1. Communication Transfer of information from a signaler to a receiver (cooperative or non-cooperative?) Any physiological, morphological or behavioral display Perceived by sense organs of another animal Must results in a change in receiver ’ s behavior

2. Information Identity - species, deme, kin, pairs, individuals, neighbors, class or social status Ability or condition - contest, signal to predator, potential to mate, ability to mate Intention - aggression, submission, soliciting care or play Environment - alarm call, food

3. Kin recognition Mechanism Association non-aggressive if reared together, aggressive if reared apart Phenotype matching MHC glycoprotein

4. Channels of communication

5. Selecting forces on the form of signals Species anatomy & physiology Species behavior Environment Ecological constraints - frequency window

6. Legitimate signalers/receivers Intraspecific interaction Signals between parents and offspring Distress calls Begging calls Following commends Aggressive signals

7. Defensive interaction Warning signals (coral snake, bee, rattlesnake) Feeding deterrent (monarch butterfly) Aposematic coloration Flower – Pollinator Color, odor, shap

8. Illegitimate signalers Misinformation Batesian mimicry – harmless species that mimic warning signals of dangerous species King snakes mimicking coral snake Flies mimicking bees Burrowing owls mimicking rattlesnakes

9. Batesian mimicry Evolution 47:277-235, 1993 Coral snakes and their mimic Question: Do color pattern of coral snakes function as warning signals? Do even imprecise non-venomous mimics experience reduced predation?

10. Warning coloration & mimicry Experimental approach – plasticine replicas Can be employed in large number Retain evidence of predatory attack Study conducted in Costa Rica Replicas placed out on transect inspect at regular intervals for “ injuries ”

11. Illegitimate signalers Aggressive mimicry – animals that mimic sexual signals of other animals to attract those animals as prey Fireflies, angler fish Intraspecific deceit – animals that transfer misinformation to members of own species Bluff display

12. Nest parasites, e.g. brown-headed cowbirds Rove beetles lay eggs in ant nest Mimic of cleaner wrasses

13. Illegitimate receivers Interception of signals E.g. tungara frog: whine-chuck Bats are attracted to frog calls Bats prefer whine-chuck to whine alone Tendency of males to produce whine-alone calls increase with intensity of predation

14. Evolution of maladaptive behavior Novel environmental hypothesis – change of environment Sensory exploitation hypothesis Cost << benefit Risk of being exploited is very low Response to signals has a clear adaptive value

15. Mobbing calls vs. “ seet ” alarm calls in great tit Mobbing call – 4.5 kHz, easily located, join mobbers in the harassment of their mutual enemy (perched hawk) Seet alarm call – 7-8 kHz, rapid attenuation, warn mates and offspring of possible danger (flying hawk) Convergent evolution in the seet calls

16. An. Beh. 55:511-518, 1998 Red squirrels: 5 types of calls: rattle, screech, growl, buzz, bark 1-4: territorial or agonistic, three types of bark: seet, seet-bark, bark Three types of predator: human, dog, model or natural birds Results: Bark when human or dog, seet or seet-bark when birds

17. Sematic or referential information? Low cross-taxon mistake may indicate referential information Complexity of environment and diversity of escape response to different predator may affect the evolution of alarm call

18. An. Beh. 55:529-536, 1998 Heterospecific alarm call Yellow-bellied marmot and golden-mantled ground squirrel respond to conspecific and hetero-specific alarm call more than to wren calls Responses: stop feeding, running, raise their head and scanning Maintain anti-predator and vigilance longer during 30-sec playback and post-playback periods

19. Sensory preference Sensory exploitation hypothesis Female preference evolves before male traits Coevolution hypothesis Female preference evolves with male traits