Title

The Production of Communication Signals at the Air–Water and Water–Substrate Boundaries

Author Info

Sean C. Lema, University of California - DavisFollow
John T. Kelly, University of California - Davis

Recommended Citation

Postprint version. Published in Journal of Comparative Psychology, Volume 116, Issue 2, June 1, 2002, pages 145-150.

NOTE: At the time of publication, the author Sean C. Lema was not yet affiliated with Cal Poly.

The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1037//0735-7036.116.2.145.

Abstract

The 2 interfaces of the aquatic environment, the boundary between air–water and water–substrate, have distinctive physical characteristics that facilitate the production of communication signals. Recent evidence suggests that animals living on or near these boundaries use the interface to generate signals in 2 ways: (a) by producing a signal that propagates along the interface or (b) by producing a signal at the interface that is transmitted and detected within 1 of the component media. By examining the diversity of behaviors used to produce signals at these boundaries, the authors illustrate how human perception of these environments may cause researchers to incorrectly assume the environmental context of signal-generating behaviors and overlook modalities of communication pertinent to the animal.

Disciplines

Biology

Copyright

2002 American Psychological Association.

Publisher statement

This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the APA journal. It is not the copy of record.