BIOL 360 - Animal Communication

1 unit(s)

All animals use communication to navigate interactions with other individuals. At its most basic animal communication is a feedback loop. Senders produce signals which travel through the environment and are picked up by a receiver. The reception of the signal changes the behavior of the receiver through either voluntary or involuntary neural and hormonal changes; this, in turn, changes the behavior of the sender. In this course we discuss (1) how animal signals are produced, transmitted, and received; (2) how information transfer has evolved and been optimized; (3) how animals use communication in mate attraction, social integration, and predator-prey interactions; and (4) the controversy surrounding the definition of communication. Animal communication is a highly interdisciplinary field and we explore the chemical and physical properties of signals, as well as the mathematical models, neural and hormonal control, and the ecological and evolutionary underpinnings of animal communication. This course also examines animal communication in the wild and thus some self-scheduled field work is required.

Prerequisite(s): Two 200-level courses with at least one of the following: BIOL 226, BIOL 228, or BIOL 241.

One 3-hour period plus one 75-minute period.

Not offered in 2021/22.