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Perspectives on Neuroscience

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Published on: July 31, 2007

Putting information back into biological communication.

P Carazo¹, E Font

¹Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain. pau.carazo@uv.es

Journal of Evolutionary Biology

|February 13, 2010

Summary

Information is crucial for defining communication, despite some debates. This study argues that removing information from communication definitions is flawed, proposing a functional view for better understanding animal signals.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Animal communication
Information theory

Background:

Communication is often defined by information transfer.
Recent proposals suggest removing information from communication definitions.
This creates a debate on the role of information in communication.

Purpose of the Study:

Re-evaluate information-based vs. information-free communication definitions.
Propose a functional concept of information.
Develop a more inclusive definition of animal communication.

Main Methods:

Conceptual analysis of communication theories.
Re-evaluation of information-based and information-free approaches.
Development of a functional, adaptationist definition of information.

Main Results:

Information-free definitions are conceptually incomplete and operationally hindered.
A functional notion of information aligns with adaptationist accounts.
The proposed definition enhances the scope for studying animal signals.

Conclusions:

Information should not be dropped from communication definitions.
A functional information concept improves understanding of animal signal evolution.
This approach better accommodates signal diversity and related issues.