Theme - Communication Flashcards
Give two examples of species that communicate at frequencies inaudible to humans
Low frequency - elephants
High frequency - bats, crickets
What does a plant release in reaction to herbivory?
VOC - volatile organic chemicals
What effect does the release of VOCs by plants have?
They trigger other parts of the plant (and other plants) to switch on defences
Scents may also attract carnivores to eat herbivores
How can plants ‘communicate’?
Movement of hairs triggers a catch response in venus fly traps.
Release of volatile organic chemicals triggers changes to repel predators
Give two ways that communication is used for sexual selection in animals
Mate recognition as one of same species
Mate choice, by conveying details about quality of mate
Why is species identity one of the key things to communicate between mates?
Because mating with another species is pointless - offspring will be unviable or infertile so its a wasted effort
What are conspecific individuals?
They are from the same species
What must conspecific communication be?
Repetitive enough to be recognised by a mate
Unique enough to stand out from other species
Why is variety needed within conspecific calls?
It allows female choice.
Calls may provide information about the mate
How can communication between members of the same gender help avoid conflict?
By conveying information about body size, calls may avoid conflict
Name two species that use non-vocal signals for communication
Frogs - foot flagging
Fiddler crabs - claw waving
What does a large claw indicate in fiddler crabs
Gender … if a male loses their claw they can be mistaken for females
Name three things visual signals can be used for
Mate choice
Mate recognition
Species recognition
Male rivalry
