ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part considers 4 aspects separately for the pragmatic purpose of analysing and understanding a communication process: the sending of a signal by one individual; the observable response by another; the probability of message transmission; and the adaptive significance. The literature on the subject of communication in social insects is very large; yet it is difficult to decide what is communication and what is not. During the evolution of man, visual and sound signals became the predominant modes of communication, and seeing and hearing our most significant senses. For a certain communication process to be retained in the repertoire of a species, it must have adaptive value. The signals consist of visual, auditory or chemical stimuli, or any combination of modes. Observations of the behavior of animals produce data that allow to correlate signals with different responses, or vice-versa.
