Mammal Sensory systems/ communication

UMWELT

An animal's sensory and perceptual world

temporal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex responsible for hearing and language.

frontal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex that has specialized areas for movement, speech, abstract thinking, planning, memory, and judgement

somatosensory cortex

area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

-site of mechanoreception

Mechanoreception

detection of pressure, vibration, and movement, perceived as touch, hearing, and equilibrium

motor cortex

area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Mechanical reception

organism detects and responds to mechanical stimuli like touch, pressure, and sound by converting mechanical energy into electrical signals

electromagnetic reception

detection of light, heat, electrical, magnetic

-eg. prey emits body heats, heat detecting organs in snakes

Chemical reception

detection to molecules in solution

social facilitation

Behaviours by individuals that facilitate or coordinate social behaviour

-feeding, sleeping,etc

intraspecific communication

communication between members of the same species

-mating availability

-reproductive status

-dominance

-territory

interspecific communication

communication between members of different species

-startle

-threat

visual signs

visual display of information

-aggression/ dominance/ appeasement

-predator startling/warning

-individual recognition

-markings or expression

can be simple, exaggerated, stereotyped (repeated without variation)

Olfactory (pheromone communication)

hormones can be used to communicate between individuals of the same species- pheromones are released into the environment

-territory/ dominance

-sexual receptivity

-reproductive/social behaviors

-airborne

-available to predator

vomeronasal organ

a portion of the mammalian olfactory system that is sensitive to pheromones

auditory communication

communication that involves the use of sound in conveying a message

-long distance

-maintain integrity of group

-startle/warn predators

-indiv recognition

-stimulate reproductive behaviour

Infrasound

Sound waves with frequencies below 20 Hz.

ultrasonic

Frequencies above 20,000 Hz

tactile communication

Communicating through touching

-reproductive behaviour

-social group structure

-required proximity

-eg Kobus kob