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Lack of alarm calls in a gregarious bird: models and videos of predators prompt alarm responses but no alarm calls by zebra finches. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2343-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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52
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Oliveira RF, Faustino AI. Social information use in threat perception: Social buffering, contagion and facilitation of alarm responses. Commun Integr Biol 2017. [PMCID: PMC5501205 DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2017.1325049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Group living animals can use the behavior of others as cues for the presence of threat in the environment and adjust their behavior accordingly. Therefore, different social phenomena that modulate the response to threat, such as social buffering, social transmission (contagion), and facilitation of alarm responses can be seen as different manifestations of social information use in threat detection. Thus, social phenomena that are functionally antagonistic, such as social buffering and social transmission of fear, may rely on shared neurobehavioral mechanisms related to the use of social information in decision-making about the presence of threat in the environment. Here, we propose a unifying conceptual framework for the study of social information use in threat perception based on signal detection theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui F. Oliveira
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
- ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana I. Faustino
- Exzellenzcluster NeuroCure, Charité Berlin/Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
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53
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Kern JM, Laker PR, Radford AN. Contextual variation in the alarm call responses of dwarf mongooses, Helogale parvula. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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54
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Morris-Drake A, Bracken AM, Kern JM, Radford AN. Anthropogenic noise alters dwarf mongoose responses to heterospecific alarm calls. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2017; 223:476-483. [PMID: 28153414 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.01.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Revised: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is an evolutionarily novel and widespread pollutant in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Despite increasing evidence that the additional noise generated by human activities can affect vocal communication, the majority of research has focused on the use of conspecific acoustic information, especially sexual signals. Many animals are known to eavesdrop on the alarm calls produced by other species, enhancing their likelihood of avoiding predation, but how this use of heterospecific information is affected by anthropogenic noise has received little empirical attention. Here, we use two field-based playback experiments on a habituated wild population of dwarf mongooses (Helogale parvula) to determine how anthropogenic noise influences the response of foragers to heterospecific alarm calls. We begin by demonstrating that dwarf mongooses respond appropriately to the alarm calls of sympatric chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) and tree squirrels (Paraxerus cepapi); fleeing only to the latter. We then show that mongoose foragers are less likely to exhibit this flee response to tree squirrel alarm calls during road-noise playback compared to ambient-sound playback. One explanation for the change in response is that noise-induced distraction or stress result in maladaptive behaviour. However, further analysis revealed that road-noise playback results in increased vigilance and that mongooses showing the greatest vigilance increase are those that do not subsequently exhibit a flee response to the alarm call. These individuals may therefore be acting appropriately: if the greater gathering of personal information indicates the absence of an actual predator despite an alarm call, the need to undertake costly fleeing behaviour can be avoided. Either way, our study indicates the potential for anthropogenic noise to interfere with the use of acoustic information from other species, and suggests the importance of considering how heterospecific networks are affected by this global pollutant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Morris-Drake
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom.
| | - Anna M Bracken
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
| | - Julie M Kern
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew N Radford
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
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55
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Why do caterpillars whistle at birds? Insect defence sounds startle avian predators. Behav Processes 2017; 138:58-66. [PMID: 28232054 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2016] [Accepted: 02/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Many insects produce sounds when attacked by a predator, yet the functions of these signals are poorly understood. It is debated whether such sounds function as startle, warning or alarm signals, or merely serve to augment other defences. Direct evidence is limited owing to difficulties in disentangling the effects of sounds from other defences that often occur simultaneously in live insects. We conducted an experiment to test whether an insect sound can function as a deimatic (i.e. startle) display. Variations of a whistle of the walnut sphinx caterpillar (Amorpha juglandis) were presented to a predator, red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), when birds activated a sensor while feeding on mealworms (Tenebrio molitor). Birds exposed to whistles played back at natural sound levels exhibited significantly higher startle scores (by flying away, flinching, and hopping) and took longer to return to the feeding dish than during control conditions where no sounds were played. Birds habituated to sounds during a one-hour session, but after two days the startling effects were restored. Our results provide empirical evidence that an insect sound alone can function as a deimatic display against an avian predator. We discuss how whistles might be particularly effective 'acoustic eye spots' on avian predators.
