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Reichert MS, Höbel G. Phenotypic integration and the evolution of signal repertoires: A case study of treefrog acoustic communication. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:3410-3429. [PMID: 29607035 PMCID: PMC5869261 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Revised: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal signals are inherently complex phenotypes with many interacting parts combining to elicit responses from receivers. The pattern of interrelationships between signal components reflects the extent to which each component is expressed, and responds to selection, either in concert with or independently of others. Furthermore, many species have complex repertoires consisting of multiple signal types used in different contexts, and common morphological and physiological constraints may result in interrelationships extending across the multiple signals in species' repertoires. The evolutionary significance of interrelationships between signal traits can be explored within the framework of phenotypic integration, which offers a suite of quantitative techniques to characterize complex phenotypes. In particular, these techniques allow for the assessment of modularity and integration, which describe, respectively, the extent to which sets of traits covary either independently or jointly. Although signal and repertoire complexity are thought to be major drivers of diversification and social evolution, few studies have explicitly measured the phenotypic integration of signals to investigate the evolution of diverse communication systems. We applied methods from phenotypic integration studies to quantify integration in the two primary vocalization types (advertisement and aggressive calls) in the treefrogs Hyla versicolor, Hyla cinerea, and Dendropsophus ebraccatus. We recorded male calls and calculated standardized phenotypic variance-covariance (P) matrices for characteristics within and across call types. We found significant integration across call types, but the strength of integration varied by species and corresponded with the acoustic similarity of the call types within each species. H. versicolor had the most modular advertisement and aggressive calls and the least acoustically similar call types. Additionally, P was robust to changing social competition levels in H. versicolor. Our findings suggest new directions in animal communication research in which the complex relationships among the traits of multiple signals are a key consideration for understanding signal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S. Reichert
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity College CorkCorkIreland
| | - Gerlinde Höbel
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Wisconsin‐MilwaukeeMilwaukeeWIUSA
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102
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Stange N, Page RA, Ryan MJ, Taylor RC. Interactions between complex multisensory signal components result in unexpected mate choice responses. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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103
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Uetz GW, Stoffer B, Lallo MM, Clark DL. Complex signals and comparative mate assessment in wolf spiders: results from multimodal playback studies. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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104
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Abstract
Animals are commonly exposed to multiple environmental stimuli, but whether, and under which circumstances, they can attend to multiple stimuli in multitask learning challenges is elusive. Here, we assessed whether simultaneously occurring chemosensory stimuli interfere with each other in a dual-task learning challenge. We exposed predatory mites Neoseiulus californicus early in life to either only conspecifics (kin) or simultaneously conspecifics (kin) and food (thrips or pollen), to determine whether presence of food interferes with social familiarization and, vice versa, whether presence of conspecifics interferes with learning the cues of thrips. We found that N. californicus can become familiar with kin early in life and use kin recognition later in life to avoid kin cannibalism. However, when the juvenile predators were challenged by multiple stimuli associated with two different learning tasks, that is, when they grew up with conspecifics in the presence of food, they were no longer capable of social familiarization. In contrast, the presence of conspecifics did not compromise the predators' ability to learn the cues of thrips. Memory of experience with thrips allowed shorter attack latencies on thrips and increased oviposition by adult N. californicus. Proximately, the stimuli for learning the features of thrips were apparently more salient than those for learning to recognize kin. We argue that, ultimately, learning the cues of thrips at the expense of impeded social familiarization pays off because of negligible cannibalism risk in the presence of abundant food. Our study suggests that stimulus-driven prioritization of learning tasks is in line with the predictions of selective and limited attention theories, and provides a key example of interference in dual-task learning by an arthropod.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inga C. Christiansen
- Group of Arthropod Ecology and Behavior, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Schausberger
- Group of Arthropod Ecology and Behavior, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Austria
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Vienna, Austria
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105
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Grafe TU, Tony JA. Temporal variation in acoustic and visual signalling as a function of stream background noise in the Bornean foot-flagging frog, Staurois parvus. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.22261/jea.x74qe0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
High background noise can interfere with signal detection and perception. Bornean foot-flagging frogs,Staurois parvus, live along noisy streams and use both acoustic and visual signals to communicate. It remains unclear why acoustic signalling is retained given that visual signalling appears to have clear advantages under these noisy conditions. We hypothesized that temporal dynamics in stream noise have shaped the multimodal communication system inS. parvuswith acoustic signalling at an advantage under more quiet conditions, whereas visual signals will prevail when the noise of rushing water is high after rains. We found that as predicted, maleS. parvusincreased foot flagging and decreased advertisement calling when presented with playbacks of stream noise compared to less noisy pre-playback conditions. Such context-dependent dynamic-selection regimes are recently gaining wider attention and enhance our understanding of the flexibility seen in the use of multimodal signals inS. parvus.
