What Is Animal Communication? A Scientific Overview

Animal communication is the transfer of information between animals through signals produced by one individual and detected by another, where the signal influences the behavior or physiology of the receiver. This definition covers a wide range of biological processes, from a bird's alarm call to a pheromone released by a stressed rat, and it applies across all major animal groups. For students, researchers, life-science professionals, and informed general readers, understanding animal communication requires examining the five primary signal modalities: visual, auditory, chemical, tactile, and electrical. Each modality operates under different physical constraints, serves different evolutionary purposes, and has distinct examples that illustrate how animals exchange information about identity, reproductive status, danger, food, and social rank.

The scientific study of animal communication draws on behavioral ecology, neurobiology, evolutionary biology, and chemical ecology. Researchers investigate what signals animals produce, how receivers interpret those signals, how signaling systems evolve, and how environmental factors such as pollution can disrupt communication. This article defines animal communication, explains each communication type with examples, and presents comparative tables to help readers distinguish between modalities.

Defining Animal Communication

Animal communication involves a sender, a signal, and a receiver. The sender produces a signal that carries information, and the receiver detects and responds to that signal. Communication differs from mere detection of environmental cues because signals have evolved specifically to convey information between individuals. A signal is distinct from a cue in that signals are shaped by natural selection to benefit the sender, while cues are incidental features that receivers may exploit.

The concept of meaning in animal communication has been a subject of ongoing scientific debate. A multifaceted framework proposed in the biological literature suggests that meaning in non-human communication can be analyzed through three global facets: a Signal Meaning Facet, an Interactant Meaning Facet, and a Resultant Meaning Facet. This framework allows researchers to compare meaning across species without requiring a single short definition, and it applies equally to human non-verbal communication and to the diverse signaling systems found in other animals. The framework emphasizes that meaning is an umbrella term involving multiple complexities instead of a simple list of features, and it challenges dichotomous approaches that treat meaning as either present or absent in non-human species.

Communication can occur within a species, which is called intraspecific communication, or between different species, which is called interspecific communication. Interspecific communication includes predator-prey signaling, mutualistic interactions, and host-parasite relationships. The Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior includes a dedicated entry on interspecific communication, reflecting the importance of cross-species information exchange in ecological systems.

The Five Major Types of Animal Communication

Animal communication systems are commonly classified by the sensory channel through which signals are transmitted and received. The five major types are visual, auditory, chemical, tactile, and electrical communication. Each type has distinct advantages and limitations related to signal range, speed, persistence, and the environmental conditions under which it operates.

Visual Communication

Visual communication involves signals that are detected through the sense of sight. These signals include body postures, facial expressions, color changes, movement patterns, and bioluminescent displays. Visual signals are typically fast and directional, allowing precise information transfer over short to moderate distances. However, they require line of sight and adequate lighting, which limits their use in dense vegetation, murky water, or nocturnal conditions.

Common examples of visual communication include the threat displays of many mammals, the courtship dances of birds, and the color changes used by cephalopods to signal mood or camouflage. In social species, visual signals often convey information about dominance status, reproductive readiness, or aggressive intent. The speed of visual signals makes them well suited for rapid exchanges during aggressive encounters or courtship interactions.

Auditory Communication

Auditory communication uses sound signals that are detected through hearing. Sound travels well through air and water, and acoustic signals can transmit over long distances, around obstacles, and in darkness. Auditory signals include bird songs, mammal calls, frog calls, insect stridulation, and the vocalizations of many fish species. These signals serve functions such as mate attraction, territory defense, alarm calling, and parent-offspring recognition.

The study of acoustic communication has revealed that signal rhythms may be conserved across many species. Research examining acoustic communication rhythms across 98 species spanning mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fishes, and insects found that most species' rhythms are conserved around an evolutionary optimum of 2.7 Hz, which falls within the neural delta range of 1 to 4 Hz. This finding suggests that acoustic rhythm may be governed by a universal neural mechanism that facilitates effective communication through a shared channel that has persisted through evolutionary time. The researchers propose that delta waves in receivers' brains may help explain why slow tempos are common in animal communication signals.