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Katsu N, Yamada K, Nakamichi M. Influence of social interactions with nonmother females on the development of call usage in Japanese macaques. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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58
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Clermont J, Couchoux C, Garant D, Réale D. Assessing anti-predator decisions of foraging eastern chipmunks under varying perceived risks: the effects of physical and social environments on vigilance. BEHAVIOUR 2017. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Animals foraging under risk have to trade-off resource acquisition and predator avoidance. Environmental factors can modulate the level of risk and should thus influence the expression of anti-predator behaviours such as vigilance. In this study, we investigated the effects of physical and social environments on eastern chipmunks’ (Tamias striatus) vigilance, by varying the perceived risk through playback experiments of alarm calls and neutral environmental sounds, and by integrating habitat and weather characteristics, as well as neighbour density. Chipmunks showed higher levels of vigilance when foraging in more open habitats, under high wind conditions, when they heard alarm calls and when surrounded by a high neighbour density. The effects of wind intensity and neighbour density on vigilance were also stronger during the broadcast of alarm calls rather than neutral sounds. Our results emphasize how both the physical and social environments can modify risk perception and therefore risk-taking decisions of foraging individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne Clermont
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888 succursale centre-ville, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C 3P8
| | - Charline Couchoux
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888 succursale centre-ville, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C 3P8
| | - Dany Garant
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 boulevard de l’Université, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada J1K 2R1
| | - Denis Réale
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888 succursale centre-ville, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C 3P8
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59
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Invasion of the acoustic niche: variable responses by native species to invasive American bullfrog calls. Biol Invasions 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-016-1327-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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60
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Griesser M, Suzuki TN. Naive Juveniles Are More Likely to Become Breeders after Witnessing Predator Mobbing. Am Nat 2016; 189:58-66. [PMID: 28035889 DOI: 10.1086/689477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Responding appropriately during the first predatory attack in life is often critical for survival. In many social species, naive juveniles acquire this skill from conspecifics, but its fitness consequences remain virtually unknown. Here we experimentally demonstrate how naive juvenile Siberian jays (Perisoreus infaustus) derive a long-term fitness benefit from witnessing knowledgeable adults mobbing their principal predator, the goshawk (Accipiter gentilis). Siberian jays live in family groups of two to six individuals that also can include unrelated nonbreeders. Field observations showed that Siberian jays encounter predators only rarely, and, indeed, naive juveniles do not respond to predator models when on their own but do when observing other individuals mobbing them. Predator exposure experiments demonstrated that naive juveniles had a substantially higher first-winter survival after observing knowledgeable group members mobbing a goshawk model, increasing their likelihood of acquiring a breeding position later in life. Previous research showed that naive individuals may learn from others how to respond to predators, care for offspring, or choose mates, generally assuming that social learning has long-term fitness consequences without empirical evidence. Our results demonstrate a long-term fitness benefit of vertical social learning for naive individuals in the wild, emphasizing its evolutionary importance in animals, including humans.
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Kern JM, Radford AN. Anthropogenic noise disrupts use of vocal information about predation risk. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2016; 218:988-995. [PMID: 27595178 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.08.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Revised: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/20/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is rapidly becoming a universal environmental feature. While the impacts of such additional noise on avian sexual signals are well documented, our understanding of its effect in other terrestrial taxa, on other vocalisations, and on receivers is more limited. Little is known, for example, about the influence of anthropogenic noise on responses to vocalisations relating to predation risk, despite the potential fitness consequences. We use playback experiments to investigate the impact of traffic noise on the responses of foraging dwarf mongooses (Helogale parvula) to surveillance calls produced by sentinels, individuals scanning for danger from a raised position whose presence usually results in reduced vigilance by foragers. Foragers exhibited a lessened response to surveillance calls in traffic-noise compared to ambient-sound playback, increasing personal vigilance. A second playback experiment, using noise playbacks without surveillance calls, suggests that the increased vigilance could arise in part from the direct influence of additional noise as there was an increase in response to traffic-noise playback alone. Acoustic masking could also play a role. Foragers maintained the ability to distinguish between sentinels of different dominance class, increasing personal vigilance when presented with subordinate surveillance calls compared to calls of a dominant groupmate in both noise treatments, suggesting complete masking was not occurring. However, an acoustic-transmission experiment showed that while surveillance calls were potentially audible during approaching traffic noise, they were probably inaudible during peak traffic intensity noise. While recent work has demonstrated detrimental effects of anthropogenic noise on defensive responses to actual predatory attacks, which are relatively rare, our results provide evidence of a potentially more widespread influence since animals should constantly assess background risk to optimise the foraging-vigilance trade-off.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie M Kern
- School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, University of Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom.
| | - Andrew N Radford
- School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, University of Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom.
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62
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Abstract
The objective of this study was to test the reactions of domestic guinea pigs to the presence of aerial and terrestrial predators in a laboratory setting. We measured the behavioural reactions of 27 adolescent guinea pigs to the presence of a dog, imitation of a bird of prey and an unknown human as control. Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U Test were used to analyse the differences in duration and frequency of responses (freezing, fleeing, and vigilance) to predators. When confronted with the dog, guinea pigs reacted for the longest time and most frequently by freezing. In presence of the bird of prey, they responded for the longest time and most often by freezing and fleeing. In presence of a human, they showed mostly vigilance. When comparing reactions to the dog and human, there were differences in duration and frequency of freezing and fleeing. When comparing reactions to the bird of prey and control test, we observed differences between fleeing and vigilance. The durations and frequencies of freezing, fleeing and vigilance to the dog and bird of prey were different. The only differences in reactions of males and females occurred in duration and frequency of fleeing in presence of the bird of prey. No vocalization was observed except for two occurrences, of a “drrr” and a “chirrup”. Our results indicate that domestic guinea pigs tested under laboratory conditions can discriminate between a terrestrial and an aerial predator, when exposed to them individually. Their antipredator behaviours remained functional, although their vocalizations may have been affected by the absence of signal receivers.
