Read Communication Channels Through Trade-offs
Identify a signal channel from persistence, sender locatability, broadcast cost and predation risk.
Living-system questions are solved by matching a structure or organism to its function, process and stated condition.
Match channel properties before naming the signal
Auditory signals fade fast, cost energy to broadcast and can expose the caller. Tactile signals are immediate, low-cost and low-risk. Chemical signals persist, are hard to trace to a sender and can be cheap and safe; visual signals are immediately locatable and may increase predation risk. In the table this gives 1 auditory, 2 tactile, 3 chemical and 4 visual: choose B and C.
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- ✓Chemical signals persist and can be difficult to trace to a sender.
- ✓Visual signals are easy to locate and can carry high predation risk.
- ✓Tactile signals are brief, local and low-cost.
Fadeout time and sender locatability are different clues. Read all four columns together before assigning a channel.
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