NCSU Course ZO410 Lecture: 
Communication


Definition of Communication:
    -transfer of information, sender and receiver
    -animals send a signal that has specific meaning
    -sender must benefit by providing information

Channels for Communication:
Common Types of Signals
1) Visual
    - easy localization
    - rapid
    - variety of signals possible
    - can be blocked
    - weaker with distance
2) Auditory
    - long distances (water esp.)
    - rapid also
    - good for limited visibility
    - variety of specialized structures
3) Chemical
    - long distances
    - durable
    - slower transmission and fade-out
    - often difficult to locate sender
    - size and structure of molecules important
4) Tactile
    -short distances
    - easy to locate sender
    - variable depending on how and where given
    - social bonds, etc.

Unusual Signals
5) Seismic
    - travel farther than auditory
    - encoded in vibrations of environmental substrate
6) Electrical
    - water
    - move around obstacles
    - short distances only
    - sex and species i.d., aggression, promote schooling
    - electroreceptor organs embedded in fish's skin

Functions of Communication
1) Recognition
    SPECIES
    - especially important if closely related species live in same area
    KIN
    -chemical, auditory, visual
    -phenotype matching, MHC
    INDIVIDUAL
    - dolphin, bird, etc.
2) Mate Attraction
    -allow male and female to get close enough to interact
    - chemical or auditory
3) Courtship
    - i.d. species, sex, reduce aggression, coordinate behavior and physiology, assess mate qualities
4) Alarm Signals
    - vocal or chemical usually
    Specificity:
    - different calls for different types of predators
    Similarities
    - species living in same area, common predators
    Functions: (of individual giving an alarm call)
    - cause predator to look in wrong place (call difficult to locate in space acoustically)
    - warning to predator
    - cause others to flee and expose themselves
    - caller may join group fleeing-- safety in numbers
    Evolution:
        Kin selection  (ex. Belding's ground squirrels) vs. Selfish
5) Agonism/ Social Status
    - threats and appeasement
    - dominance
    - little physical combat
6) Recruitment/ Finding Food
    honey bee dance (Von Frisch)
7) Parent- Offspring
8) Play
9) Synchronization of Hatching

Interactions between Sender and Receiver
Cooperative/ Sharing Info
    - both sender and receiver benefit
Deceitful
    - fireflies; after mating, females flash to attract male of different species, then consume him
    - tanager-shrike alarm call
    - langurs post-conception mating
Incidental
    - mouse rustles nest, signals owl of presence
    - katydids in desert, mating call attracts predatory bat

Evolution and Ritualization
    -intention activities: ex: gaping mouth= attack
    - displacement activities: indecision evolves into courtship, threat, etc.
    - autonomic responses: urinating/marking territories, thermoregulation/ stress, fear

Ritualization= evolution of a display
                    = flexible behavior becomes stereotyped

Language and Apes
    - vocalizations were first attempted (not very successful)
    - sign language, Washoe
    - keyboard/ symbols, Sarah, Lana
    - conversations
    - lack of curiosity, controversy over whether truly using language, or just trained well
    - communication between indiv. chimps (Sherman and Austin)
    (parrots/macaws too)

End of Lecture-Communication subsite. Move directly to: ZO 410's Course Homesite.
Original author this subsite(lcom.html) = calswww@ncsu.edu, originally posted 7-95 under direction of Dr. John G. Vandenbergh. Updated  10-5-01 by Miles Dean.