live at high enough density that they actually encounter each other in order to send and receive touch signals.

Question 23

Olfactory limitation

Answer 23

windy environment making it hard to track down the smell

Question 24

ask a living thing what us prefers

Answer 24

bioassay

Question 25

Sometimes we can overhear communication that is not meant for us. Give an example

Answer 25

The wind blowing through the trees shows it is a windy day, however, the wind did not evolve to provide the information that it is windy outside

Question 26

Discreteness

Answer 26

set of individual units such as words or sounds that can be used to communicate, distinct or hidden

Question 27

Grammer

Answer 27

System of rules to combine units to communicate

Question 28

Productivity

Answer 28

concept that can be produced through sounds, actually combining them

Question 29

Displacement

Answer 29

talk about something somewhere else or something remembered

Question 30

notes on bee video

Answer 30

• solar compass
• can know changes in seasons and altitude
• the degree of the waggle dance shows which way the bees leave the chive where the flower is, direction and distance even when it is windy
• distance comes from how much energy they have to use to get to the flower
• the two variables are the orientation of the dance which explains which way to travel away from the sun and how long they dance which shows how far away the flower is