Communication

1
Communication
2
Communication

• What is Communication?
• An action on the part of one organism that alters
  the probability pattern of behavior in another
  organism in a fashion adaptive to either one or
  both of the participants (Wilson 1975)

3
Communication (Wiley 1983)
4
Communication (Wiley 1983)

• True Communication Both Sender and Receiver
  benefit
• Manipulation Sender benefits / Receiver is
  unaffected or harmed
• Eavesdropping Sender is unaffected or harmed /
  Receiver benefits
• Ignoring neither Sender or Receiver is harmed

5
Alarm Calls
Vocalizations - Vervet Monkeys Different
Calls Snake Chutter Leopard Barking Eagle
Cough
6
How do they Signal?
Discrete ear position Pointed Up greeting Laid
back - threat Graded Mouth Closed mild Open
More intense
7
Pseudopenis of the Female Spotted Hyena
8
Pseudopenis of the Female Spotted Hyena
9
Proximate Causes

• Stephan J. Gould
• Pseudopenis due to proximate cause
• High levels of androgen during development
• Suggests proximate cause outweighs adaptive
  significance (ultimate cause)

10
Other Causes

• John Alcock
• Suggests proximate cause may not be as strong a
  Gould suggests
• Contends Gould is against Sociobiology
• Adaptationist Hypothesis
• (Ultimate Cause)

11
Pseudopenis of the Female Spotted Hyena
12
Dominance of the Female Spotted Hyena

• Adaptive Behavior more androgen / more
  aggression
• By-product is pseudopenis

13
Honest Signals
14
Honest Signal

• How much food do I need?
• Brood Parasites (European Cuckoo)
• Increase amount of food by tricking parents

15
Illegitimate Receivers

• Tungara Frog
• Whine-chuck
• Whine only

16
Illegitimate receivers

• Mobbing Call
• Attract other mobbers if hawk is perched
• Seet Call
• Warning sound if hawk is in the air
• doesnt travel as far
• Range of sound hard for hawk to hear

17
Illegitimate Signalers

• Femme fatales

18
Illegitimate Signalers

• Angler Fish

19
Solving Problems Group Foraging

• Food Bonanzas
• Yell for others

20
Solving Problems Group Foraging

• Honeybees
• Round Dance
• Sickle Dance
• Waggle Dance

21
Solving Problems Group Foraging

• Ants
• Recruitment Pheromones
• Stridulating

22
Solving Problems How to Secure a Mate

• Bird Song
• Cowbird

23
Solving Problems How to Secure a Mate

• Bird Song
• Blackbirds

24
Solving Problems Warn Others about Predators

• Meerkats

25
Solving Problems Warn Others about Predators

• Deception
• Low ranking Males

26
Solving Problems Warn Others about Predators

• Deception
• Barn Swallows

27
Talking Animals

• Nim Chimpsky
• Talking Chimp

28
Talking Animals

• Alex
• Talking Parrot

29
Talking Animals

• Koko
• Talking Gorilla