Journal article 1272 views 166 downloads
Interspecific visual signalling in animals and plants: a functional classification
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Volume: 372, Issue: 1724, Start page: 20160344
Swansea University Author:
William Allen
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DOI (Published version): 10.1098/rstb.2016.0344
Abstract
Organisms frequently gain advantages when they engage in signalling with individuals of other species. Here we provide a functionally structured framework of the great variety of interspecific visual signals seen in nature, then describe the different signalling mechanisms that have evolved in respo...
| Published in: | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
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| ISSN: | 0962-8436 1471-2970 |
| Published: |
2017
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa34384 |
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| Abstract: |
Organisms frequently gain advantages when they engage in signalling with individuals of other species. Here we provide a functionally structured framework of the great variety of interspecific visual signals seen in nature, then describe the different signalling mechanisms that have evolved in response to each of these functional requirements. We propose that interspecific visual signalling can be divided into six major functional categories: antipredator, food acquisition, antiparasite, host acquisition, reproductive, and agonistic signalling, with each function enabled by several distinct mechanisms. We support our classification by reviewing the ecological and behavioural drivers of interspecific signalling in animals and plants, principally focussing on comparative studies that address large-scale patterns of diversity. Collating diverse examples of interspecific signalling into an organised set of functional and mechanistic categories places anachronistic behavioural and morphological labels in fresh context, clarifies terminology, and redirects research effort towards understanding environmental influences driving interspecific signalling in nature. |
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| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Issue: |
1724 |
| Start Page: |
20160344 |