Table 1.

Ten unanswered questions in multimodal communication

1. Are multimodal signals fundamentally different than unimodal multicomponent signals, requiring their own models?

2. Can we create more comprehensive diagrams or visual models of multimodal communication?

3. Are multimodal signals more likely than unimodal signals to facilitate speciation?

4. What are the costs and constraints of multimodal signaling, and are they similar across taxa?

5. Is there a common mechanism for multisensory integration across channels?

6. How do temporal factors in signal production, transmission, and perception affect multimodal communication?

7. How does multimodal communication develop and is there a common developmental trajectory across taxa?

8. How can genomics and advanced sequencing techniques help us to advance our understanding of multimodal communication?

9. Applications: Can we apply what we learn about multimodal communication in animals to improve their care and handling, or to better the human condition?

10. Integration of basic and applied work: Does the use of multimodal communication allow organisms to survive rapid environmental change more successfully than they would otherwise?