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63
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Vocalizations in juvenile anurans: common spadefoot toads (Pelobates fuscus) regularly emit calls before sexual maturity. Naturwissenschaften 2016; 103:75. [PMID: 27590626 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-016-1401-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Revised: 08/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Acoustic communication is prominent in adult anuran amphibians, in reproductive, territorial and defensive contexts. In contrast, reports on vocalizations of juvenile anurans are rare and anecdotal, and their function unstudied. We here provide conclusive evidence for vocalizations in juvenile spadefoot toads (Pelobates fuscus) in very early terrestrial stages. While the aquatic tadpoles did not emit sounds, first vocalizations of metamorphs were heard as early as in stages 42-43, and calls were regularly emitted from stage 44 on, often from specimens still bearing extensive tail stubs. Three main types of calls could be distinguished, of which one consists of a series of short notes, one of a typically single longer and pulsed note, and one of a single tonal note. In experimental setups, the number of calls per froglet increased with density of individuals and after feeding, while on the contrary calls were not elicited by playback. The function of these juvenile calls remains unclarified, but they might reflect a general arousal in the context of feeding. Further evidence is necessary to test whether such feeding calls could confer a signal to conspecifics and thus might represent intraspecific acoustic communication in these immature terrestrial amphibians.
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64
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Ausband DE, Mitchell MS, Bassing SB, Nordhagen M, Smith DW, Stahler DR. Dog days of summer: influences on decision of wolves to move pups. J Mammal 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyw114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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65
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Tanaka H, Frommen JG, Takahashi T, Kohda M. Predation risk promotes delayed dispersal in the cooperatively breeding cichlid Neolamprologus obscurus. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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66
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Sasaki T, Janssen MA, Shaffer Z, Pratt SC. Exploration of unpredictable environments by networked groups. Curr Zool 2016; 62:207-214. [PMID: 29491907 PMCID: PMC5804274 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zow052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2015] [Accepted: 06/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Information sharing is a critical task for group-living animals. The pattern of sharing can be modeled as a network whose structure can affect the decision-making performance of individual members as well as that of the group as a whole. A fully connected network, in which each member can directly transfer information to all other members, ensures rapid sharing of important information, such as a promising foraging location. However, it can also impose costs by amplifying the spread of inaccurate information (if, for example the foraging location is actually not profitable). Thus, an optimal network structure should balance effective sharing of current knowledge with opportunities to discover new information. We used a computer simulation to measure how well groups characterized by different network structures (fully connected, small world, lattice, and random) find and exploit resource peaks in a variable environment. We found that a fully connected network outperformed other structures when resource quality was predictable. When resource quality showed random variation, however, the small world network was better than the fully connected one at avoiding extremely poor outcomes. These results suggest that animal groups may benefit by adjusting their information-sharing network structures depending on the noisiness of their environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takao Sasaki
- School of Life Sciences and Center for Social Dynamics and Complexity, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ 85287-4501, USA.,Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK, and
| | - Marco A Janssen
- School of Sustainability and Center for Behavior, Institutions and the Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-5502, USA
| | - Zachary Shaffer
- School of Life Sciences and Center for Social Dynamics and Complexity, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ 85287-4501, USA
| | - Stephen C Pratt
- School of Life Sciences and Center for Social Dynamics and Complexity, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ 85287-4501, USA
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67
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68
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Kern JM, Sumner S, Radford AN. Sentinel dominance status influences forager use of social information. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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69
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Jones BC, Smith AD, Bebus SE, Schoech SJ. Two seconds is all it takes: European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) increase levels of circulating glucocorticoids after witnessing a brief raptor attack. Horm Behav 2016; 78:72-8. [PMID: 26522494 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Revised: 10/27/2015] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Researchers typically study "acute" activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis by measuring levels of circulating glucocorticoids in animals that have been exposed to a predator or a cue from a predator (e.g., odor), or have experienced a standardized capture-and-restraint protocol, all of which are many minutes in duration. However, exposure to predators in the "wild", either as the subject of an attack or as a witness to an attack, is generally much shorter as most depredation attempts upon free-living animals last <5s. Yet, whether a stimulus lasting only seconds can activate the HPA axis is unknown. To determine if a stimulus of a few seconds triggers a glucocorticoid response, we measured levels of corticosterone (CORT; the primary avian glucocorticoid) in wild-caught European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) after they witnessed a brief (<2-8s) raptor attack upon a conspecific, a human "attack" (i.e., a researcher handling a conspecific), and an undisturbed control. Witnesses of a raptor attack responded with CORT levels comparable to that induced by a standardized capture-and-restraint protocol. Glucocorticoid levels of individuals following the control treatment were similar to baseline levels, and those that witnessed a human "attack" had intermediate levels. Our results demonstrate that witnessing a predator attack of very brief duration triggers a profound adrenocortical stress response. Given the considerable evidence of a role for glucocorticoids in learning and memory, such a response may affect how individuals learn to recognize and appropriately react to predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake C Jones
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Memphis, Ellington Hall 239, 3700 Walker Ave, Memphis, TN 38152, USA.