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106
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Taking turns across channels: Conversation-analytic tools in animal communication. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 80:201-209. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2017] [Revised: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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107
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Crane AL, Ferrari MCO. Patterns of predator neophobia: a meta-analytic review. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:20170583. [PMID: 28835552 PMCID: PMC5577474 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Neophobia, the fear of novel stimuli, plays a major role in animal ecology. Here, we review studies on predator neophobia and explore its underlying patterns within an ecological framework. Predator neophobia is typically assessed by observing behaviours in novel areas that bring potential risk from unknown predators, or by observing behaviours towards certain kinds of objects and odours that are novel. We conducted a literature review across taxa, surveying research on baseline and induced neophobia versus controls. We calculated effect sizes for the intensity of neophobic responses, and categorized data according to six factors (taxa, age class, background type, trophic position, test cue type and experimental treatment type). While accounting for each of the other factors, we found that baseline neophobia was stronger among birds and mammals, and towards novel areas, relative to other taxa and cue types. Baseline neophobia was lower for wild-caught animals and for those that were higher in trophic position, compared with those reared in captivity and from lower trophic levels. By contrast, induced neophobia was similar in intensity across taxa, background types and testing cue types, while again being lower among upper trophic-level members and among juvenile animals. Although induced neophobia occurred across all treatment types, brain lesions induced stronger neophobia than predation risk or social isolation. We discuss potential mechanisms underlying these results and highlight gaps in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam L Crane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5E2
| | - Maud C O Ferrari
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5B4
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108
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Chabrolles L, Ben Ammar I, Fernandez MS, Boyer N, Attia J, Fonseca PJ, Amorim MCP, Beauchaud M. Appraisal of unimodal cues during agonistic interactions in Maylandia zebra. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3643. [PMID: 28785523 PMCID: PMC5543927 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Communication is essential during social interactions including animal conflicts and it is often a complex process involving multiple sensory channels or modalities. To better understand how different modalities interact during communication, it is fundamental to study the behavioural responses to both the composite multimodal signal and each unimodal component with adequate experimental protocols. Here we test how an African cichlid, which communicates with multiple senses, responds to different sensory stimuli in a social relevant scenario. We tested Maylandia zebra males with isolated chemical (urine or holding water coming both from dominant males), visual (real opponent or video playback) and acoustic (agonistic sounds) cues during agonistic interactions. We showed that (1) these fish relied mostly on the visual modality, showing increased aggressiveness in response to the sight of a real contestant but no responses to urine or agonistic sounds presented separately, (2) video playback in our study did not appear appropriate to test the visual modality and needs more technical prospecting, (3) holding water provoked territorial behaviours and seems to be promising for the investigation into the role of the chemical channel in this species. Our findings suggest that unimodal signals are non-redundant but how different sensory modalities interplay during communication remains largely unknown in fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Chabrolles
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/Neuro-PSI CNRS UMR 9197, Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Imen Ben Ammar
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/Neuro-PSI CNRS UMR 9197, Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Marie S.A. Fernandez
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/Neuro-PSI CNRS UMR 9197, Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
- INRIA, Beagle, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Nicolas Boyer
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/Neuro-PSI CNRS UMR 9197, Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Joël Attia
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/Neuro-PSI CNRS UMR 9197, Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Paulo J. Fonseca
- Departamento de Biologia Animal and cE3c—Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - M. Clara P. Amorim
- MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA, Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Marilyn Beauchaud
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/Neuro-PSI CNRS UMR 9197, Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
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109
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Nonlinear processing of a multicomponent communication signal by combination-sensitive neurons in the anuran inferior colliculus. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 203:749-772. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1195-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Revised: 06/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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110
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Rypstra AL, Hoefler CD, Persons MH. Predation on reproducing wolf spiders: access to information has differential effects on male and female survival. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.03.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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111
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Hobaiter C, Byrne RW, Zuberbühler K. Wild chimpanzees' use of single and combined vocal and gestural signals. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017; 71:96. [PMID: 28596637 PMCID: PMC5446553 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2325-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2016] [Revised: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT We describe the individual and combined use of vocalizations and gestures in wild chimpanzees. The rate of gesturing peaked in infancy and, with the exception of the alpha male, decreased again in older age groups, while vocal signals showed the opposite pattern. Although gesture-vocal combinations were relatively rare, they were consistently found in all age groups, especially during affiliative and agonistic interactions. Within behavioural contexts rank (excluding alpha-rank) had no effect on the rate of male chimpanzees' use of vocal or gestural signals and only a small effect on their use of combination signals. The alpha male was an outlier, however, both as a prolific user of gestures and recipient of high levels of vocal and gesture-vocal signals. Persistence in signal use varied with signal type: chimpanzees persisted in use of gestures and gesture-vocal combinations after failure, but where their vocal signals failed they tended to add gestural signals to produce gesture-vocal combinations. Overall, chimpanzees employed signals with a sensitivity to the public/private nature of information, by adjusting their use of signal types according to social context and by taking into account potential out-of-sight audiences. We discuss these findings in relation to the various socio-ecological challenges that chimpanzees are exposed to in their natural forest habitats and the current discussion of multimodal communication in great apes. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT All animal communication combines different types of signals, including vocalizations, facial expressions, and gestures. However, the study of primate communication has typically focused on the use of signal types in isolation. As a result, we know little on how primates use the full repertoire of signals available to them. Here we present a systematic study on the individual and combined use of gestures and vocalizations in wild chimpanzees. We find that gesturing peaks in infancy and decreases in older age, while vocal signals show the opposite distribution, and patterns of persistence after failure suggest that gestural and vocal signals may encode different types of information. Overall, chimpanzees employed signals with a sensitivity to the public/private nature of information, by adjusting their use of signal types according to social context and by taking into account potential out-of-sight audiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Hobaiter
