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Why Penguins Communicate
The Evolution of Visual and Vocal Signals
- 1st Edition - September 15, 2017
- Authors: Pierre Jouventin, F.Stephen Dobson
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 1 1 1 7 8 - 9
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 1 1 1 7 9 - 6
Why Penguins Communicate: The Evolution of Visual and Vocal Signals is a comprehensive and condensed review of several hundred publications on the evolution of penguin behaviors… Read more
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Request a sales quoteWhy Penguins Communicate: The Evolution of Visual and Vocal Signals is a comprehensive and condensed review of several hundred publications on the evolution of penguin behaviors, particularly signaling, linking genetics and ecology via such behavioral adaptations as nuptial displays. This exciting work has developed from the authors’ many years researching on the behavioral strategies of penguins, such as the unique vocal signatures for individual recognition. Studies of penguins on islands surrounding Antarctica are presented, fully showcasing the behavioral significance of visual ornaments (mating displays) and how and why penguins behave via adaptive evolutionary explanations.
Through this evolutionary lens, the authors address several questions involving their identification and taxonomy, habitat and location, breeding, and differences between penguins and other seabirds. Each species occupies a unique ecological niche, and behaviors permit separating the species through mutual display.
Although model organisms in science are diverse and specialized, we see the entire integration in penguins, from acoustical and optical physics, to behavioral display and speciation. This work highlights the adaptive significance of their behavior through an evolutionary point- of-view.
- Provides a focused view on visual and vocal communication behavior, also presenting the family of penguins as a model for acoustical studies
- Considers the role of ecological and social environments on the evolution of communication in penguins
- Spans the gap between the scientific community and an interested lay audience, featuring a readable style for students, professional researchers in biology, ornithologists, ethologists and penguin enthusiasts alike
- Ideal resource for graduate seminar courses on evolution of behavior, marine ecology, polar biology and ornithology
Researchers, academics and students in animal behavior/ethology, marine ecology/biology, evolutionary biology, ornithology, and conservation biology; and for graduate seminar courses on evolution of behaviour, marine ecology, polar biology, and ornithology
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY OF PENGUINS
Discovery and evolution of penguins
What is a penguin?
How many penguins and where?
Penguins as divers
Penguins as social birds
Why study the behavior of penguins?
Special penguins
Men and penguins
2 DESCRIPTION OF OPTICAL SIGNALS
Penguin ethology is fragmentary
Agonistic and appeasement signals
Description of sexual displays
Interpretation of sexual displays
Biological significance of sexual displays
3. EXPERIMENTS ON OPTICAL SIGNALS
Why do penguins have ornaments?
Natural and sexual selection
Colors come from food
First experiments on the role of ornaments in mating
Color measurement
Breast patches of colored feathers
Ear patches of colored feathers
Male competition for female mates
Beak spots and mutual sexual selection
Body mass and condition
Climate change
Conclusions
4. DESCRIPTION OF VOCAL SIGNALS AND FIRST EXPERIMENTS
Genus Aptenodytes
Genus Pygoscelis
Genus Spheniscus
Genus Eudyptula
Genus Eudyptes
Genus Megadyptes
5. PLAYBACK EXPERIMENTS ON VOCAL SIGNALS
Why identify the partner?
Penguins speak through recordings and playbacks
Information content of calls
Nesting penguins
Adding a bar code and two voices
Adding frequency modulation and two voices
6. THE EVOLUTION OF BREEDING STRATEGIES
Plan for incubation and brooding
Contracting breeding cycles
Breeding on sea-ice
Homosexual penguins, trios, kidnappings and adoptions
A disappearing territory
7. THE EVOLUTION OF SIGNALS FOR COMMUNICATION
A. THE EVOLUTION OF OPTICAL SIGNALS
Aggressiveness and shyness
Why the head?
Links between vocal and visual signals
Comparison between courtship displays
Origin of optical signals
B. THE EVOLUTION OF VOCAL SIGNALS
Adaptations of vocal signals
The comparative study of individual recognition
Biological significance of nuptial displays
REFERENCES
INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
CAPTIONS
SUMMARY
- No. of pages: 332
- Language: English
- Edition: 1
- Published: September 15, 2017
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Paperback ISBN: 9780128111789
- eBook ISBN: 9780128111796
PJ
Pierre Jouventin
Pierre Jouventin is the retired Director of Research, National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), Montpellier and past Director of CNRS laboratory at Chizé (13 years). He has published more than 230 peer reviewed scientific articles, four books (in French); and has made more than 20 research trips to the Antarctic with nearly a decade of collective experience there.
Affiliations and expertise
Director of Research (retired), National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), Montpellier, FranceFD
F.Stephen Dobson
F. Stephen Dobson is Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Auburn University, as well as retired Director of Research, National Center for Scientific Research, Montpellier; Chevalier, Order of Academic Palms (France); and a Fulbright Scholar. He has published more than 125 peer-reviewed scientific articles and has made six research trips to the sub-Antarctic for penguin studies.
Affiliations and expertise
Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USARead Why Penguins Communicate on ScienceDirect