Vocal learning, the ability to modify vocalizations based on experience, is a key question in the study of animal communication and human language. Research has established a distinction between vocal usage learning and vocal production learning, providing a framework to categorize how different types of learning influence vocalizations. More recent work has refined this classification by deconstructing vocal learning into key dimensions, including the copying of auditory models, the degree of change, and the timing of learning. Vocal learning is not a binary trait but exists on a continuum from limited to more complex production learners, and it has been studied extensively in birds and mammals.

Chemical Communication

Chemical communication involves the transmission of information through chemical signals that are detected by the sense of smell or taste. Chemical communication is probably the oldest and most ubiquitous form of information exchange in the natural world, spanning all three domains of life. Chemical signals include pheromones, which are released by one individual and affect the physiology or behavior of another individual of the same species, and kairomones, which benefit the receiver instead of the sender and often operate between species.

Chemical signals can persist in the environment for extended periods, allowing communication to occur even when the sender is no longer present. They are particularly important for nocturnal animals, aquatic organisms, and species that live in complex habitats where visual or acoustic signals are less effective. Chemical communication serves functions such as mate attraction, territory marking, alarm signaling, and individual recognition.

Research on olfactory communication in rats has identified two distinct types of chemical signaling. In alarm pheromonal communication, stressed rats release 4-methylpentanal and hexanal from their perianal region. These molecules activate the anxiety circuit in recipient rats, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, when they are simultaneously detected by the vomeronasal system and the main olfactory system. Recipient rats then show a variety of anxiety responses depending on the threatening stimuli. In appeasing olfactory communication, non-stressed rats release an appeasing olfactory signal that is detected by the main olfactory system of other rats. This signal suppresses activation of the basolateral complex of the amygdala and ameliorates stress responses elicited by an auditory conditioned stimulus during social buffering.

Chemical communication also plays a significant role in aquatic environments. Aquatic organisms detect chemical cues to find mates, locate food, and identify danger. These chemical cues have practical applications in fisheries and aquaculture, including controlling mating behavior to increase fertility, enhancing feeding, and decreasing stress. Aquatic organisms also detect chemical cues related to global environmental changes, ocean acidification, and increases in ocean plastics, all of which can affect their chemosensory behaviors.

Microbial symbionts play an important role in chemical communication. Symbiotic bacteria and fungi facilitate the acquisition of nutrients for their animal hosts, protect them against predators, parasites, and diseases, and modulate complex animal behavior including communication through chemical signaling. However, odors of symbiotic bacterial origin can also inform parasites and predators, allowing them to detect their victims. The inclusion of microorganisms in scenarios of communication, parasitism, and predation opens new avenues of research for understanding these interactions.

Tactile Communication

Tactile communication involves the transfer of information through physical contact. This modality includes grooming, touching, nudging, mounting, and other forms of bodily contact. Tactile signals are typically short-range and require close proximity between individuals. They are important in parent-offspring interactions, mating behavior, social bonding, and aggression.

Tactile communication is particularly significant in species with strong social bonds, such as primates, where grooming serves both hygienic and social functions. In many mammals, tactile contact between mothers and offspring establishes recognition and provides reassurance. Tactile signals can also convey aggressive intent, as seen in the pushing and shoving that occurs during dominance disputes in many species.

Electrical Communication

Electrical communication involves the generation and detection of electric fields. This modality is found in some fish species, particularly those living in turbid or dark freshwater environments where visual signals are ineffective. Electric fish generate weak electric fields through specialized organs and detect distortions in those fields through electroreceptors. These signals serve functions such as navigation, prey detection, mate attraction, and territorial defense.

