Describe the function of animal communication.

• A. Dominance, courtship, ownership, alarm
• B. Feeding, nesting, migration
• C. Navigation, foraging
• D. Sleep cues

Answer: (A)

Animal communication functions to organize social interactions and coordinate behavior within groups. The set that includes dominance, courtship, ownership, and alarm best captures the main social roles signals serve: establishing and maintaining social hierarchies to reduce conflict, attracting and selecting mates, marking territory or resources to deter rivals, and warning others about danger to increase group survival.

Other options describe activities animals perform (feeding, nesting, migration) or cognitive tasks (navigation, foraging) where signals may play a role, but these are not the primary purposes of communication itself. Sleep cues, in particular, are not a central function of inter-individual signaling.