PubMed · 7444454
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D Bindra. 1981-01-02. Ape language.. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.7444454
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Reduction of costs in biological signalling seems an evolutionary advantage, but recent experiments have shown signalling codes shifted to signals of high cost with an underutilization of low-cost signals. Here I derive a theory for efficient signalling that includes both errors and costs as constraints and I show that errors in the efficient translation of biological states into signals can shift codes to higher costs, effectively performing a quality control. The statistical structure of signal usage is predicted to be of a generalized Boltzmann form that penalizes signals that are costly and sensitive to errors. This predicted distribution of signal usage against signal cost has two main features: an exponential tail required for cost efficiency and an underutilization of the low-cost signals required to protect the signalling quality from the errors. These predictions are shown to correspond quantitatively to the experiments in which gathering signal statistics is feasible as in visual cortex neurons.
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Although there is a growing interest in understanding how perceptual mechanisms influence behavioral evolution, few studies have addressed how perception itself is shaped by evolutionary forces. We used a combination of artificial neural network models and behavioral experiments to investigate how evolutionary history influenced the perceptual processes used in mate choice by female túngara frogs. We manipulated the evolutionary history of artificial neural network models and observed an emergent bias toward calls resembling known ancestral states. We then probed female túngara frogs for similar preferences, finding strong biases toward stimuli that resemble a call hypothesized for a recent ancestor. The data strongly suggest that female túngara frogs exhibit vestigial preferences for ancestral calls, and provide a general strategy for exploring the role of historical contingency in perceptual biases.