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Marys College, South Street, St Andrews, KY16 9JP Scotland
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
| | - R W Byrne
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Marys College, South Street, St Andrews, KY16 9JP Scotland
| | - K Zuberbühler
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Marys College, South Street, St Andrews, KY16 9JP Scotland
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- Department of Comparative Cognition, University of Neuchatel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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112
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113
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Reichert MS, Finck J, Ronacher B. Exploring the hidden landscape of female preferences for complex signals. Evolution 2017; 71:1009-1024. [PMID: 28186332 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Revised: 01/12/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
A major challenge in evolutionary biology is explaining the origins of complex phenotypic diversity. In animal communication, complex signals may evolve from simpler signals because novel signal elements exploit preexisting biases in receivers' sensory systems. Investigating the shape of female preference functions for novel signal characteristics is a powerful, but underutilized, method to describe the adaptive landscape potentially guiding complex signal evolution. We measured female preference functions for characteristics of acoustic appendages added to male calling songs in the grasshopper Chorthippus biguttulus, which naturally produces only simple songs. We discovered both hidden preferences for and biases against novel complex songs, and identified rules governing song attractiveness based on multiple characteristics of both the base song and appendage. The appendage's temporal position and duration were especially important: long appendages preceding the song often made songs less attractive, while following appendages were neutral or weakly attractive. Appendages had stronger effects on songs of shorter duration, but did not restore the attractiveness of very unattractive songs. We conclude that sensory biases favor, within predictable limits, the evolution of complex songs in grasshoppers. The function-valued approach is an important tool in determining the generality of these limits in other taxa and signaling modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Reichert
- Institut für Biologie, Abteilung Verhaltensphysiologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Ivalidenstrasse 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany.,Current Address: School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, G15 Cooperage Building, Cork, Ireland
| | - Jonas Finck
- Institut für Biologie, Abteilung Verhaltensphysiologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Ivalidenstrasse 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany.,Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Sciences, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bernhard Ronacher
- Institut für Biologie, Abteilung Verhaltensphysiologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Ivalidenstrasse 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany
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114
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Ronald KL, Zeng R, White DJ, Fernández-Juricic E, Lucas JR. What makes a multimodal signal attractive? A preference function approach. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
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115
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116
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Wilke C, Kavanagh E, Donnellan E, Waller BM, Machanda ZP, Slocombe KE. Production of and responses to unimodal and multimodal signals in wild chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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117
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118
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Valentova JV, Varella MAC, Havlíček J, Kleisner K. Positive association between vocal and facial attractiveness in women but not in men: A cross-cultural study. Behav Processes 2016; 135:95-100. [PMID: 27986472 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2016] [Revised: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Various species use multiple sensory modalities in the communication processes. In humans, female facial appearance and vocal display are correlated and it has been suggested that they serve as redundant markers indicating the bearer's reproductive potential and/or residual fertility. In men, evidence for redundancy of facial and vocal attractiveness is ambiguous. We tested the redundancy/multiple signals hypothesis by correlating perceived facial and vocal attractiveness in men and women from two different populations, Brazil and the Czech Republic. We also investigated whether facial and vocal attractiveness are linked to facial morphology. Standardized facial pictures and vocal samples of 86 women (47 from Brazil) and 81 men (41 from Brazil), aged 18-35, were rated for attractiveness by opposite-sex raters. Facial and vocal attractiveness were found to positively correlate in women but not in men. We further applied geometric morphometrics and regressed facial shape coordinates on facial and vocal attractiveness ratings. In women, facial shape was linked to their facial attractiveness but there was no association between facial shape and vocal attractiveness. In men, none of these associations was significant. Having shown that women with more attractive faces possess also more attractive voices, we thus only partly supported the redundant signal hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jan Havlíček
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Karel Kleisner
- Department of Philosophy and History of Science, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
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119
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Petzold JM, Marsat G, Smith GT. Co-adaptation of electric organ discharges and chirps in South American ghost knifefishes (Apteronotidae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 110:200-215. [PMID: 27989653 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2016] [Revised: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 10/25/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Animal communication signals that simultaneously share the same sensory channel are likely to co-evolve to maximize the transmission of each signal component. Weakly electric fish continuously produce a weak electric field that functions in communication. Fish modulate the electric organ discharge (EOD) on short timescales to produce context-specific signals called chirps. EODs and chirps are simultaneously detected by electroreceptors and processed in the electrosensory system. We analyzed these signals, first to explore whether EOD waveform is encoded in the signal received by electroreceptors and then to examine how EODs and chirps interact to influence conspicuousness. Our findings show that gross discrimination of sinusoidal from complex EOD waveforms is feasible for all species, but fine discrimination of waveform may be possible only for species with waveforms of intermediate complexity. The degree of chirp frequency modulation and chirp relative decay strongly influenced chirp conspicuousness, but other chirp parameters were less influential. The frequency difference between the interacting EODs also strongly impacted chirp conspicuousness. Finally, we developed a method for creating hybrid chirp/EOD combinations to independently analyze the impact of chirp species, EOD species, and EOD difference frequency on chirp conspicuousness. All three components and their interactions strongly influenced chirp conspicuousness, which suggests that evolutionary changes in parameters of either chirps or EODs are likely to influence chirp detection. Examining other environmental factors such as noise created by fish movement and species-typical patterns of sociality may enrich our understanding of how interacting EODs affect the detection and discrimination of chirps across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacquelyn M Petzold
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 E. 3rd St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA; Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, 409 N. Park Ave., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Gary Marsat
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, 53 Campus Dr., Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - G Troy Smith
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 E. 3rd St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA; Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, 409 N. Park Ave., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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120