Electrical communication is highly specialized and limited to a relatively small number of species. The signals are fast and can be used in complete darkness, but they operate over short ranges and require specialized sensory and motor adaptations. Electric fish species can distinguish between individuals based on the unique characteristics of their electric organ discharges, allowing individual recognition in social contexts.

At a Glance: Types of Animal Communication

The following table summarizes the five major types of animal communication, their primary characteristics, and representative examples.

Evolutionary Purposes of Animal Communication

Animal communication serves several fundamental evolutionary purposes that enhance survival and reproductive success. These purposes include mate attraction, territory defense, predator avoidance, social coordination, and parent-offspring recognition. Understanding these purposes helps explain why different signal modalities have evolved in different species and environments.

Mate Attraction and Reproductive Coordination

Many animal signals function primarily to attract mates and coordinate reproductive behavior. Acoustic signals such as bird songs and frog calls are often used by males to attract females and to advertise their quality as potential mates. Chemical signals, particularly sex pheromones, play a central role in reproductive coordination across many species, including insects, fish, and mammals.

Research on biostimulation in female rabbit reproduction has examined how chemical signals influence reproductive parameters. In a study assessing reproductive efficiency in female rabbits, groups of 60 females each were exposed to female urine, male urine, seminal plasma, or female-female separation before artificial insemination, and compared to a golden method of female-female interaction. The reproductive parameters analyzed included receptivity, fertility, prolificacy, and number of born alive and dead kits per litter. The results showed that the biostimulation methods employed did not significantly affect reproductive performance, although female-female separation prior to artificial insemination could replace social interaction and reduce animal handling in farms, with a consequent improvement of animal welfare.

Predator Avoidance and Alarm Signaling

Alarm signals warn other individuals of the presence of predators or other dangers. These signals can be acoustic, chemical, or visual. Alarm calls are well documented in many bird and mammal species, where they often elicit specific escape responses in receivers. Chemical alarm signals are also common, particularly in aquatic organisms and social insects.

The alarm pheromone system in rats provides a detailed example of chemical alarm signaling. When rats are stressed, they release 4-methylpentanal and hexanal from their perianal region. These molecules activate the anxiety circuit in recipient rats, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, when detected simultaneously by the vomeronasal system and the main olfactory system. Recipient rats show a variety of anxiety responses depending on the threatening stimuli, demonstrating that chemical alarm signals can convey information about the nature of the threat.

Social Coordination and Group Living

Communication is essential for coordinating the activities of social groups. Social insects such as bees and ants use chemical signals to coordinate foraging, nest construction, and colony defense. Many vertebrates use vocal and visual signals to maintain group cohesion, coordinate movement, and establish and maintain social hierarchies.

Social chemical communication can also determine how animals respond to changing environmental conditions. Research on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has shown that chemical communication influences recovery from L1 arrest, a developmental stage entered in response to starvation. L1 arrested larvae secrete unidentified soluble compounds that improve survival to starvation, and this protection is proportional to larval population density. Animals arrested at high densities display enhanced resistance to starvation and recover faster than animals at low density. The density effect on survival depends on the transcription factor DAF-16, a final effector of the insulin signaling pathway, and DAF-16 activation is higher at high density, consistent with lower expression of the insulin-like peptide DAF-28 in neurons.

Individual Recognition

Many animals can recognize individual conspecifics through their signals. This recognition is important for maintaining social relationships, avoiding inbreeding, and coordinating parental care. Individual recognition can be based on visual features, vocal characteristics, or chemical signatures.

In species with complex social systems, individual recognition allows animals to track the behavior of specific group members and adjust their own behavior accordingly. Acoustic signals often carry individual signatures, as seen in the parent-offspring recognition calls of many bird and mammal species. Chemical signals can also convey individual identity, particularly in mammals where scent marks are used to identify territory owners and group members.

How Animals Communicate: Signal Production and Reception

The process of animal communication involves signal production by a sender, transmission through the environment, and detection and processing by a receiver. Each stage presents challenges and constraints that shape the evolution of communication systems.