| | - Adam D Smith
- Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, 105 Coastal Institute in Kingston, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Sara E Bebus
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Memphis, Ellington Hall 239, 3700 Walker Ave, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
| | - Stephan J Schoech
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Memphis, Ellington Hall 239, 3700 Walker Ave, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
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71
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72
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Vasconcelos RO, Alderks PW, Ramos A, Fonseca PJ, Amorim MCP, Sisneros JA. Vocal differentiation parallels development of auditory saccular sensitivity in a highly soniferous fish. J Exp Biol 2015; 218:2864-72. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.123059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Vocal differentiation is widely documented in birds and mammals but has been poorly investigated in other vertebrates, including fish, which represent the oldest extant vertebrate group. Neural circuitry controlling vocal behaviour is thought to have evolved from conserved brain areas that originated in fish, making this taxon key to understanding the evolution and development of the vertebrate vocal-auditory systems. This study examines ontogenetic changes in the vocal repertoire and whether vocal differentiation parallels auditory development in the Lusitanian toadfish Halobatrachus didactylus (Batrachoididae). This species exhibits a complex acoustic repertoire and is vocally active during early development. Vocalisations were recorded during social interactions for four size groups (fry: <2 cm; small juveniles: 2–4 cm; large juveniles: 5–7 cm; adults >25 cm, standard length). Auditory sensitivity of juveniles and adults was determined based on evoked potentials recorded from the inner ear saccule in response to pure tones of 75–945 Hz. We show an ontogenetic increment in the vocal repertoire from simple broadband-pulsed ‘grunts’ that later differentiate into four distinct vocalisations, including low-frequency amplitude-modulated ‘boatwhistles’. Whereas fry emitted mostly single grunts, large juveniles exhibited vocalisations similar to the adult vocal repertoire. Saccular sensitivity revealed a three-fold enhancement at most frequencies tested from small to large juveniles; however, large juveniles were similar in sensitivity to adults. We provide the first clear evidence of ontogenetic vocal differentiation in fish, as previously described for higher vertebrates. Our results suggest a parallel development between the vocal motor pathway and the peripheral auditory system for acoustic social communication in fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel O. Vasconcelos
- Institute of Science and Environment, University of Saint Joseph, Rua de Londres 16, Macau S.A.R., People's Republic of China
- Departamento de Biologia Animal and Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Universidade de Lisboa, Bloco C2 Campo Grande, Lisbon 1749-016, Portugal
| | - Peter W. Alderks
- Departments of Psychology and Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Andreia Ramos
- Institute of Science and Environment, University of Saint Joseph, Rua de Londres 16, Macau S.A.R., People's Republic of China
- Departamento de Biologia Animal and Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Universidade de Lisboa, Bloco C2 Campo Grande, Lisbon 1749-016, Portugal
| | - Paulo J. Fonseca
- Departamento de Biologia Animal and Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Universidade de Lisboa, Bloco C2 Campo Grande, Lisbon 1749-016, Portugal
| | - M. Clara P. Amorim
- MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Departamento de Biociências, ISPA – Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, Lisbon 1149-041, Portugal
| | - Joseph A. Sisneros
- Departments of Psychology and Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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Pettinga D, Kennedy J, Proppe DS. Common urban birds continue to perceive predator calls that are overlapped by road noise. Urban Ecosyst 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-015-0498-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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74
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Magrath RD, Haff TM, McLachlan JR, Igic B. Wild birds learn to eavesdrop on heterospecific alarm calls. Curr Biol 2015; 25:2047-50. [PMID: 26190077 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.06.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2015] [Revised: 05/07/2015] [Accepted: 06/11/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Many vertebrates gain critical information about danger by eavesdropping on other species' alarm calls [1], providing an excellent context in which to study information flow among species in animal communities [2-4]. A fundamental but unresolved question is how individuals recognize other species' alarm calls. Although individuals respond to heterospecific calls that are acoustically similar to their own, alarms vary greatly among species, and eavesdropping probably also requires learning [1]. Surprisingly, however, we lack studies demonstrating such learning. Here, we show experimentally that individual wild superb fairy-wrens, Malurus cyaneus, can learn to recognize previously unfamiliar alarm calls. We trained individuals by broadcasting unfamiliar sounds while simultaneously presenting gliding predatory birds. Fairy-wrens in the experiment originally ignored these sounds, but most fled in response to the sounds after two days' training. The learned response was not due to increased responsiveness in general or to sensitization following repeated exposure and was independent of sound structure. Learning can therefore help explain the taxonomic diversity of eavesdropping and the refining of behavior to suit the local community. In combination with previous work on unfamiliar predator recognition (e.g., [5]), our results imply rapid spread of anti-predator behavior within wild populations and suggest methods for training captive-bred animals before release into the wild [6]. A remaining challenge is to assess the importance and consequences of direct association of unfamiliar sounds with predators, compared with social learning-such as associating unfamiliar sounds with conspecific alarms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert D Magrath
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia.