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Dissection of signalling modalities and courtship timing reveals a novel signal in Drosophila saltans courtship. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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121
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Reichert MS, Symes LB, Höbel G. Lighting up sound preferences: cross-modal influences on the precedence effect in treefrogs. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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122
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Rhebergen F, Taylor RC, Ryan MJ, Page RA, Halfwerk W. Multimodal cues improve prey localization under complex environmental conditions. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 282:rspb.2015.1403. [PMID: 26336176 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Predators often eavesdrop on sexual displays of their prey. These displays can provide multimodal cues that aid predators, but the benefits in attending to them should depend on the environmental sensory conditions under which they forage. We assessed whether bats hunting for frogs use multimodal cues to locate their prey and whether their use varies with ambient conditions. We used a robotic set-up mimicking the sexual display of a male túngara frog (Physalaemus pustulosus) to test prey assessment by fringe-lipped bats (Trachops cirrhosus). These predatory bats primarily use sound of the frog's call to find their prey, but the bats also use echolocation cues returning from the frog's dynamically moving vocal sac. In the first experiment, we show that multimodal cues affect attack behaviour: bats made narrower flank attack angles on multimodal trials compared with unimodal trials during which they could only rely on the sound of the frog. In the second experiment, we explored the bat's use of prey cues in an acoustically more complex environment. Túngara frogs often form mixed-species choruses with other frogs, including the hourglass frog (Dendropsophus ebraccatus). Using a multi-speaker set-up, we tested bat approaches and attacks on the robofrog under three different levels of acoustic complexity: no calling D. ebraccatus males, two calling D. ebraccatus males and five D. ebraccatus males. We found that bats are more directional in their approach to the robofrog when more D. ebraccatus males were calling. Thus, bats seemed to benefit more from multimodal cues when confronted with increased levels of acoustic complexity in their foraging environments. Our data have important consequences for our understanding of the evolution of multimodal sexual displays as they reveal how environmental conditions can alter the natural selection pressures acting on them.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Rhebergen
- Behavioral Biology, Institute of Biology (IBL), Leiden University, PO Box 9516, Leiden 2300 RA, The Netherlands
| | - R C Taylor
- Department of Biology, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD 21801, USA Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - M J Ryan
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - R A Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - W Halfwerk
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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123
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Hick KG, Doucet SM, Mennill DJ. Tropical wrens rely more on acoustic signals than visual signals for inter- and intraspecific discrimination. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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124
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Halfwerk W, Ryan MJ, Wilson PS. Wind- and Rain-Induced Vibrations Impose Different Selection Pressures on Multimodal Signaling. Am Nat 2016; 188:279-88. [PMID: 27501086 DOI: 10.1086/687519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The world is a noisy place, and animals have evolved a myriad of strategies to communicate in it. Animal communication signals are, however, often multimodal; their components can be processed by multiple sensory systems, and noise can thus affect signal components across different modalities. We studied the effect of environmental noise on multimodal communication in the túngara frog (Physalaemus pustulosus). Males communicate with rivals using airborne sounds combined with call-induced water ripples. We tested males under control as well as noisy conditions in which we mimicked rain- and wind-induced vibrations on the water surface. Males responded more strongly to a multimodal playback in which sound and ripples were combined, compared to a unimodal sound-only playback, but only in the absence of rain and wind. Under windy conditions, males decreased their response to the multimodal playback, suggesting that wind noise interferes with the detection of rival ripples. Under rainy conditions, males increased their response, irrespective of signal playback, suggesting that different noise sources can have different impacts on communication. Our findings show that noise in an additional sensory channel can affect multimodal signal perception and thereby drive signal evolution, but not always in the expected direction.
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125
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Greene LK, Grogan KE, Smyth KN, Adams CA, Klager SA, Drea CM. Mix it and fix it: functions of composite olfactory signals in ring-tailed lemurs. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2016; 3:160076. [PMID: 27152222 PMCID: PMC4852645 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2016] [Accepted: 03/24/2016] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Animals communicating via scent often deposit composite signals that incorporate odorants from multiple sources; however, the function of mixing chemical signals remains understudied. We tested both a 'multiple-messages' and a 'fixative' hypothesis of composite olfactory signalling, which, respectively, posit that mixing scents functions to increase information content or prolong signal longevity. Our subjects-adult, male ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta)-have a complex scent-marking repertoire, involving volatile antebrachial (A) secretions, deposited pure or after being mixed with a squalene-rich paste exuded from brachial (B) glands. Using behavioural bioassays, we examined recipient responses to odorants collected from conspecific strangers. We concurrently presented pure A, pure B and mixed A + B secretions, in fresh or decayed conditions. Lemurs preferentially responded to mixed over pure secretions, their interest increasing and shifting over time, from sniffing and countermarking fresh mixtures, to licking and countermarking decayed mixtures. Substituting synthetic squalene (S)-a well-known fixative-for B secretions did not replicate prior results: B secretions, which contain additional chemicals that probably encode salient information, were preferred over pure S. Whereas support for the 'multiple-messages' hypothesis underscores the unique contribution from each of an animal's various secretions, support for the 'fixative' hypothesis highlights the synergistic benefits of composite signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia K. Greene
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- University Program in Ecology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kathleen E. Grogan
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- University Program in Ecology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kendra N. Smyth
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- University Program in Ecology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Christine A. Adams
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Skylar A. Klager
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Christine M. Drea
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- University Program in Ecology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Author for correspondence: Christine M. Drea e-mail:
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126
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Hebets EA, Barron AB, Balakrishnan CN, Hauber ME, Mason PH, Hoke KL. A systems approach to animal communication. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20152889. [PMID: 26936240 PMCID: PMC4810859 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2015] [Accepted: 02/10/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Why animal communication displays are so complex and how they have evolved are active foci of research with a long and rich history. Progress towards an evolutionary analysis of signal complexity, however, has been constrained by a lack of hypotheses to explain similarities and/or differences in signalling systems across taxa. To address this, we advocate incorporating a systems approach into studies of animal communication--an approach that includes comprehensive experimental designs and data collection in combination with the implementation of systems concepts and tools. A systems approach evaluates overall display architecture, including how components interact to alter function, and how function varies in different states of the system. We provide a brief overview of the current state of the field, including a focus on select studies that highlight the dynamic nature of animal signalling. We then introduce core concepts from systems biology (redundancy, degeneracy, pluripotentiality, and modularity) and discuss their relationships with system properties (e.g. robustness, flexibility, evolvability). We translate systems concepts into an animal communication framework and accentuate their utility through a case study. Finally, we demonstrate how consideration of the system-level organization of animal communication poses new practical research questions that will aid our understanding of how and why animal displays are so complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen A Hebets