Signal Production

Signal production requires specialized anatomical structures and physiological processes. Acoustic signals are produced by vocal cords, syrinxes in birds, stridulatory organs in insects, or swim bladders in fish. Chemical signals are produced by specialized glands and released through urine, feces, skin secretions, or dedicated scent glands. Visual signals may involve specialized coloration, body postures, or bioluminescent organs. Electrical signals are generated by specialized electric organs composed of modified muscle or nerve cells.

The production of signals is often energetically costly, and animals may adjust their signaling behavior based on factors such as body condition, social context, and environmental conditions. The costliness of signals can make them honest indicators of sender quality, a concept that is central to understanding the evolution of elaborate displays.

Signal Transmission

Signals must travel through the environment from sender to receiver, and the physical properties of the environment influence which signal modalities are effective. Sound travels efficiently through air and water but is subject to attenuation and distortion over distance. Light is rapidly absorbed in water and is unavailable at night. Chemical signals can persist in the environment but are subject to dispersion and degradation. Electrical signals are limited to conductive media such as water.

Environmental factors can interfere with signal transmission. Research has shown that plastic waste can interfere with chemical communication in aquatic ecosystems. In a study of the planktonic water flea Daphnia longicephala, plastic waste composed of high-density polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate interfered with the formation of inducible defenses when Daphnia were exposed to a combination of kairomones from the predator Notonecta glauca and plastic waste. Daphnia showed a reduction in all defensive traits, including body length, crest width, and time until primiparity, compared to exposure to solely kairomone conditioned media. Plastic waste in the absence of kairomones had no effect on defensive traits. Since it is vital for Daphnia to adjust these defenses to current predation risk, any misperception can have far-reaching ecological consequences at the community level.

Signal Reception and Processing

Receivers detect signals through specialized sensory organs and process the information in their nervous systems. The sensory systems used for communication are often highly adapted for detecting specific signal features. For example, the vomeronasal system in mammals is specialized for detecting certain chemical signals, while the auditory systems of many animals are tuned to the frequency ranges of their species' vocalizations.

The processing of communication signals can be complex, involving the integration of information from multiple sensory modalities. Receivers must often distinguish signals from background noise, recognize individual signalers, and respond appropriately based on the context of the signal. The neural mechanisms underlying signal processing are an active area of research, particularly for understanding how receivers extract meaning from signals.

Practical Applications in Animal Management

Understanding animal communication has practical applications in animal production, wildlife management, and conservation. Farmers, aquaculturists, and wildlife managers can use knowledge of communication systems to improve animal welfare, enhance reproductive success, and reduce stress.

Biostimulation in Livestock Production

Biostimulation is a natural technique employed in animal production to enhance reproductive parameters by modulating animal sensory systems. Chemical signals, mostly known as pheromones, have great potential in this regard. Research on biostimulation in female rabbit reproduction has examined how exposure to urine, seminal plasma, or social separation affects reproductive efficiency before artificial insemination.

The study on rabbit biostimulation found that female-female separation prior to artificial insemination could replace social interaction, reducing animal handling in farms with a consequent improvement of animal welfare. This finding demonstrates that understanding the role of social and chemical communication in reproduction can lead to practical management changes that benefit both producers and animals.

Chemical Cues in Fisheries and Aquaculture

Knowledge of chemical cues can be used in aquaculture for practical applications such as controlling mating behavior to increase fertility, enhancing feeding, and decreasing stress. In fisheries, chemical cues can be used to catch selected species with low-cost artificial attractants. Chemical cues can also be used to address maritime issues by decreasing biofouling.

The application of chemical communication knowledge in aquatic environments requires careful consideration of species-specific differences in chemosensory biology and ecology. Sex pheromones have been studied in commercially important animals, particularly decapod crustaceans and fish, and these studies provide a foundation for developing practical applications.