| | - Tonya M Haff
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia
| | - Jessica R McLachlan
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia
| | - Branislav Igic
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia
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75
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Capuchin monkeys with similar personalities have higher-quality relationships independent of age, sex, kinship and rank. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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76
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Nadhurou B, Gamba M, Andriaholinirina N, Ouledi A, Giacoma C. The vocal communication of the mongoose lemur (Eulemur mongoz): phonation mechanisms, acoustic features and quantitative analysis. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2015.1039069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Watson S, Townsend S, Schel A, Wilke C, Wallace E, Cheng L, West V, Slocombe K. Vocal Learning in the Functionally Referential Food Grunts of Chimpanzees. Curr Biol 2015; 25:495-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.12.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2014] [Revised: 11/20/2014] [Accepted: 12/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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78
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Kern JM, Radford AN. Sentinel dwarf mongooses, Helogale parvula, exhibit flexible decision making in relation to predation risk. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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79
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Kaplan G. Animal communication. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2014; 5:661-677. [PMID: 26308872 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2014] [Revised: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 08/04/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Animal communication is first and foremost about signal transmission and aims to understand how communication occurs. It is a field that has contributed to and been inspired by other fields, from information technology to neuroscience, in finding ever better methods to eavesdrop on the actual 'message' that forms the basis of communication. Much of this review deals with vocal communication as an example of the questions that research on communication has tried to answer and it provides an historical overview of the theoretical arguments proposed. Topics covered include signal transmission in different environments and different species, referential signaling, and intentionality. The contention is that animal communication may reveal significant thought processes that enable some individuals in a small number of species so far investigated to anticipate what conspecifics might do, although some researchers think of such behavior as adaptive or worth dismissing as anthropomorphizing. The review further points out that some species are more likely than others to develop more complex communication patterns. It is a matter of asking how animals categorize their world and which concepts require cognitive processes and which are adaptive. The review concludes with questions of life history, social learning, and decision making, all criteria that have remained relatively unexplored in communication research. Long-lived, cooperative social animals have so far offered especially exciting prospects for investigation. There are ample opportunities and now very advanced technologies as well to tap further into expressions of memory of signals, be they vocal or expressed in other modalities. WIREs Cogn Sci 2014, 5:661-677. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1321 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. CONFLICT OF INTEREST The author has declared no conflicts of interest for this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisela Kaplan
- Centre for Neuroscience and Animal Behaviour, School of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, Australia
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80
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Schmitt CA, Di Fiore A. Predation risk sensitivity and the spatial organization of primate groups: A case study using GIS in lowland Woolly Monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 156:158-65. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2014] [Revised: 08/27/2014] [Accepted: 08/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A. Schmitt
- Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics; University of California Los Angeles; Los Angeles CA 90095
- Department of Anthropology; New York University; New York NY 10003
| | - Anthony Di Fiore
- Department of Anthropology; University of Texas at Austin; Austin TX 78712
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81
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Magrath RD, Haff TM, Fallow PM, Radford AN. Eavesdropping on heterospecific alarm calls: from mechanisms to consequences. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2014; 90:560-86. [PMID: 24917385 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 211] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2013] [Revised: 05/05/2014] [Accepted: 05/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Animals often gather information from other species by eavesdropping on signals intended for others. We review the extent, benefits, mechanisms, and ecological and evolutionary consequences of eavesdropping on other species' alarm calls. Eavesdropping has been shown experimentally in about 70 vertebrate species, and can entail closely or distantly related species. The benefits of eavesdropping include prompting immediate anti-predator responses, indirect enhancement of foraging or changed habitat use, and learning about predators. Eavesdropping on heterospecifics can provide more eyes looking for danger, complementary information to that from conspecifics, and potentially information at reduced cost. The response to heterospecific calls can be unlearned or learned. Unlearned responses occur when heterospecific calls have acoustic features similar to that used to recognize conspecific calls, or acoustic properties such as harsh sounds that prompt attention and may allow recognition or facilitate learning. Learning to recognize heterospecific alarm calls is probably essential to allow recognition of the diversity of alarm calls, but the evidence is largely indirect. The value of eavesdropping on different species is affected by problems of signal interception and the relevance of heterospecific alarm calls to the listener. These constraints on eavesdropping will affect how information flows among species and thus affect community function. Some species are 'keystone' information producers, while others largely seek information, and these differences probably affect the formation and function of mixed-species groups. Eavesdroppers might also integrate alarm calls from multiple species to extract relevant and reliable information. Eavesdropping appears to set the stage for the evolution of interspecific deception and communication, and potentially affects communication within species. Overall, we now know that eavesdropping on heterospecific alarm calls is an important source of information for many species across the globe, and there are ample opportunities for research on mechanisms, fitness consequences and implications for community function and signalling evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert D Magrath