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Andrew B Barron
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Paul H Mason
- Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kim L Hoke
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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127
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Halfwerk W, Slabbekoorn H. Pollution going multimodal: the complex impact of the human-altered sensory environment on animal perception and performance. Biol Lett 2016; 11:20141051. [PMID: 25904319 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2014.1051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic sensory pollution is affecting ecosystems worldwide. Human actions generate acoustic noise, emanate artificial light and emit chemical substances. All of these pollutants are known to affect animals. Most studies on anthropogenic pollution address the impact of pollutants in unimodal sensory domains. High levels of anthropogenic noise, for example, have been shown to interfere with acoustic signals and cues. However, animals rely on multiple senses, and pollutants often co-occur. Thus, a full ecological assessment of the impact of anthropogenic activities requires a multimodal approach. We describe how sensory pollutants can co-occur and how covariance among pollutants may differ from natural situations. We review how animals combine information that arrives at their sensory systems through different modalities and outline how sensory conditions can interfere with multimodal perception. Finally, we describe how sensory pollutants can affect the perception, behaviour and endocrinology of animals within and across sensory modalities. We conclude that sensory pollution can affect animals in complex ways due to interactions among sensory stimuli, neural processing and behavioural and endocrinal feedback. We call for more empirical data on covariance among sensory conditions, for instance, data on correlated levels in noise and light pollution. Furthermore, we encourage researchers to test animal responses to a full-factorial set of sensory pollutants in the presence or the absence of ecologically important signals and cues. We realize that such approach is often time and energy consuming, but we think this is the only way to fully understand the multimodal impact of sensory pollution on animal performance and perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wouter Halfwerk
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón, Panama Section of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA Institute of Biology, Leiden University, 2300 Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Hans Slabbekoorn
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, 2300 Leiden, The Netherlands
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128
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Does multimodality per se improve receiver performance? An explicit comparison of multimodal versus unimodal complex signals in a learned signal following task. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2061-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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129
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Mate Searching Animals as Model Systems for Understanding Perceptual Grouping. PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS IN ANIMAL COMMUNICATION 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-48690-1_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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130
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Multimodal Communication in Wolf Spiders (Lycosidae)—An Emerging Model for Study. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2016.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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131
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Bee M, Reichert M, Tumulty J. Assessment and Recognition of Rivals in Anuran Contests. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2016.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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132
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Déaux ÉC, Clarke JA, Charrier I. Aggressive Bimodal Communication in Domestic Dogs, Canis familiaris. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0142975. [PMID: 26571266 PMCID: PMC4646621 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence of animal multimodal signalling is widespread and compelling. Dogs’ aggressive vocalisations (growls and barks) have been extensively studied, but without any consideration of the simultaneously produced visual displays. In this study we aimed to categorize dogs’ bimodal aggressive signals according to the redundant/non-redundant classification framework. We presented dogs with unimodal (audio or visual) or bimodal (audio-visual) stimuli and measured their gazing and motor behaviours. Responses did not qualitatively differ between the bimodal and two unimodal contexts, indicating that acoustic and visual signals provide redundant information. We could not further classify the signal as ‘equivalent’ or ‘enhancing’ as we found evidence for both subcategories. We discuss our findings in relation to the complex signal framework, and propose several hypotheses for this signal’s function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Éloïse C. Déaux
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Université Paris Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, UMR 9197, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Jennifer A. Clarke
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Isabelle Charrier
- Université Paris Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, UMR 9197, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
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133
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Brunnhofer M, Hirtenlehner S, Römer H. Spatial release from masking in insects: contribution of peripheral directionality and central inhibition. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 219:44-52. [PMID: 26567350 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.127514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 10/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The detection, identification and discrimination of sound signals in a large and noisy group of signalers are problems shared by many animals equipped with ears. While the signaling behavior of the sender may present several solutions, various properties of the sensory system in receivers may also reduce the amount of signal masking. We studied the effect of spatial release from masking, which refers to the fact that the spatial separation between the signaler and the masker can contribute to signal detection and discrimination. Except in a limited number of cases, the contribution of peripheral directionality or central nervous processing for spatial unmasking is not clear. We report the results of a study using a neurophysiological approach in two species of acoustic insects, whereby the activity of identified interneurons that either receive contralateral inhibitory input (crickets) or inhibit one another reciprocally in a bilateral pair (katydids) was examined. The analysis of the responses of a pair of omega neurons in katydids with reciprocal inhibition revealed that spatial separation of the masker from the signal facilitated signal detection by 19-20 dB with intact binaural hearing, but only by 2.5-7 dB in the monaural system, depending on the kind of analysis performed. The corresponding values for a behaviorally important interneuron of a field cricket (ascending neuron 1) were only 7.5 and 2.5 dB, respectively. We compare these values with those reported for hearing in vertebrates, and discuss the contribution of spatial release from masking to signal detection under real-world chorus conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Brunnhofer
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, Graz A-8010, Austria
| | - S Hirtenlehner
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, Graz A-8010, Austria
| | - H Römer
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, Graz A-8010, Austria
