Animal Communication Evolution: Reliability & Deception in Signaling Systems | Wildlife Behavior Studies & Research
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Product Description
Gull chicks beg for food from their parents. Peacocks spread their tails to attract potential mates. Meerkats alert family members of the approach of predators. But are these--and other animals--sometimes dishonest? That's what William Searcy and Stephen Nowicki ask in The Evolution of Animal Communication. They take on the fascinating yet perplexing question of the dependability of animal signaling systems. The book probes such phenomena as the begging of nesting birds, alarm calls in squirrels and primates, carotenoid coloration in fish and birds, the calls of frogs and toads, and weapon displays in crustaceans. Do these signals convey accurate information about the signaler, its future behavior, or its environment? Or do they mislead receivers in a way that benefits the signaler? For example, is the begging chick really hungry as its cries indicate or is it lobbying to get more food than its brothers and sisters? Searcy and Nowicki take on these and other questions by developing clear definitions of key issues, by reviewing the most relevant empirical data and game theory models available, and by asking how well theory matches data. They find that animal communication is largely reliable--but that this basic reliability also allows the clever deceiver to flourish. Well researched and clearly written, their book provides new insight into animal communication, behavior, and evolution.
Customer Reviews
I work in this research area myself (status signaling, birds) and have come to rely on this book heavily. Both authors are well-respected and well published in this field, and clearly know what they're talking about. They start off with a very thorough introductory chapter where they describe the history of the field and define the terms used throughout the book, then go on in various chapters to cover the whole breadth of signalling, including nestling begging, alarm calling, mating/sexual signals, the significance of bird song and calls, badges of status (an especially good section), eavesdropping, then honesty and deception etc. I like the way they differentiate the chapters into signaling when interests either overlap, diverge or oppose.I also liked the way they cover a range of taxa rather than limit things to birds (even though both are primarily bird guys) and use the best studies as examples regardless of whether they involve insects, fish or mammals etc. It's well written, the graphs are good, the figures/pictures are good, and all in all it is a very tight, informative book. The price has come down a lot recently, and anything around $50 is a great deal, as it is 250 page book with a lot packed into it.I really recommend this book to anyone studying signaling, whether they be an undergrad, grad student or even a professor wanting a comprehensive summary. I certainly find it a lot more compelling that the rather disappointing and relatively superficial book by Maynard Smith and Harper which came out around the same time (and aimed perhaps more at modellers). This is a great book.
