Origin and evolution of the animal signals. Modalities of communication in different animal groups.
Evolution of sexual reproduction and mechanisms of sexual selection from Darwin to the recent evolutionary psychology
Bradbury J.W. & Vehrencamp S.L.(1998) “Principles of animal Communication”, Sinauer.
Maynard Smith J. & Harper D. (2003) “Animal Signal”. Oxford University Press.
Wyatt T. D. (2003) “Pheromones and animal behaviour”. Cambridge University Press.
D’Ettorre P. & Hughes D. P. (2008) “Sociobiology of communication” Oxford University Press
Alcock, Etologia. Un approccio evolutivo (III ed ital), Zanichelli.Matt
Ridley (1993) La Regina Rossa. Sesso ed Evoluzione, trad. ital. 2003 Instar libri.
Tim Birkhead (2000) Promiscuità, trad. ital. 2002 Garzanti.
Andrea Pilastro (2007) Sesso ed Evoluzione, Bompiani.
Learning Objectives
Knolewdge acquired: Origin and evolution of the animal signals. Modalities of communication in different animal groups.
Evolution of sexual reproduction and mechanisms of Sexual Selection from Darwin to the Evolutionary Psychology.
Competence acquired: To frame the diversity of animal communication in terms of environment variation and different animal taxa. To frame the diversity of reproductive processes, sexual roles and nuptial systems inside an evolutionary background, in terms of costs, benefits and alternative strategies and with an appropriate terminology.
Skills acquired (at the end of the course): To discuss the diversity of animal communication through a comparative and evolutionary approach. To discuss a study case on animal sexual behaviour through a comparative approach and to set the experiments and the debate on Sexual Selection Theory against their historical background.
Prerequisites
none
Teaching Methods
Integrative notes and papers related to the program on web; practical demonstrations on the methods for the study of animal communication will be organized.
Type of Assessment
Oral examination on a topic selected by the student, beyond questions from the program
Course program
COMMUNICATION: General principles on animal communication: definition of communication, aims of animal communication, characteristics of signals and their origin and evolution. Production, transmission and reception of signals in the principal communicative channels: auditory, visual, chemical channels. Use of the different modalities of communication by principal animal groups.
REPRODUCTION: Asexual, sexual reproduction and parthenogenesis. The enigma of Sex and the Red Queen Hypothesis. The difficult exploration of gametes and reproductive apparatus. Anisogamy, isogamy and reproductive strategies in males and females. Functional sex-ratio. Sex allocation. Sexual Selection by Darwin: role of armaments and ornaments, competition among rivals and mate selection. Leks, from insects to birds. Misfortune and fortune of Darwinian theory: mathematical models, experimental approach and study cases. Beyond Darwin: sperm competition, promiscuity and cryptic female choice. The perspective of Sociobiology and Evolutionary Psychology: nuptial systems and mate choice in humans.