Is this a signal or cue? If it’s a signal, what kind (index, common interest, or handicap?
A bullfrog's deep croak signals its size to potential mates and rivals, reducing the likelihood of physical confrontation.
Signal (Index)
Signal vs Cue
Signal: behavior or trait evolved to convey information
Cue: an incidental piece of information that an organism can detect and use
Common interests are situations where the sender benefits from honest communication.
FALSE
What are eye spots?
A feature on a peacock’s train, which females prefer and is often correlated with higher mating success.
Male bowerbirds build intricate nests with brightly colored objects to attract mates. The nests are costly to produce.
Signal (Handicap)
Dishonest Signal
A signal that misleads the receiver by providing false information, often to the sender’s advantage
A cue is a signal that was evolved specifically for communication between organisms.
FALSE
What term describes the behavior where peahens select mates based on specific traits, like the elaboration of a male’s train?
Female Choice
A lizard flicks out its tongue to collect scent particles from the air, allowing it to assess whether predators are nearby.
Cue
Formant Frequencies
The resonant frequencies of an animal’s vocal tract that provide information about body size or other physical characteristics.
Dishonest signals do not frequently and are more effective the less common they become.
TRUE
Besides the number of eye spots, what factor mentioned in the article could influence a peacock's mating success by attracting peahens?
Symmetry
Dark facial patterns in paper wasps indicate social dominance within the colony. They are costly to produce.
Signal (Handicap)
Parallel Walk
A behavior where competing animals assess each other’s size or strength without directly fighting, often observed before escalation
The size and structure of a male deer’s antlers are an example of an index signal because they directly indicate physical strength and cannot be easily faked.
TRUE
What mating system involves peacocks gathering in groups to display for females, with only a few males succeeding in mating?
Lekking
When clownfish enter a new sea anemone tentacle, they perform a dance-like movement to allow the anemone to recognize them as friendly.
Signal (Common Interest)
Quorum sensing
When an organism collectively assesses population density and adjusts behaviors when a threshold is reached.
According to the handicap principle, only low-quality individuals benefit from producing costly ornaments as signals.
FALSE
According to Figure 3, what was the observed effect on mating success after 20 eye spots were removed from a peacock's train?
This led to a decrease in peacock mating success