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Related Concept Videos

Communication

Communication

Communication between two animals occurs when one animal transmits an information signal that causes a change in the animal that receives the information. Organisms communicate with one another in a host of different ways. Signals can be auditory, chemical, visual, tactile, or a combination of these. Communication is a critical behavioral adaptation that promotes survival, growth, and reproduction.

Communication

Communication

Sharing information, concepts, and emotions to foster mutual understanding is communication. The sender, recipient, and transaction must be considered in this manner. The sender is the person who shares the message, the recipient is the person who receives and understands the message, and the transaction is the method used to deliver the message and the variables that affect the communication's context and surroundings. The nurse-client connection is built on therapeutic communication.

Language

Language

Language is a unique communication system that uses words and systematic rules to organize and transmit information. Unlike other forms of communication, which may involve postures, movements, odors, or vocalizations, language relies on symbols and grammar. This makes human communication distinct from that of other species, who also communicate but do not use language in the same way humans do.
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...

Overview of Cell Signaling

Overview of Cell Signaling

Despite the protective membrane that separates a cell from the environment, cells need the ability to detect and respond to environmental changes. Additionally, cells often need to communicate with one another. Unicellular and multicellular organisms use a variety of cell signaling mechanisms to communicate with the environment.
Cells respond to many types of information, often through receptor proteins positioned on the membrane. For example, skin cells respond to and transmit touch...

Neuronal Communication

Neuronal Communication

Neurons, the fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, communicate through complex electrochemical signals that underpin all cognitive and bodily functions. This communication is primarily facilitated by a process involving the generation and propagation of an action potential along the axon of the neuron. When the internal electrical charge of a neuron surpasses a certain threshold, an action potential is triggered. This rapid change in voltage travels swiftly along the axon to the...

What is Cell Signaling?

What is Cell Signaling?

Despite the protective membrane that separates a cell from the environment, cells need the ability to detect and respond to environmental changes. Additionally, cells often need to communicate with one another. Unicellular and multicellular organisms use a variety of cell signaling mechanisms to communicate to respond to the environment.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Automated Interactive Video Playback for Studies of Animal Communication

Automated Interactive Video Playback for Studies of Animal Communication

Published on: February 9, 2011

A systems approach to animal communication.

Eileen A Hebets¹, Andrew B Barron², Christopher N Balakrishnan³

¹School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA ehebets2@unl.edu.

Proceedings. Biological Sciences

|March 4, 2016

Summary

A systems approach offers new insights into the evolution of complex animal communication signals. By analyzing signal architecture and component interactions, researchers can better understand signal diversity across species.

Keywords:

degeneracy evolvability modularity multimodal redundancy robustness

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Area of Science:

Zoology
Evolutionary Biology
Systems Biology

Background:

Animal communication signal complexity and evolution are key research areas.
Understanding cross-taxa similarities/differences in signaling systems requires new hypotheses.

Purpose of the Study:

Advocate for a systems approach in animal communication studies.
Integrate systems concepts (redundancy, degeneracy, modularity) into communication research.
Explore how system-level organization impacts signal complexity and evolution.

Main Methods:

Adopt a systems approach with comprehensive experimental designs and data collection.
Implement systems concepts and tools to analyze display architecture and component interactions.
Translate systems biology concepts into an animal communication framework.

Main Results:

A systems approach reveals the dynamic nature of animal signaling.
Concepts like redundancy, degeneracy, and modularity relate to system properties such as robustness and evolvability.
Case studies demonstrate the utility of a systems framework.

Conclusions:

A systems-level view of animal communication provides novel research questions.
This approach aids in understanding the complexity and evolution of animal displays.
It offers a framework for analyzing how signal components interact and influence function.