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134
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Wilkins MR, Shizuka D, Joseph MB, Hubbard JK, Safran RJ. Multimodal signalling in the North American barn swallow: a phenotype network approach. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:20151574. [PMID: 26423842 PMCID: PMC4614773 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 09/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex signals, involving multiple components within and across modalities, are common in animal communication. However, decomposing complex signals into traits and their interactions remains a fundamental challenge for studies of phenotype evolution. We apply a novel phenotype network approach for studying complex signal evolution in the North American barn swallow (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster). We integrate model testing with correlation-based phenotype networks to infer the contributions of female mate choice and male-male competition to the evolution of barn swallow communication. Overall, the best predictors of mate choice were distinct from those for competition, while moderate functional overlap suggests males and females use some of the same traits to assess potential mates and rivals. We interpret model results in the context of a network of traits, and suggest this approach allows researchers a more nuanced view of trait clustering patterns that informs new hypotheses about the evolution of communication systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Wilkins
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309, CO, USA School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 68588, NE, USA
| | - Daizaburo Shizuka
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 68588, NE, USA
| | - Maxwell B Joseph
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309, CO, USA
| | - Joanna K Hubbard
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309, CO, USA School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 68588, NE, USA
| | - Rebecca J Safran
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309, CO, USA
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135
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Katja Liebal, Bridget M. Waller, Anne M. Burrows, and Katie E. Slocombe: Primate Communication: A Multimodal Approach. INT J PRIMATOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-015-9863-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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136
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Reichert MS, Höbel G. Modality interactions alter the shape of acoustic mate preference functions in gray treefrogs. Evolution 2015; 69:2384-98. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2015] [Revised: 07/22/2015] [Accepted: 07/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael S. Reichert
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Wisconsin; 3209 N. Maryland Avenue Milwaukee Wisconsin 53201
| | - Gerlinde Höbel
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Wisconsin; 3209 N. Maryland Avenue Milwaukee Wisconsin 53201
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137
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138
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Hartbauer M, Gepp J, Hinteregger K, Koblmüller S. Diversity of wing patterns and abdomen-generated substrate sounds in 3 European scorpionfly species. INSECT SCIENCE 2015; 22:521-531. [PMID: 24818592 PMCID: PMC4768358 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/17/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
In the genus Panorpa (Insecta: Mecoptera), also known as scorpionflies, premating behavior includes repeated sequences of slow wing movements (waving, fanning, flagging) which are accompanied by rapid abdomen vibrations that generate substantial substrate-borne sound. It is still unknown whether wing patterns or vibratory signals contain information about species identity, sex and/or the quality of potential mating partners. Besides species-specific pheromones, these multimodal signals may be of particular importance for the maintenance of reproductive isolation in sympatrically occurring scorpionfly species. Here, we analyzed phyologenetic relationships among, and the pattern of forewings as well as substrate-borne sound in 3 different sympatric Central-European scorpionfly species (P. communis, P. germanica, and P. alpina). Divergence time estimates, based on 879 bp of the mitochondrial COI gene, indicate longstanding separate evolutionary histories for the studied Panorpa species. Morphological analysis revealed that wing length as an indicator of body size increased in the following order: P. alpina < P. germanica < P. communis. Individuals can be assigned to the correct species and sex with high accuracy just by evaluation of the number of dark spots and the proportion of wing pigmentation. Despite high variability of interpulse period at an individual level, across species analysis revealed a positive correlation of average interpulse period as well as mean signal amplitude with forewing length. These results suggest wing patterns, but less likely vibratory signals, to contain information about species identity. Furthermore, receivers may be able to estimate the body size of a signaler solely on the basis of substrate-borne sound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred Hartbauer
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz
| | - Johannes Gepp
- Institute for Nature Conservation, Herdergasse 3, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Karin Hinteregger
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz
| | - Stephan Koblmüller
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz
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139
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Blankers T, Lübke AK, Hennig RM. Phenotypic variation and covariation indicate high evolvability of acoustic communication in crickets. J Evol Biol 2015; 28:1656-69. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2015] [Revised: 06/22/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- T. Blankers
- Behavioural Physiology; Department of Biology; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Berlin Germany
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin; Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science; Berlin Germany
| | - A. K. Lübke
- Behavioural Physiology; Department of Biology; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Berlin Germany
| | - R. M. Hennig
- Behavioural Physiology; Department of Biology; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Berlin Germany
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140
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Tiddi B, Wheeler BC, Heistermann M. Female behavioral proceptivity functions as a probabilistic signal of fertility, not female quality, in a New World primate. Horm Behav 2015; 73:148-55. [PMID: 26188948 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2015] [Revised: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 07/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The interests of males and females in mating contexts often conflict, and identifying the information conveyed by sexual signals is central to understanding how signalers manage such conflicts. Research into the information provided by female primate sexual signals has focused on exaggerated anogenital swellings as either reliable-indicators of reproductive quality (reliable-indicator hypothesis) or probabilistic signals of fertility (graded-signal hypothesis). While these morphological signals are mostly confined to catarrhine primates, these hypotheses are potentially widely applicable across primates, but have not been tested in taxa that lack such morphological signals. Here, we tested these hypotheses in wild black capuchins (Sapajus nigritus), a species in which females lack morphological sexual signals but produce conspicuous behavioral estrous displays. Specifically, we examined the proportion of time different females spent producing these signals with respect to measures of female quality (dominance rank, parity, age-related fecundity and cycle type) and in relation to the timing of fertility, as determined by analysis of fecal progesterone. Time spent displaying did not vary across females based on measures of female quality, but increased with the approach of ovulation. Further, male mating effort varied according to the timing of female fertility. Proceptive behaviors in this species thus meet predictions of the graded-signal hypothesis, providing the first support for this hypothesis based solely on behavioral signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Tiddi
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Goettingen, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Germany; Courant Research Centre "Evolution of Social Behaviour", University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Kellnerweg 7, 37077, Germany; Instituto de Biologia Subtropical, Universidad Autonoma de Misiones, Puerto Iguazú, Bertoni 85, 3370, Argentina.
