- Signal: A stimulus transmitted from one organism
- Communication: the transmission and reception of signals between animals of same species
- Common modes of animal communication: visual, chemical, tactile, auditory,
- Uses: indicate dominance, find food, establish territory, ensure reproductive success, species recognition, mating behavior, and social behavior. Occurs by…
- Chemical: release pheromones (chemicals for communication) that elicit response when smelled or eaten
- Releaser pheromones: chemicals that trigger immediate and specific behavior changes
- Primer pheromones: cause developmental changes
- Ex: queen bee pheromones stop workers from being able to reproduce, ants use to guide other ants, male animals exhibit territoriality when spray urine
- Visual: often during acts of aggression (agonistic behavior) or courtship
- Ex: stickleback fishes where red bellies, head-up posture, zigzag motions, and swimming to nest are visual cues
- Some male birds assemble into groups called leks in which make courtship to female who chooses
- Auditory: sounds often used to communicate over long distances, thru water, and at night
- Use to ward off male rivals, attract female, species recognition, warn of territorial boundaries, infrasound for greeting, singing songs that announce reproduction
- Tactile: use of touch for social bonding, infant care, and mating
- Ex: bees perform dances that provide info about location of food
- Bees make body contact (tactile) during dance
Mating Behavior and Mate Choice
- In some animal species, mating is promiscuous, with no strong pair-bonds
- In others, mates form a relationship that is monogamous (one male mating with one female) or polygamous (an individual of one sex mating with several of the other)
- Sexual Dimorphism: Physical differences between male and females; resuls from sexual selection & mating systems
- In monogamous species, males and females often look very similar while in polygamous species the mate that attracts multiple partners is usually showier
- Often master-regulatory genes control courtship because products regulate other genes controlling sexual reproduction
- In some species, neurotransmitters or hormones are needed for partnering and parental behavior
- Ex: antidiuretic hormone (ADH) or vasopressin: a peptide that binds to specific receptors on nervous system
Change in level of receptor can alter development