The Functions of Communication Flashcards
What is the main use of inter-specific signals?
1) Predator deterrence= Persuade the predators to not go through with the attack
Examples:
-Flash behaviour= Sudden changes in behaviour= Bigger and more threatening
-Warning colours, distracting patterns= E.g. eye spots on moths
-Playing dead= Many predators will not eat dead things
-Alarm signals: Let the predator know its been detected, lost element of surprise and that a continued attack would be a waste of effort
What are some different uses of intra-specific signals?
1) Group spacing and coordination
2) Recognition
3) Alarm signals
4) Finding food- Advantage to group living= Increased foraging efficiency and they have signals to help with acquiring food
5) Giving and soliciting care- Begging and offering of food between parent and offspring e.g. herring gull and also have distress calls by young
6) Agonism and social status
7) Courtship and reproduction
What is group spacing and coordination?
Example: Types of spacing signals in primates
1) Distance-increasing signals= usually between groups. Branch shaking is example and also loud noise which would deter other groups from going into their territory
2) Distance-mainining= Home range spacing e.g. dawn chorus of howler monkeys
3) Distance-reducing signals= Keep group members in touch e.g. lost call of Cebu monkeys to locate where the individuals are
4) Proximity-maintaining signals e.g. during social grooming within groups
What are some examples of recognition?
1) Species recognition: Avoid infertile matings between members of closely related species= Want to only mate with own species
2) Deme recognition (a local population of polytypic species that actively interbreed with one another and share a distinct gene pool)= Individual populations have adapted to mate with the individual that have the skills needed to survive in their environment
3) Neighbour recognition:
Many animals tend to stay in one area= Tend to contact with same individuals repeatedly
-Waste of time/energy to respond intensely to same known neighbours each time
4) Kin recognition:
Differential responses to close relatives
Humans and house mice: Choose genetically dissimilar individuals as mates to minimise inbreeding
Also have: Parent-offspring recognition= Food and protection
5) Class recognition: Mainly in social insect groups as different individuals are treated differentially
6) Individual recognition:
Maintain social associations
Example: Bottlenose dolphins have individual identifiers as they have complex signature whistles
What are some different alarm signals for intra-specific communication?
Example:
Velvet monkeys: Have different alarm signals for different dangers e.g. “leopard” alarm= climb trees and ‘snake’ alarm= look down
Chemical alarm signals:
Sea urchins: Secrete chemical to communicate moving away from the area containing crushed urchins
Earthworms: Produce alarm pheromones
What is aggression?
Any activity directed towards the discomfiture (unease) of another individual
What is agonistic behaviour?
Behaviour patterns used during conflict with a CONspecific but does not include play-fighting and predatory behaviour
What are some causes of conflict?
1) Limited resources= Competition
2) Heterogenous environment- Environment that is not entirely the same
3) Patchy resources
4) Aggregations of individuals
What are some examples of resolving conflict?
Example: Blue-tit contests over food
- Females abandon food when male arrives
- 2 birds of the same sex= Ritualised visual displays which displays information on whether they quit or continue to fight
Example: Grey seals on breeding colonies= Compete for access to females
Less than 4% of male-male encounters involve actual fights= Many resolved by simple displays such as open mouth
Why are physical fights rare?
Potentially high cost due to energy expenditure and risk of injury- Victor will have lost energy therefore may lose the next fight as the new opponent would be fresh and did not fight previously
Selection favours evolution of conflict resolution mechanisms that avoid it
Most conflict is resolved by display= Needs to be unambiguous
What are some ways of avoiding conflict?
1) Maintaining social space e.g. territories through scent marking and dawn chorus
2) Appeasement and submission: Dominance relationships= Individuals announce their status which is either dominant or submissive and they keep it that way
3) Pre-fight displays such as Siamese fighting fish
About showing their size or weaponry if it escalates
When does an escalated aggression most likely occur?
When contestants are evenly matched e.g. male cichlids (fish)
One may be more prepared to persist for longer or escalate further because it has more to gain from winning e.g. motivation
Also: Resident vs intruder= Prior ownership of the resource may mean that they have more to lose if they lose the contest
