Exam 8: Principles of Communication

Refer to the figure. Each data point on the graph represents a population of guppies. What can be inferred from the data concerning the female guppies' interest in orange foods and the male guppies' orange coloring? State a hypothesis for why males are orange.

Refer to the figure. Calls at higher frequencies do not travel as far as calls at lower frequencies. This suggests that the begging frequencies of ground-nesting warblers are

Refer to the figure. These findings about the male red-collared widowbird's tail length and red collar show that

A hunting owl hears the rustling of a mouse while it is foraging. This is an example of

White-tailed deer raise their tails when they spot a predator approaching; the predator typically gives up its pursuit once it knows that the faster prey species has seen it. This is an example of

How does a sensory drive contribute to sensory exploitation and the evolution of signals via preexisting biases?

Refer to the figure. Based on these results, the push-up threat display of male side-blotched lizards is a(n)

What information is communicated through the waggle dance of the honeybee? Give a plausible hypothesis for the origin of this behavior.

Elaborate male traits that are used in mate choice of birds in a given species B are entirely absent in distantly related sister taxon,A. However, males of species A that are artificially altered to possess these elaborate traits are preferred by females of species,A. Which is more likely to have evolved first in species B, the male trait or the female preference?

Both the sender and receiver of a signal benefit from the transfer of information. This is an example of

A spider researcher, Pia Stålhandske, knew that males of Pisaura mirabilis offer their mates a nuptial gift-a prey item, such as a cricket-whose acceptance by the female is critical for male mating success. Males wrap their generally dark-colored food gifts in white silk. Stålhandske wondered if the males wrapped their gifts to make them look like the white, silk-covered egg sacs that mated females make and protect by holding them in their jaws until the spiderlings hatch. What theory was Stålhandske using to explore this species' courtship behavior?

The American kestrel is a small falcon that is occasionally taken as prey by larger birds. It has two large spots on the back of its head that somewhat resemble large eyes. This is an example of

Female spotted hyenas have a pseudopenis that is used in greeting displays. Describe a potential hypothesis for the evolution of the pseudopenis if the pseudopenis is non-adaptive, and if the pseudopenis is adaptive.

A spider researcher, Pia Stålhandske, knew that males of Pisaura mirabilis offer their mates a nuptial gift-a prey item, such as a cricket-whose acceptance by the female is critical for male mating success. Males wrap their generally dark-colored food gifts in white silk. Stålhandske wondered if the males wrapped their gifts to make them look like the white, silk-covered egg sacs that mated females make and protect by holding them in their jaws until the spiderlings hatch. The last sentence in the paragraph above constitutes

In animal communication, why does it benefit a sender to use honest signaling for body size and shape?

According to Gould's "panda principle"

Refer to the figure. These results show that

Refer to the figure. Based on these findings, the male red-collared widowbird's tail length and red collar are

The evolution of communication requires

Refer to the figure. These findings most directly support the