Welfare Considerations

Understanding animal communication can improve animal welfare by allowing caretakers to recognize signals of stress, pain, or discomfort. For example, alarm pheromones released by stressed animals can indicate poor welfare conditions, and appeasing signals can indicate positive social interactions. Recognizing these signals allows managers to adjust housing, handling, and social grouping to reduce stress and improve welfare.

The social buffering phenomenon, where the presence of a companion animal ameliorates stress responses, has implications for housing and management practices. The appeasing olfactory signal released by non-stressed rats suppresses activation of the basolateral complex of the amygdala and ameliorates stress responses elicited by an auditory conditioned stimulus. This finding suggests that maintaining compatible social groups can reduce stress in captive animals.

Observing and Measuring Animal Communication

For researchers and practitioners, observing and measuring animal communication requires systematic methods and careful record keeping. The following steps provide a practical framework for assessing communication in animals.

Step 1: Define the Research Question

Clearly define what aspect of communication you are investigating. Are you interested in signal production, signal reception, or the function of a specific signal? Are you studying a particular modality such as chemical or acoustic communication? Defining the question guides the selection of observation methods and measurement tools.

Step 2: Select Observation Methods

Choose observation methods appropriate for the species and signal modality. Acoustic communication can be recorded using microphones and analyzed with sound analysis software. Chemical communication can be studied through behavioral bioassays, chemical analysis of secretions, or observation of scent-marking behavior. Visual communication requires direct observation or video recording. Electrical communication requires specialized electrodes and recording equipment.

Step 3: Record Behavioral Data

Systematically record the behavior of senders and receivers. Note the frequency, duration, and context of signaling behavior. Record the responses of receivers, including approach, avoidance, or reciprocal signaling. Use standardized ethograms to ensure consistency across observation sessions.

Step 4: Analyze Signal Characteristics

Analyze the physical characteristics of signals. For acoustic signals, measure frequency, amplitude, duration, and temporal patterns. For chemical signals, identify the chemical compounds involved and measure their concentrations. For visual signals, describe the color, size, and movement patterns. For electrical signals, measure the waveform and frequency of electric organ discharges.

Step 5: Interpret Results in Context

Interpret your observations in the context of the species' natural history and the environmental conditions. Consider how the signal functions in mate attraction, predator avoidance, social coordination, or individual recognition. Compare your findings with published research on similar species or signal types.

Records and Measurements

Maintaining accurate records is essential for studying animal communication. The following measurements are commonly used in communication research:

Common Failure Patterns in Communication Studies

Research on animal communication can encounter several common problems that affect the validity and reliability of findings.

Confusing Signals with Cues

A frequent error is treating incidental cues as evolved signals. Signals are shaped by natural selection to convey information, while cues are features that receivers may exploit without having been produced for that purpose. Distinguishing signals from cues requires demonstrating that the feature has been shaped by selection for its communicative function.

Ignoring Receiver Psychology

Communication involves both senders and receivers, and studies that focus only on signal production may miss important aspects of the communication system. Receiver responses, including detection thresholds, discrimination abilities, and response biases, are essential for understanding how communication works.

Overlooking Environmental Effects

Environmental conditions can significantly affect signal transmission and reception. Studies conducted in artificial settings may not reflect communication in natural conditions. Researchers should consider how habitat structure, ambient noise, lighting conditions, and chemical background affect signal efficacy.

Assuming Signal Universality

Signals that are effective in one context or species may not be effective in another. Researchers should avoid generalizing findings across species without appropriate comparative data. The heavy research bias toward certain taxa, particularly insects in chemical communication research, limits the generalizability of findings to vertebrates and other groups.

Limitations of Current Knowledge

The scientific understanding of animal communication has advanced considerably, but significant gaps remain. Chemical communication research is heavily biased toward insects, particularly lepidopterans, and studies on chemical communication in vertebrates are relatively scarce. This bias limits understanding of how vertebrate chemical signals evolve and how signal production and reception systems co-evolve.