- Division of Evolution, Ecology & Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia
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82
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Lemasson A, Mikus MA, Blois-Heulin C, Lodé T. Vocal repertoire, individual acoustic distinctiveness, and social networks in a group of captive Asian small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinerea). J Mammal 2014. [DOI: 10.1644/12-mamm-a-313.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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83
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MacLean SA, Bonter DN. The sound of danger: threat sensitivity to predator vocalizations, alarm calls, and novelty in gulls. PLoS One 2013; 8:e82384. [PMID: 24324780 PMCID: PMC3855757 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2013] [Accepted: 10/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The threat sensitivity hypothesis predicts that organisms will evaluate the relative danger of and respond differentially to varying degrees of predation threat. Doing so allows potential prey to balance the costs and benefits of anti-predator behaviors. Threat sensitivity has undergone limited testing in the auditory modality, and the relative threat level of auditory cues from different sources is difficult to infer across populations when variables such as background risk and experience are not properly controlled. We experimentally exposed a single population of two sympatric gull species to auditory stimuli representing a range of potential threats in order to compare the relative threat of heterospecific alarm calls, conspecific alarms calls, predator vocalizations, and novel auditory cues. Gulls were able to discriminate among a diverse set of threat indicators and respond in a graded manner commensurate with the level of threat. Vocalizations of two potential predators, the human voice and bald eagle call, differed in their threat level compared to each other and to alarm calls. Conspecific alarm calls were more threatening than heterospecfic alarm calls to the larger great black-backed gull, but the smaller herring gull weighed both equally. A novel cue elicited a response intermediate between known threats and a known non-threat in herring gulls, but not great black-backed gulls. Our results show that the relative threat level of auditory cues from different sources is highly species-dependent, and that caution should be exercised when comparing graded and threshold threat sensitive responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A MacLean
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
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84
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Read J, Jones G, Radford AN. Fitness costs as well as benefits are important when considering responses to anthropogenic noise. Behav Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/art102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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85
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Goutte S, Dubois A, Legendre F. The importance of ambient sound level to characterise anuran habitat. PLoS One 2013; 8:e78020. [PMID: 24205070 PMCID: PMC3804622 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2013] [Accepted: 09/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat characterisation is a pivotal step of any animal ecology study. The choice of variables used to describe habitats is crucial and need to be relevant to the ecology and behaviour of the species, in order to reflect biologically meaningful distribution patterns. In many species, acoustic communication is critical to individuals’ interactions, and it is expected that ambient acoustic conditions impact their local distribution. Yet, classic animal ecology rarely integrates an acoustic dimension in habitat descriptions. Here we show that ambient sound pressure level (SPL) is a strong predictor of calling site selection in acoustically active frog species. In comparison to six other habitat-related variables (i.e. air and water temperature, depth, width and slope of the stream, substrate), SPL had the most important explanatory power in microhabitat selection for the 34 sampled species. Ambient noise was particularly useful in differentiating two stream-associated guilds: torrents and calmer streams dwelling species. Guild definitions were strongly supported by SPL, whereas slope, which is commonly used in stream-associated habitat, had a weak explanatory power. Moreover, slope measures are non-standardized across studies and are difficult to assess at small scale. We argue that including an acoustic descriptor will improve habitat-species analyses for many acoustically active taxa. SPL integrates habitat topology and temporal information (such as weather and hour of the day, for example) and is a simple and precise measure. We suggest that habitat description in animal ecology should include an acoustic measure such as noise level because it may explain previously misunderstood distribution patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Goutte
- Département Systématique et Évolution, MNHN, Paris, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Alain Dubois
- Département Systématique et Évolution, MNHN, Paris, France
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86
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Barbados green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) recognize ancestral alarm calls after 350 years of isolation. Behav Processes 2013; 100:197-9. [PMID: 24129028 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2013.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2013] [Revised: 08/01/2013] [Accepted: 09/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) produce alarm calls and anti-predator behaviors that are specific to a threatening predator's mode of attack. Upon hearing a leopard alarm, the monkeys will run up trees where they are relatively safe. In contrast, eagle alarms prompt the monkeys to run under bushes and snake alarms stimulate bipedal standing. Early researchers proposed that the meaning of each alarm call is conveyed by observational learning. If this true then absence of the predator that elicits the alarm call may lead to alteration or decay of the alarm's meaning since there is no longer opportunity for observational learning to occur. The present study tested this hypothesis by presenting alarm calls to a closely related species of monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) that have been isolated from their ancestral predators for more than 350 years. The monkeys ran up trees in response to a leopard alarm, but not when the same alarm was played backwards and not in response to a snake alarm. Snake alarms failed to reliably elicit bipedal standing. These results suggest that the leopard alarm call conveys the same information to Barbados green monkeys as West African green monkeys despite generations of isolation from leopards.
