Sociobiology of Communication

Sociobiology of Communication an interdisciplinary perspective d'Ettorre, Patrizia (Editor), Centre for Social Evolution, University of Copenhagen Hughes, David P. (Editor), Centre for Social Evolution, Universtiy of Copenhagen Print publication date: 2008 Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: September 2008 Print ISBN-13: 978-0-19-921684-0 doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199216840.001.0001
Abstract: Communication is the cornerstone of socially interacting groups. This is self-evident for human societies but not for bacterial biofilms, and super-colonies that span whole continents and transoceanic communication among whales. Since the early beginnings of communication studies, it has always been a stated goal to identify common features of diverse forms of communication (recently also including the internet), but syntheses have been few and historical barriers between sub-disciplines of molecular, evolutionary, chemical, and behavioural biology have been prohibitive stumbling blocks. This book brings together a highly-respected group of authors from a diverse range of fields in biology and beyond, in an attempt to synthesize current understanding of the evolutionary principles of communication, and to identify and explore key directions that will likely be pursued in the coming years. Contributions range from molecular microbiologists untangling the genetic basis of bacterial communication, to behavioural ecologists determining the scope of communication networks among colonial vertebrates. In addition, there are important contributions from theoretical biology (genomic conflict and self organisation), the humanities (linguistics and philosophy), and evolutionary psychology (human mate choice and the evolution of human societies). The book asks — and tentatively answers with some degree of confidence — what the general principles of social communication are. Keywords: interdisciplinary approach, evolutionary biology, signals, self organization, evolution of societies, bacterial biofilms, super-colonies, whales Home > Subject index > biology > Table of contents" type="hidden"> Table of Contents show abstracts Full Book Contents Preface CHAPTER 1. The handicap principle and signalling in collaborative systems CHAPTER 2. Communication in bacteria CHAPTER 3. Communication in social networks of territorial animals: networking at different levels in birds and other systems CHAPTER 4. Communication between hosts and social parasites CHAPTER 5. Chemical communication and the coordination of social interactions in insects CHAPTER 6. Chemical communication in societies of rodents CHAPTER 7. Neurobiology of olfactory communication in the honeybee CHAPTER 8. Rapid evolution and sexual signals CHAPTER 9. Communication of mate quality in humans CHAPTER 10. The extended phenotype within the colony and how it obscures social communication CHAPTER 11. Synergy in social communication CHAPTER 12. Conflicting messages: genomic imprinting and internal communication CHAPTER 13. Language unbound: genomic conflict and psychosis in the origin of modern humans CHAPTER 14. The evolution of human communication and language CHAPTER 15. Why teach? The evolutionary origins and ecological consequences of costly information transfer CHAPTER 16. Grades of communication Concluding remarks Index

doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199216840.001.0001