| | - Brandon C Wheeler
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Goettingen, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Germany; School of Anthropology & Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Heistermann
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Goettingen, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Germany
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141
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Moreira LAA, de Oliveira DGR, de Sousa MBC, Pessoa DMA. Parturition Signaling by Visual Cues in Female Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). PLoS One 2015; 10:e0129319. [PMID: 26047350 PMCID: PMC4457725 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2014] [Accepted: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
New World monkeys have polymorphic color vision, in which all males and some females are dichromats, while most females are trichromats. There is little consensus about which selective pressures fashioned primate color vision, although detection of food, mates and predators has been hypothesized. Behavioral evidence shows that males from different species of Neotropical primates seem to perceive the timing of female conception and gestation, although, no signals fulfilling this function have been identified. Therefore, we used visual models to test the hypothesis that female marmosets show chromatic and/or achromatic cues that may indicate the time of parturition for male and female conspecifics. By recording the reflectance spectra of female marmosets' (Callithrix jacchus) sexual skin, and running chromatic and achromatic discrimination models, we found that both variables fluctuate during the weeks that precede and succeed parturition, forming "U" and inverted "U" patterns for chromatic and achromatic contrast, respectively. We suggest that variation in skin chroma and luminance might be used by female helpers and dominant females to identify the timing of birth, while achromatic variations may be used as clues by potential fathers to identify pregnancy stage in females and prepare for paternal burdens as well as to detect oestrus in the early post-partum period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laís Alves Antonio Moreira
- Laboratory of Sensory Ecology, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
- Laboratory of Behavioral Endocrinology, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
- Laboratory for the Advanced Study of Primates, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | | | - Maria Bernardete Cordeiro de Sousa
- Laboratory of Behavioral Endocrinology, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
- Laboratory for the Advanced Study of Primates, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
- Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Daniel Marques Almeida Pessoa
- Laboratory of Sensory Ecology, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
- Laboratory for the Advanced Study of Primates, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
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142
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Evolving from static to dynamic signals: evolutionary compensation between two communicative signals. Anim Behav 2015; 102:223-229. [PMID: 25892737 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.01.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Signals that convey related information may impose selection on each other, creating evolutionary links between different components of the communicative repertoire. Here, we ask about the consequences of the evolutionary loss of one signal (a colour patch) on another (a motion display) in Sceloporus lizards. We present data on male lizards of four species: two pairs of sister taxa representing two independent evolutionary losses of the static colour patch (Sceloporus cozumelae and Sceloporus parvus; Sceloporus siniferus and Sceloporus merriami). Males of the two species that have undergone an evolutionary loss of blue-belly patches (S. cozumelae, S. siniferus) were less active than their blue-bellied sister taxa (S. parvus, S. merriami), consistent with the suggestion that the belly patches were lost to reduce conspicuousness of species with high predation pressure. In contrast, the headbob display appears to have become more, rather than less, conspicuous over evolutionary time. The colour patch is exhibited primarily during aggressive encounters, whereas headbob displays are multifunction signals used in several different contexts, including aggressive encounters. Males of species that have lost the colour patch produced more motion displays, and the structure of those motion displays were more similar to those produced during combat. In both evolutionary episodes, a static colour signal appears to have been replaced by dynamic motion displays that can be turned off in the presence of predators and other unwanted receivers. The predominant pattern is one of evolutionary compensation and interactions between multiple signals that convey related information.