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87
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Griesser M. Do warning calls boost survival of signal recipients? Evidence from a field experiment in a group-living bird species. Front Zool 2013; 10:49. [PMID: 23941356 PMCID: PMC3751016 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-10-49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2013] [Accepted: 08/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Warning calls are a widespread anti-predator adaptation, which can signal unprofitability to predators or alert other potential targets of the predator. Although it is tacitly assumed that the recipients of warning calls experience a reduction in predation risk, this crucial assumption remains untested. Here I tested this hypothesis with a field experiment in the group-living Siberian jay, Perisoreus infaustus. I exposed male or female breeding adults that were foraging together with a non-breeder (related or unrelated) to a model of their main predator (goshawk Accipiter gentilis) in autumn. I then recorded the warning call response of breeders as well as the reaction time of non-breeders, and followed the subsequent survival of non-breeders until spring. Results In most experiments (73%), non-breeders were warned by the more experienced breeders. Warning calls almost halved the reaction time of non-breeders during the experiment and influenced the survival of call recipients: non-breeders that were warned had a higher subsequent survival (19 out of 23) than non-breeders that were not warned (2 out of 5). However, neither kinship, group size, the age of the non-breeder, or the habitat structure of the territory had an influence on the survival subsequent to the experiments. Conclusions Since earlier studies showed that breeders are consistent in their warning call investment across different contexts, breeders that did warn non-breeders in the experiment were likely to have done so in subsequent, natural attacks. Consequently non-breeders living with breeders that called had a better chance of surviving predator attacks. Thus, these results suggest that warning calls have the potential to boost the survival of signal recipients, confirming a pivotal, yet hitherto untested assumption of the effect of warning calls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Griesser
- Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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88
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Wale MA, Simpson SD, Radford AN. Noise negatively affects foraging and antipredator behaviour in shore crabs. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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89
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Gill SA, Bierema AMK. On the Meaning of Alarm Calls: A Review of Functional Reference in Avian Alarm Calling. Ethology 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sharon A. Gill
- Department of Biological Sciences; Western Michigan University; Kalamazoo; MI; USA
| | - Andrea M.-K. Bierema
- The Mallinson Institute for Science Education; Western Michigan University; Kalamazoo; MI; USA
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90
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Call of duty? Variation in use of the watchman's song by sentinel dwarf mongooses, Helogale parvula. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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91
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Ontogenetic switch between alternative antipredatory strategies in the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius): defensive threat versus escape. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1536-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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92
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Fallow PM, Pitcher BJ, Magrath RD. Alarming features: birds use specific acoustic properties to identify heterospecific alarm calls. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 280:20122539. [PMID: 23303539 PMCID: PMC3574322 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2012] [Accepted: 12/06/2012] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Vertebrates that eavesdrop on heterospecific alarm calls must distinguish alarms from sounds that can safely be ignored, but the mechanisms for identifying heterospecific alarm calls are poorly understood. While vertebrates learn to identify heterospecific alarms through experience, some can also respond to unfamiliar alarm calls that are acoustically similar to conspecific alarm calls. We used synthetic calls to test the role of specific acoustic properties in alarm call identification by superb fairy-wrens, Malurus cyaneus. Individuals fled more often in response to synthetic calls with peak frequencies closer to those of conspecific calls, even if other acoustic features were dissimilar to that of fairy-wren calls. Further, they then spent more time in cover following calls that had both peak frequencies and frequency modulation rates closer to natural fairy-wren means. Thus, fairy-wrens use similarity in specific acoustic properties to identify alarms and adjust a two-stage antipredator response. Our study reveals how birds respond to heterospecific alarm calls without experience, and, together with previous work using playback of natural calls, shows that both acoustic similarity and learning are important for interspecific eavesdropping. More generally, this study reconciles contrasting views on the importance of alarm signal structure and learning in recognition of heterospecific alarms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela M Fallow
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
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93
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Gall MD, Hough LD, Fernández-Juricic E. Age-Related Characteristics of Foraging Habitats and Foraging Behaviors in the Black Phoebe ( Sayornis nigricans). SOUTHWEST NAT 2013. [DOI: 10.1894/0038-4909-58.1.41] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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94
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Haff TM, Magrath RD. Eavesdropping on the neighbours: fledglings learn to respond to heterospecific alarm calls. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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95
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Bonnington C, Gaston KJ, Evans KL. Fearing the feline: domestic cats reduce avian fecundity through trait-mediated indirect effects that increase nest predation by other species. J Appl Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Colin Bonnington
