Why Penguins Communicate

Why Penguins Communicate: The Evolution of Visual and Vocal Signals is a comprehensive and condensed review of several hundred publications on the evolution of penguin behaviors, particularly signaling, linking genetics and ecology via such behavioral adaptations as nuptial displays. This exciting work has developed from the authors’ many years researching on the behavioral strategies of penguins, such as the unique vocal signatures for individual recognition. Studies of penguins on islands surrounding Antarctica are presented, fully showcasing the behavioral significance of visual ornaments (mating displays) and how and why penguins behave via adaptive evolutionary explanations.

Through this evolutionary lens, the authors address several questions involving their identification and taxonomy, habitat and location, breeding, and differences between penguins and other seabirds. Each species occupies a unique ecological niche, and behaviors permit separating the species through mutual display.

Although model organisms in science are diverse and specialized, we see the entire integration in penguins, from acoustical and optical physics, to behavioral display and speciation. This work highlights the adaptive significance of their behavior through an evolutionary point- of-view.

• Provides a focused view on visual and vocal communication behavior, also presenting the family of penguins as a model for acoustical studies
• Considers the role of ecological and social environments on the evolution of communication in penguins
• Spans the gap between the scientific community and an interested lay audience, featuring a readable style for students, professional researchers in biology, ornithologists, ethologists and penguin enthusiasts alike
• Ideal resource for graduate seminar courses on evolution of behavior, marine ecology, polar biology and ornithology

Researchers, academics and students in animal behavior/ethology, marine ecology/biology, evolutionary biology, ornithology, and conservation biology; and for graduate seminar courses on evolution of behaviour, marine ecology, polar biology, and ornithology

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY OF PENGUINS　　　　　　　　　　　

Discovery and evolution of penguins

What is a penguin?

How many penguins and where?

Penguins as divers

Penguins as social birds

Why study the behavior of penguins?

Special penguins

Men and penguins

2 DESCRIPTION OF OPTICAL SIGNALS　

Penguin ethology is fragmentary

Agonistic and appeasement signals

Description of sexual displays

Interpretation of sexual displays

Biological significance of sexual displays

3. EXPERIMENTS ON OPTICAL SIGNALS

Why do penguins have ornaments?

Natural and sexual selection

Colors come from food

First experiments on the role of ornaments in mating

Color measurement

Breast patches of colored feathers

Ear patches of colored feathers

Male competition for female mates

Beak spots and mutual sexual selection

Body mass and condition

Climate change

Conclusions

4. DESCRIPTION OF VOCAL SIGNALS AND FIRST EXPERIMENTS

Genus Aptenodytes

Genus Pygoscelis

Genus Spheniscus

Genus Eudyptula

Genus Eudyptes

Genus Megadyptes

5. PLAYBACK EXPERIMENTS ON VOCAL SIGNALS 　

Why identify the partner?

Penguins speak through recordings and playbacks

Information content of calls

Nesting penguins

Adding a bar code and two voices

Adding frequency modulation and two voices

6. THE EVOLUTION OF BREEDING STRATEGIES

Plan for incubation and brooding

Contracting breeding cycles

Breeding on sea-ice

Homosexual penguins, trios, kidnappings and adoptions

A disappearing territory

7. THE EVOLUTION OF SIGNALS FOR COMMUNICATION

A. THE EVOLUTION OF OPTICAL SIGNALS

Aggressiveness and shyness

Why the head?

Links between vocal and visual signals

Comparison between courtship displays

Origin of optical signals

B. THE EVOLUTION OF VOCAL SIGNALS

Adaptations of vocal signals

The comparative study of individual recognition

Biological significance of nuptial displays

REFERENCES

INDEX

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CAPTIONS

SUMMARY