WKU News
WKU Biology Professors and WKU graduate student discover new communication system in chameleons
- Monday, August 28th, 2023
WKU Biology Department faculty Drs. Michael Smith and Steve Huskey along with graduate student Kathryn Denny, recently published two papers in the journal Integrative and Comparative Biology.
The articles entitled, “Communication via Biotremors in the Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus): Part I-Biotremor Production and Response to Substrate-borne Vibrations” and “Communication via Biotremors in the Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus): Part II-Social Contexts” are based on master’s thesis work completed by Kathryn Denny.
The authors found that veiled chameleons produce low frequency vibration pulses that are transmitted along branches to other chameleons. These vibrations, referred to as biotremors, were primarily produced during dominance and courtship displays. Veiled chameleons responded more strongly to vibrations that were of similar frequency to the biotremors that they produce suggesting that these vibrations are an important communication signal for them.
The publications can be accessed via the following links:
https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icad085
https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icad084
For more information contact Dr. Michael Smith (michael.smith1@wku.edu) or Dr. Steve Huskey (steve.huskey@wku.edu).
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