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We’ve all heard of the five senses: sight, touch, smell, sound, and taste. Some animals, such as certain types of fish, reptiles, or mammals, can also use an internal compass to navigate through their environment. This can be in the form … Continue reading
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Color polymorphisms are an interesting phenomenon especially when considered in the field of sensory ecology. A polymorphism is when two or more related traits appear within a single mating population, and in many cases this is seen as individuals expressing … Continue reading
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Cicada Acoustic Communication To communicate between and within their species, insects have evolved various ways to produce sound. Sound communication can play an important role in reproduction and sexual selection. In various cicada species, sound production informs mating behavior through … Continue reading
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“Adaptation” is a term that everyone is familiar with. In the scientific community, it refers to a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment. Because of the diversity between … Continue reading
Ornamentation is the presence of a decorative structure, or ornament, with no functional purpose in an animal’s physiology/morphology. The use of ornamentation is commonly found in cases of sexual selection, where the ornament is used as a display to attract … Continue reading
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When Fruit Flies Have a Refined Taste Dillon Guynup Drosophila suzukii. Wiki Commons I’m sure we have all left fruit or veggies out of the fridge for too long. In addition to the brown spots on bananas, rotten strawberries, and mushy … Continue reading
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When the Second World War ended, the two superpowers developed their nuclear weapon programs in an “arms race.” This idea of one force putting pressure on another to change, improve, or adapt can be seen in nature as well. Predator-prey … Continue reading
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Information acquired by animals from the environment, or from other individuals, reduces uncertainty about the environment, other individuals, or a future event, which allows the animal to act with confidence. Predators who use vision as a main tool of hunting … Continue reading
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Living organisms need to have consistent and reliable methods for procuring food in order to survive any situation. A steady food supply ensures survival not only of an individual organism, but also its offspring, as a healthy individual is more likely … Continue reading
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One of the most interesting aspects of sensory and evolutionary ecology is the concept of mimicry between or within species. Mimicry is when a species has evolved a trait that allows it to imitate the appearance, behavior, scent, or sound … Continue reading