The evolution of chemical communication systems is still poorly understood. While excellent sociobiological and behavioral ecological research has been conducted on the form and function of chemical signals in animals, remarkably little is known about their evolution. Phylogenetic comparative methods offer a promising approach for identifying the factors that guide the evolution of chemical signals and chemical sensory systems, and focusing on non-model species such as lizards can provide valuable insights into how vertebrate chemical signals evolve.

The concept of meaning in non-human communication remains contested. While a multifaceted framework has been proposed to establish the presence of meaning in non-human communication, there is still scholarly skepticism about applying the concept of meaning to communication in non-humans. The framework emphasizes that meaning nuances differ among non-human species, making a dichotomous approach to meaning questionable.

Safety and Regulatory Context

Research on animal communication involving live animals is subject to animal welfare regulations that vary by jurisdiction. Researchers must obtain appropriate approvals from institutional animal care and use committees or equivalent bodies before conducting studies involving animals. Regulations may specify housing conditions, handling procedures, and permissible levels of stress or discomfort.

The use of chemical signals in aquaculture and fisheries may be subject to regulations governing the use of attractants, pheromones, and other substances in aquatic environments. Practitioners should consult relevant regulatory authorities before applying chemical communication knowledge in commercial settings.

The terminology used in animal research can vary across regulatory, scientific, and policy contexts. The term new approach methodology, or NAM, has seen increased use in scientific literature, but its meaning varies across contexts. Similarly, the term animal is defined differently across common language, scientific discourse, and legal frameworks. Researchers and practitioners should be aware of these definitional differences when communicating across disciplinary or jurisdictional boundaries.

Professional Escalation Criteria

Practitioners working with animals should recognize when communication-related issues require professional consultation. The following situations warrant escalation to a specialist:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a signal and a cue in animal communication?

A signal is a feature that has evolved specifically to convey information from a sender to a receiver, and its production is shaped by natural selection for its communicative function. A cue is an incidental feature that receivers may detect and use for information, but the cue was not produced for that purpose. For example, the alarm pheromones released by stressed rats are signals because they have evolved to warn other rats, while the body size of an animal may serve as a cue that receivers use to assess dominance without the sender having evolved to advertise size.

How do animals communicate using chemical signals?

Animals communicate chemically by releasing compounds that are detected by the sense of smell or taste. These compounds include pheromones, which affect other individuals of the same species, and kairomones, which benefit the receiver and often operate between species. Chemical signals can persist in the environment, allowing communication over time, and they are particularly important for nocturnal animals and aquatic organisms. Examples include alarm pheromones in rats, sex pheromones in insects, and chemical cues used by aquatic organisms to find mates, locate food, and identify danger.

What are the main types of animal communication?

The five main types of animal communication are visual, auditory, chemical, tactile, and electrical. Visual communication uses signals detected by sight, such as body postures and color changes. Auditory communication uses sound signals detected by hearing, such as bird songs and mammal calls. Chemical communication uses signals detected by smell or taste, such as pheromones. Tactile communication uses physical contact, such as grooming. Electrical communication uses electric fields, found in some fish species.

Why is acoustic rhythm important in animal communication?

Acoustic rhythm, the rhythmic modulation of acoustic signals, may be conserved across many species. Research across 98 species found that most species' rhythms are conserved around an evolutionary optimum of 2.7 Hz, which falls within the neural delta range of 1 to 4 Hz. This finding suggests that acoustic rhythm may be governed by a universal neural mechanism that facilitates effective communication through a shared channel that has persisted through evolutionary time. Delta waves in receivers' brains may help explain why slow tempos are common in animal communication signals.

How does vocal learning work in animals?

Vocal learning is the ability to modify vocalizations based on experience. Researchers distinguish between vocal usage learning, which involves learning when to use existing vocalizations, and vocal production learning, which involves learning to produce new sounds. Vocal learning is not a binary trait but exists on a continuum from limited to more complex production learners. Key dimensions of vocal production learning include the copying of auditory models, the degree of change, and the timing of learning. Vocal learning has been studied extensively in birds and mammals.

