Animal Communication Exam 1 – Animal Behavior Study Guide, Key Concepts and Practice
Review
How can we define animal communication? - ✔✔Animal Communication- the ways that
animals are able to propagate a signal to their intendent receiver and the receiver receiving and
processing that message.
Who are the different parties involved in communication? - ✔✔Sender & Receiver
How do Signals and Cues differ? - ✔✔Signals- stimuli "intentionally" produced by the sender to
provide information and alter the behavior of the receiver
Cues- properties or behaviors that are at least partially correlated with condition of interest (not
intentional)
What modalities are used to communicate information? - ✔✔• Sound-->Hearing
• Light-->Vision
• Chemicals-->Olfaction
• Touch-->Pressure detection
• Electric Field-->Electroreception
What factors shape the form of signals? - ✔✔• Modality
• Information provided
• Behavioral context
Why is the concept of Umwelt important for animal communication? - ✔✔Each animal has a
different sensory world. It is important to understand the physiology of each species to
understand how it senses the world.
,Define sound waves in terms of their spatial and temporal properties - ✔✔Spatial Properties
-Period (T): time between successive waves
- Frequency (f): "Pitch" (1/T)
Temporal Properties-
-Wavelength: distance traveled in one cycle
*depends on both the cycle or sound & speed*
Measure or calculate- Frequency, Period, Wavelength, Amplitude - ✔✔ƛ=cT
ƛ= wavelength
c= speed of sound (m/sec)
T= period (sec)
c=f ƛ
ƛ= wavelength
c= speed of sound (m/sec)
f= frequency (Hz)
Amplitude (dB): Height of a wave *peak to peak*
Determine how two sound waves interact and what the consequences of different interactions
for signal structure - ✔✔Positive Interference- waves are linearly additive
, Negative Interference- waves cancel out
Complex waves- waves are not perfectly additive or cancel out
Depict or interpret each of the different ways in which sound waves can be visualized - ✔✔•
Waveform (Pressure vs Time)(Pa vs sec)
• Spectrograph (Frequency vs Time)(Hz vs sec)
• Power Spectrum (Amplitude vs Frequency)(dB vs Hz)
Describe the different types of sound vibrations and which animals produce each -
✔✔Monopole- vibrator expands and contracts equally in all directions around a central point
*Think of balloon inflating and deflating*
Ex- Fish
Dipole- Vibrator moves back and forth along 1 axis
*Think clapping toy
Ex- Many insects & percussion
Quadropoles- Vibrator moves back and forth along 2 perpendicular axes
Ex- Human Larynx
Explain how different animals overcome short circuiting - ✔✔1) Sound baffles- similar to
stereos in boxes
2) Stridulation- A set of teeth or ridges (the files) is on one body part and a scraper (plectrum)
on another
• When rubbed together, each stroke produces many "clicks"
Review
How can we define animal communication? - ✔✔Animal Communication- the ways that
animals are able to propagate a signal to their intendent receiver and the receiver receiving and
processing that message.
Who are the different parties involved in communication? - ✔✔Sender & Receiver
How do Signals and Cues differ? - ✔✔Signals- stimuli "intentionally" produced by the sender to
provide information and alter the behavior of the receiver
Cues- properties or behaviors that are at least partially correlated with condition of interest (not
intentional)
What modalities are used to communicate information? - ✔✔• Sound-->Hearing
• Light-->Vision
• Chemicals-->Olfaction
• Touch-->Pressure detection
• Electric Field-->Electroreception
What factors shape the form of signals? - ✔✔• Modality
• Information provided
• Behavioral context
Why is the concept of Umwelt important for animal communication? - ✔✔Each animal has a
different sensory world. It is important to understand the physiology of each species to
understand how it senses the world.
,Define sound waves in terms of their spatial and temporal properties - ✔✔Spatial Properties
-Period (T): time between successive waves
- Frequency (f): "Pitch" (1/T)
Temporal Properties-
-Wavelength: distance traveled in one cycle
*depends on both the cycle or sound & speed*
Measure or calculate- Frequency, Period, Wavelength, Amplitude - ✔✔ƛ=cT
ƛ= wavelength
c= speed of sound (m/sec)
T= period (sec)
c=f ƛ
ƛ= wavelength
c= speed of sound (m/sec)
f= frequency (Hz)
Amplitude (dB): Height of a wave *peak to peak*
Determine how two sound waves interact and what the consequences of different interactions
for signal structure - ✔✔Positive Interference- waves are linearly additive
, Negative Interference- waves cancel out
Complex waves- waves are not perfectly additive or cancel out
Depict or interpret each of the different ways in which sound waves can be visualized - ✔✔•
Waveform (Pressure vs Time)(Pa vs sec)
• Spectrograph (Frequency vs Time)(Hz vs sec)
• Power Spectrum (Amplitude vs Frequency)(dB vs Hz)
Describe the different types of sound vibrations and which animals produce each -
✔✔Monopole- vibrator expands and contracts equally in all directions around a central point
*Think of balloon inflating and deflating*
Ex- Fish
Dipole- Vibrator moves back and forth along 1 axis
*Think clapping toy
Ex- Many insects & percussion
Quadropoles- Vibrator moves back and forth along 2 perpendicular axes
Ex- Human Larynx
Explain how different animals overcome short circuiting - ✔✔1) Sound baffles- similar to
stereos in boxes
2) Stridulation- A set of teeth or ridges (the files) is on one body part and a scraper (plectrum)
on another
• When rubbed together, each stroke produces many "clicks"