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Sheffield; Sheffield; S10 2TN; UK
| | - Kevin J. Gaston
- Environment and Sustainability Institute; University of Exeter; Penryn; Cornwall; TR10 9EZ; UK
| | - Karl L. Evans
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Sheffield; Sheffield; S10 2TN; UK
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96
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Gomes LAP, Salgado PMP, Barata EN, Mira APP. Alarm scent-marking during predatory attempts in the Cabrera vole (Microtus cabrerae Thomas, 1906). Ecol Res 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s11284-012-1023-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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97
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Bennett VA, Doerr VAJ, Doerr ED, Manning AD, Lindenmayer DB, Yoon HJ. Causes of reintroduction failure of the brown treecreeper: Implications for ecosystem restoration. AUSTRAL ECOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Victoria A. Bennett
- Fenner School of Environment and Society; The Australian National University; Building 141, Acton, ACT 0200; Australia
| | | | | | - Adrian D. Manning
- Fenner School of Environment and Society; The Australian National University; Building 141, Acton, ACT 0200; Australia
| | - David B. Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society; The Australian National University; Building 141, Acton, ACT 0200; Australia
| | - Hwan-Jin Yoon
- Statistical Consulting Unit; School of Mathematical Sciences; The Australian National University; Acton
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98
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Alarm calls of the Cyprus Wheatear Oenanthe cypriaca—one for nest defence, one for parent–offspring communication? Acta Ethol 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-012-0141-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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99
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Meno W, Coss RG, Perry S. Development of snake-directed antipredator behavior by wild white-faced capuchin monkeys: II. Influence of the social environment. Am J Primatol 2012; 75:292-300. [PMID: 23238906 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2012] [Revised: 10/22/2012] [Accepted: 11/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Young animals are known to direct alarm calls at a wider range of animals than adults. If social cues are safer and/or more reliable to use than asocial cues for learning about predators, then it is expected that the development of this behavior will be affected by the social environment. Our study examined the influence of the social environment on antipredator behavior in infant, juvenile, and adult wild white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) at Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve in Costa Rica during presentations of different species of model snakes and novel models. We examined (a) the alarm calling behavior of the focal animal when alone versus in the vicinity of conspecific alarm callers and (b) the latency of conspecifics to alarm call once the focal animal alarm called. Focal animals alarm called more when alone than after hearing a conspecific alarm call. No reliable differences were found in the latencies of conspecifics to alarm call based on age or model type. Conspecifics were more likely to alarm call when focal individuals alarm called at snake models than when they alarm called at novel models. Results indicate (a) that alarm calling may serve to attract others to the predator's location and (b) that learning about specific predators may begin with a generalized response to a wide variety of species, including some nonthreatening ones, that is winnowed down via Pavlovian conditioned inhibition into a response directed toward specific dangerous species. This study reveals that conspecifics play a role in the development of antipredator behavior in white-faced capuchins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Whitney Meno
- Graduate Group in Animal Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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100
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Meno W, Coss RG, Perry S. Development of snake-directed antipredator behavior by wild white-faced capuchin monkeys: I. Snake-species discrimination. Am J Primatol 2012; 75:281-91. [PMID: 23229464 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2012] [Revised: 10/22/2012] [Accepted: 11/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Young animals are known to direct alarm calls at a wider range of species than adults. Our field study examined age-related differences in the snake-directed antipredator behavior of infant, juvenile, and adult white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) in terms of alarm calling, looking behavior, and aggressive behavior. In the first experiment, we exposed infant and juvenile white-faced capuchins to realistic-looking inflatable models of their two snake predators, the boa constrictior (Boa constrictor) and neotropical rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus) and a white airplane as a novel control. In the second experiment, infants, juveniles, and adults were presented photographic models of a coiled boa constrictor, rattlesnake, indigo snake (Drymarchon corais), a noncapuchin predator, and a white snake-like model. We found that antipredator behavior changed during the immature stage. Infants as young as 4 months old were able to recognize snakes and display antipredator behavior, but engaged in less snake-model discrimination than juveniles. All age classes exhibited a lower response to the white snake-like model, indicating that the absence of color and snake-scale patterns affected snake recognition. Infants also showed a higher level of vigilance after snake-model detection as exhibited by a higher proportion of time spent looking and head cocking at the models. Aggressive antipredator behavior was found in all age classes, but was more prevalent in juveniles and adults than infants. This study adds to the knowledge of development of antipredator behavior in primates by showing that, although alarm calling behavior and predator recognition appear at a very young age in capuchins, snake-species discrimination does not become apparent until the juvenile stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Whitney Meno
- Graduate Group in Animal Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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