The evolutionary ecology of manipulative and deceptive signals in insect societies

Animal communication signals typically evolve because of a shared interest between the signaling and receiver individuals. In the present project, I will make the first systematic empirical and theoretical study of another class of signals, where the receiver instead is partly manipulated or “deceived”. To do so, I will use insect societies as my key model system, and study how four classes of manipulative signals that have been previously proposed can evolve and be stably maintained. Key aspects that will be studied include exploitation of pre-existing receiver physiology and the costs of evolving counter-resistance strategies. Overall, this will provide key insights into the evolution of manipulation and deceit in animal societies, and how this affect the resolution of intrafamily conflicts.