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143
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Winters S, Dubuc C, Higham JP. Perspectives: The Looking Time Experimental Paradigm in Studies of Animal Visual Perception and Cognition. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Winters
- Department of Anthropology; New York University; New York NY USA
| | - Constance Dubuc
- Department of Anthropology; New York University; New York NY USA
| | - James P. Higham
- Department of Anthropology; New York University; New York NY USA
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144
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Blankers T, Hennig RM, Gray DA. Conservation of multivariate female preference functions and preference mechanisms in three species of trilling field crickets. J Evol Biol 2015; 28:630-41. [PMID: 25661511 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2014] [Revised: 01/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Divergence in mate recognition systems among closely related species is an important contributor to assortative mating and reproductive isolation. Here, we examine divergence in male song traits and female preference functions in three cricket species with songs consisting of long trills. The shape of female preference functions appears to be mostly conserved across species and follows the predictions from a recent model for song recognition. Multivariate preference profiles, combining the pulse and trill parameters, demonstrate selectivity for conspecific pulse rates and high trill duty cycles. The rules for integration across pulse and trill timescales were identical for all three species. Generally, we find greater divergence in male song traits than in associated female preferences. For pulse rate, we find a strong match between divergent male traits and female peak preferences. Preference functions for trill parameters and carrier frequency are similar between species and show less congruence between signal and preference. Differences among traits in the degree of trait-preference (mis)match may reflect the strength of preferences and the potential for linkage disequilibrium, selective constraints and alternative selective pressures, but appear unrelated to selection for mate recognition per se.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Blankers
- Behavioural Physiology, Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
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Halfwerk W, Dixon MM, Ottens KJ, Taylor RC, Ryan MJ, Page RA, Jones PL. Risks of multimodal signaling: bat predators attend to dynamic motion in frog sexual displays. J Exp Biol 2014; 217:3038-44. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.107482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Many sexual displays contain multiple components that are received through a variety of sensory modalities. Primary and secondary signal components can interact to induce novel receiver responses and become targets of sexual selection as complex signals. However, predators can also use these complex signals for prey assessment, which may limit the evolution of elaborate sexual signals. We tested whether a multimodal sexual display of the male túngara frog (Physalaemus pustulosus) increases predation risk from the fringe-lipped bat (Trachops cirrhosus) when compared with a unimodal display. We gave bats a choice to attack one of two frog models: a model with a vocal sac moving in synchrony with a mating call (multisensory cue), or a control model with the call but no vocal sac movement (unimodal cue). Bats preferred to attack the model associated with the multimodal display. Furthermore, we determined that bats perceive the vocal sac using echolocation rather than visual cues. Our data illustrate the costs associated with multimodal signaling and that sexual and natural selection pressures on the same trait are not always mediated through the same sensory modalities. These data are important when considering the role of environmental fluctuations on signal evolution as different sensory modalities will be differentially affected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wouter Halfwerk
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Marjorie M. Dixon
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Kristina J. Ottens
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Ryan C. Taylor
- Department of Biology, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD 21801, USA
| | - Michael J. Ryan
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Rachel A. Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Patricia L. Jones
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Lubanga UK, Guédot C, Percy DM, Steinbauer MJ. Semiochemical and Vibrational Cues and Signals Mediating Mate Finding and Courtship in Psylloidea (Hemiptera): A Synthesis. INSECTS 2014; 5:577-95. [PMID: 26462826 PMCID: PMC4592587 DOI: 10.3390/insects5030577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2014] [Revised: 07/07/2014] [Accepted: 07/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Mate finding and courtship involve complex interactions that require close coordination between individuals of the opposite gender. Well-organized signalling systems, sometimes involving a combination of signal modalities, are required to convey species-specific and individual information to members of the opposite gender. Previous studies of psyllids have focused on single-signal modalities and have largely ignored the potentially interdependent nature of different types of signals. Several studies have shown that semiochemicals play a role in psyllid mate finding. However, long-range semiochemical sex attractants, such as the highly volatile sex pheromones used by many Lepidoptera (molecular weights <300), are yet to be identified. The compounds identified thus far, namely 13-methylheptacosane (from Cacopsylla pyricola) and dodecanoic acid (from Diaphorina citri), seem to have short range activity or no activity under field conditions. The possible role played by cuticular hydrocarbons in psyllid courtship remains largely ignored. Conversely, many psyllid species rely on vibrational signals for mate finding and mate assessment during courtship. This apparent disproportional reliance on vibrational rather than semiochemical signals suggests that vibrational signals have been more influential in sexual selection in psyllids. However, male fitness, female choice and benefits accrued from selecting fitter males remain poorly understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umar K Lubanga
- Department of Zoology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia.
| | - Christelle Guédot
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
| | | | - Martin J Steinbauer
- Department of Zoology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia.
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Halfwerk W, Page RA, Taylor RC, Wilson PS, Ryan MJ. Crossmodal comparisons of signal components allow for relative-distance assessment. Curr Biol 2014; 24:1751-5. [PMID: 25042586 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.05.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2014] [Revised: 04/29/2014] [Accepted: 05/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Animals have multiple senses through which they detect their surroundings and often integrate sensory information across different modalities to generate perceptions. Animal communication, likewise, often consists of signals containing stimuli processed by different senses. Stimuli with different physical forms (i.e., from different sensory modalities) travel at different speeds. As a consequence, multimodal stimuli simultaneously emitted at a source can arrive at a receiver at different times. Such differences in arrival time can provide unique information about the distance to the source. Male túngara frogs (Physalaemus pustulosus) call from ponds to attract females and to repel males. Production of the sound incidentally creates ripples on the water surface, providing a multimodal cue. We tested whether male frogs attend to distance-dependent cues created by a calling rival and whether their response depends on crossmodal comparisons. In a first experiment, we showed distance-dependent changes in vocal behavior: males responded more strongly with decreasing distance to a mimicked rival. In a second experiment, we showed that males can discriminate between relatively near and far rivals by using a combination of unimodal cues, specifically amplitude changes of sound and water waves, as well as crossmodal differences in arrival time. Our data reveal that animals can compare the arrival time of simultaneously emitted multimodal cues to obtain information on relative distance to a source. We speculate that communicative benefits from crossmodal comparison may have been an important driver of the evolution of elaborate multimodal displays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wouter Halfwerk
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, PO Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama; Institute of Biology, Leiden University, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Rachel A Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, PO Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Ryan C Taylor
- Department of Biology, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD 21801, USA
| | - Preston S Wilson
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Michael J Ryan
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, PO Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama; Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Carazo P, Font E. ‘Communication breakdown’: the evolution of signal unreliability and deception. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.10.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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