Chapter 12 - Communication In Animals

Front 1

Communication

Back 1

Transfer of information from a signaler to a receiver

Front 2

Why don't we study communication in between animals and humans?

Back 2

1. The few species with which we communicate today (dogs and cats) have been subject to strong artificial selection
2. We can't know what the animals are communicating to us from their side

Front 3

Clever Hans

Back 3

1. An example of why we don't study communication between humans and animals
2. Why? He was able to pick up on the subtle cues of the people around him - he didn't actually know what 10 + 10 was

Front 4

2 Differing views on communication and honesty

Back 4

Dawkins and Krebs vs. classical ethological approach

Front 5

Dawkins and Krebs view of honesty

Back 5

1. communication is an attempt by the signaler to manipulate the receiver / "arms race"
2. natural selection favors signalers to send any signal that increases signaler's fitness
3. salesman - exaggerated signals to try and sell

Front 6

Arms race

Back 6

1.Dawkins and Krebs view of communication and honesty
2. signaler is selected to better manipulate while the receiver is selected to better filter out only the information that is beneficial to him

Front 7

Classical ethological approach to communication and honesty

Back 7

1. signaler and receiver are on the same page, cooperative signaling
2.may occur in kin and reciprocal exchanges
3. conspirational whispers

Front 8

Conspirational whisper

Back 8

1. classical ethological theory on communication and honesty
2. reduces conspicuousness of signal, thus reducing the cost of signaling

Front 9

Ptarmigans

Back 9

1. example of conspirational whispers and classical ethological approach
2. Males that remain white in the summer attract predators but attract females. when breeding season is over, they soil their plumage

Front 10

Why does honesty evolve? In what animal does this affect mating?

Back 10

1. deception has too high of a cost
2. deception is impossible
3. females will only pay attention to cues that can't be faked - deep croaks in toads can only be produced by larger males

Front 11

Zahavi's Handicap Principle

Back 11

1. costly trait to produce may be adopted as an honest signal because only the individuals fit enough to produce it, will. (Hercules pretending he can sing)
2. honest communication may result even when deception is possible, as long as deception is costly

Front 12

3 problems that communication solves

Back 12

1. foraging
2. choosing mates
3. avoiding predators

Front 13

animal examples of foraging communication

Back 13

1. Cliff Swallows
2. Ravens
3. Honeybees
4. Ants

Front 14

squeak calls in cliff swallows

Back 14

1. alert conspecifics about a found new food source
2. like vampire bats, they help each other out
3. need resources and information to be passed down the line
4. would have trouble relocating food without help

Front 15

proximate explanation to communication while foraging

Back 15

Ravens “yell” when they find a large food patch to attract others. They yell to attract other juveniles to a food resource. By banding together with other vagrants, they overpower those originally at the food source.

Front 16

Ravens, honking, and nightly roosts

Back 16

1. nightly roosts are information centers about food
Group A - isolated and denied communication, turned into followers
Group B - captured and showed food - turned into leaders

Front 17

Honeybees

Back 17

1. Angle = direction / Duration = distance
2. Circle/Sickle/Waggle *sickle - half
3. single gene is responsible for waggle dance trait
4. colder temp during development = learning and foraging decreases

Front 18

Chemical and Vibrational communication in ants

Back 18

1. use chemicals and stridulation to communicate
2. proximate - recruitment pheromones
3. caste based system and need to communicate information about cultivation of leaves with the colony

Front 19

recruitment pheromones

Back 19

Chemical placed along the trails leading to trees where leaves are being harvested. Workers raise and lower gaster to create stridulatory vibration to recruit workers to the best leaves in the area.

Front 20

stridulation

Back 20

sounds markers made by raising and lowering the gaster in ants

Front 21

example of animals: communication and finding a mate

Back 21

1. song sparrow and repertoire size
2. cowbirds
3. Aquatic insects

Front 22

cowbirds experiment

Back 22

1. injected females with estradiol
2. 4 experimental groups. females showed longer copulation displays when songs were coming from fellow cowbirds, repertoire size was considered second.

Front 23

sexual selection and birdsong

Back 23

1. sexual selection acts more on polygamous and sexually dimorphic systems
2. strong selection pressure = natural selection selecting for the many components that make up a song

Front 24

proximate explanation of song variance in cowbirds and song sparrows

Back 24

1. syrinx is the same in all birds - what leads to variance?
2. 2 compartments controlled by different parts of the brain

Front 25

Aquatic insects

Back 25

1. use ripple communication to attract mates
2. pumping behavior is the same one that males use to aerate the eggs. (more pumping - better male to mate with)

Front 26

animal examples: warning others about predators in communication

Back 26

1. woodpeckers and chickadees
2. Learning in Meerkats
3. Ground Squirrels and alarm calls
4. vervet monkeys

Front 27

woodpeckers and chickadees

Back 27

1. alarm calls are only made to predict mates, not other individuals
2. "mate investment"
3. shown fake predators - did not react when alone or with other individuals of the same sex

Front 28

meerkats and social learning

Back 28

1. when first above ground, very scared
2. social learning - began to start responding like adults
3. females adapted quicker
4. females were closer to the adults than the males

Front 29

vervet monkeys

Back 29

1. deceptive alarm calls
2. when encountering new troop - scares them so the caller doesn't have to fight
3. low-ranking males most likely to give the call

Front 30

ground squirrels

Back 30

1. deceptive alarm calls
A - alarm call given.
B1 - predator appears / B2 predator doesn't appear
C1 - vigilant after 10x / C2 - not vigilant after 10x