Exam 16: Communications: Channels and Functions

A queen honeybee produces a chemical known as trans-9-keto-decenoic acid that, when distributed through the hive by workers, serves to inhibit the development of additional queens. The same chemical, however, in a different context can also serve as a(n)

A male mountain dusky salamander (Desmognathus ochrophaeus) normally injects a courtship pheromone into the female's circulatory system with his teeth. When Houck and Reagan (1990) artificially treated females with either a pheromone-containing elixir or a saline solution, they found that the females that received the pheromone

Some animals make sounds that humans cannot hear. Which of the following would NOT be likely to produce ultrasounds?

Members of a social group, such as wild dogs or chimpanzees, not just mated pairs, frequently engage in communicative behaviors that serve to reinforce their social bonds. Many of these signals serve as an assurance of nonaggression. These signals are frequently

Releaser pheromones

Herntenstein and colleagues (2006) describe a study in which human subjects were asked to send a tactile signal to another person that conveyed one of 12 different emotions. The recipient of the signal was then supposed to choose which of the 12 the sender was trying to communicate. Subjects tended to associate specific types of touch with specific emotions. For example, pushing tended to be associated with

When a female common tern (Sterna hirundo) compares the quantities of fish provided by her various suitors, she is most likely using his courtship fishing display as a means of

Many amphibians, reptiles, and mammals posses a vomeronasal organ that is important in chemical communication. It is used primarily in association with

Electrical signals, such as those produced by weakly electric fish,

Pairs of monogamous pipefish (Corythoichthys haematopterus) perform an elaborate greeting ceremony every morning, even during the nonreproductive season, and then have no further contact the rest of the day. It has been suggested that this "off-season" greeting ritual provides a means of

Courting male fiddler crabs adjust temporal and structural elements of their claw-waving display in relation to female distance. As the female gets closer, the claw-waving display

Animals that are most active at dusk and at dawn may make use of visual displays. These signals tend to rely heavily on

Bombykol (produced by a silk moth), alarm substances, and the mammary pheromone (e.g., produced by lactating rabbits) are examples of

Which of the following would NOT be characteristic of a tactile message? Tactile messages

Many alarm signals cause those who hear them to flee or take cover. They tend to be

A signal transmitted literally at the speed of light would have to be a _____ signal.

The presence and relative importance of one type of visual stimulus or another can be influenced by environmental conditions. For example, some species of shark possess conspicuous markings on their pectoral fins that enhance the visibility of a particular postural display. These species usually live

One way to define communication is as something that happens when a sender produces a signal that contains information that is transmitted through the environment, that is then detected by a receiver, who then interprets the signal and decides how to respond. This sort of definition may create some problems because it may inappropriately include the transmission of information that might more appropriately be described as a

When animals that spend most of their time alone need to find a mate, they need to send a signal that is easy to locate and effective over long distances. For this reason, ________ signals are frequently used for mate attraction.

Chemical signals, such as scent marks, often differ in terms of their odor mosaic, meaning that they each contain