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Joined 2026-09-21 Message
Incoming links: Animal communication
Hans Slabbekoorn Created 2026-10-20 Updated 2026-11-05
A researcher who coauthored a comparison of birdsong with urban background noise. Measured song frequencies connected an acoustic environment with variation in animal communication.[ref]
Jakob Bro-Jørgensen Created 2026-10-20 Updated 2026-11-05
Researcher in animal communication. With Wiline M. Pangle, Jakob Bro-Jørgensen investigated deceptive alarm snorts in topi antelopes, connecting a familiar signal type with manipulation of a mating partner’s behavior.[ref]
John Krebs 2026-11-05
John Krebs investigated animal behaviour through experiments connecting signals with ecological outcomes. With Ruth Ashcroft and Mike Webber, he examined birdsong and territory maintenance in great tits. Their 1978 paper describes removing resident pairs and occupying the vacated areas with loudspeakers; new pairs settled faster in controls than in song-occupied areas.[ref]
Song repertoires and territory defence in the great tit by John Krebs and others. Abstract; resident removal, playback and settlement comparison
The experiment makes an invisible social boundary testable: physical space remains after the owners leave, while an acoustic cue can still influence newcomers. It supports a signalling role in territorial exclusion without requiring an observer to witness a fight at every boundary. The same paper tested the effectiveness of varied song repertoires, illustrating the use of controlled signal manipulation to study animal communication.
Institutional profile: www.biology.ox.ac.uk/people/john-krebs .
K. McComb 2026-11-05
K. McComb is the first author of a 1994 playback experiment testing numerical assessment by female lions. Recordings of either one unfamiliar female roaring or three roaring together simulated intruders within the territories of lion prides.[ref]
Roaring and numerical assessment in contests between groups of female lions, Panthera leo by K. McComb and others. Abstract: controlled playbacks and study groups
The approaches depended on the simulated intruder group and the defending group's composition. Playing recorded sounds allowed the apparent social threat to be manipulated without staging a physical fight between groups.[ref]
Roaring and numerical assessment in contests between groups of female lions, Panthera leo by K. McComb and others. Abstract: simulated intruders and approach decisions
The experiment asks how animal communication supports a decision under uncertainty. A recorded chorus carries information about an apparent group, but an approach decision also depends on the listeners' own group. Demonstrating a behavioural response to one-versus-three playbacks does not, by itself, specify the internal counting procedure used by a lion.
Margriet Peet Created 2026-10-20 Updated 2026-11-05
A researcher who coauthored a comparison of birdsong with urban background noise. Measured song frequencies connected an acoustic environment with variation in animal communication.[ref]