Can environmental pollution disrupt animal communication?

Yes, environmental pollution can disrupt animal communication. Research has shown that plastic waste can interfere with chemical communication in aquatic ecosystems. In a study of the water flea Daphnia longicephala, plastic waste composed of high-density polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate interfered with the formation of inducible defenses when Daphnia were exposed to kairomones from a predator combined with plastic waste. Daphnia showed a reduction in defensive traits compared to exposure to kairomones alone. Aquatic organisms also detect chemical cues related to global environmental changes, ocean acidification, and increases in ocean plastics, all of which can affect their chemosensory behaviors.

How is animal communication studied scientifically?

Animal communication is studied through behavioral observation, experimental manipulation, and analysis of signal characteristics. Researchers observe signaling behavior in natural or controlled settings, record the physical properties of signals, and measure receiver responses. Acoustic signals are recorded and analyzed with sound analysis software. Chemical signals are identified through chemical analysis and studied through behavioral bioassays. Visual signals are documented through direct observation or video recording. Electrical signals require specialized electrodes and recording equipment. Phylogenetic comparative methods are used to study the evolution of communication systems.

What are the practical applications of understanding animal communication?

Understanding animal communication has practical applications in animal production, wildlife management, and conservation. In livestock production, biostimulation techniques that modulate sensory systems can enhance reproductive parameters. In aquaculture and fisheries, knowledge of chemical cues can be used to control mating behavior, enhance feeding, decrease stress, and catch selected species with artificial attractants. Understanding communication can also improve animal welfare by allowing caretakers to recognize signals of stress and maintain compatible social groups.

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References and Further Reading

• NCBI Literature Resources. National Center for Biotechnology Information.
• PubMed. National Library of Medicine.
• The multi-dimensional nature of vocal learning.. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 2021.
• Social Odors: Alarm Pheromones and Social Buffering.. Current topics in behavioral neurosciences, 2017.
• Lost in NAMs-lation: A review of animal-free science definitions.. ALTEX, 2026.
• A high-definition spatiotemporal transcriptomic atlas of mammalian kidney development.. Innovation (Cambridge (Mass.)), 2025.
• The evolution of human music in light of increased prosocial behavior: a new model.. Physics of life reviews, 2024.
• Does extracellular vesicle specificity truly exist?. Cell communication and signaling : CCS, 2026.
• The Immune Landscape of Osteosarcoma: Implications for Prognosis and Treatment Response.. Cells, 2021.
• A multifaceted framework to establish the presence of meaning in non-human communication.. Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, 2023.
• Do delta waves in the receiver's brain explain slow tempos of animal communication signals?. 2026.
• Animal acoustic communication has a conserved optimal rhythm within the neural delta range.. 2026.
• Assessment of Biostimulation Methods Based on Chemical Communication in Female Doe Reproduction. Animals, 2022.
• Chemical cues for intraspecific chemical communication and interspecific interactions in aquatic environments: applications for fisheries and aquaculture. Fisheries Science, 2021.
• Microbially Mediated Chemical Ecology of Animals: A Review of Its Role in Conspecific Communication, Parasitism and Predation. Biology, 2021.
• Plastic waste interferes with chemical communication in aquatic ecosystems. Scientific Reports, 2019.
• Evolution of animal chemical communication: Insights from non-model species and phylogenetic comparative methods. Belgian Journal of Zoology, 2019.
• Social Chemical Communication Determines Recovery From L1 Arrest via DAF-16 Activation. bioRxiv, 2020.
• Dietary fiber future directions: Integrating new definitions and findings to inform nutrition research and communication. Advances in Nutrition, 2013.
• Interspecific Communication. Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, 2009.
• Imitation and local enhancement: Detrimental effects of consensus definitions on analyses of social learning in animals. Behavioural Processes, 2013.

This article is educational and does not replace institutional policy, professional advice, or applicable safety and regulatory requirements.