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Rose EM, Haakenson CM, Stennette K, Patel A, Gaind S, Shank BD, Madison FN, Ball GF. Neuroendocrine and behavioral response to testosterone-induced female song in canaries (Serinus canaria). Physiol Behav 2022; 250:113782. [PMID: 35314175 PMCID: PMC10544658 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Male song in songbirds is a critical and elaborate signal for mate attraction. In many species female listeners respond to male song both behaviorally and physiologically (e.g. copulation solicitation displays and production of the immediate early gene ZENK in auditory regions). It is becoming increasingly well known that females in many species also sing. However, in common lab species, such as canaries (Serinus canaria), female song is limited and has been primarily studied in the context of administering of exogenous testosterone (T) to increase song rate and length. In this study we addressed to what extent female canary songs are masculinized by the administration of exogenous T based on the behavioral and physiological responses of avian receivers. Specifically, are T induced female songs sufficient to elicit courtship behaviors and auditory ZENK expression in female listeners? We found that female songs after 3 weeks of exogenous T were significantly longer and more complex than female songs after 12 weeks of exogenous T. Additionally, we found that playback of 3-week T song significantly increased sexual response behaviors and the expression of ZENK in the auditory brain regions of female listeners. Finally, we conclude that extended periods of T do not necessarily maintain the masculinization of female song.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evangeline M Rose
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park MD, USA; Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
| | - Chelsea M Haakenson
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park MD, USA; Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | | | - Aliyah Patel
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park MD, USA
| | - Shivika Gaind
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park MD, USA
| | | | - Farrah N Madison
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park MD, USA; Department of Biology, Hope College, Holland, MI, USA
| | - Gregory F Ball
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park MD, USA; Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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2
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Fujii TG, Coulter A, Lawley KS, Prather JF, Okanoya K. Song Preference in Female and Juvenile Songbirds: Proximate and Ultimate Questions. Front Physiol 2022; 13:876205. [PMID: 35492616 PMCID: PMC9047784 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.876205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Birdsong has long been a subject of extensive research in the fields of ethology as well as neuroscience. Neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying song acquisition and production in male songbirds are particularly well studied, mainly because birdsong shares some important features with human speech such as critical dependence on vocal learning. However, birdsong, like human speech, primarily functions as communication signals. The mechanisms of song perception and recognition should also be investigated to attain a deeper understanding of the nature of complex vocal signals. Although relatively less attention has been paid to song receivers compared to signalers, recent studies on female songbirds have begun to reveal the neural basis of song preference. Moreover, there are other studies of song preference in juvenile birds which suggest possible functions of preference in social context including the sensory phase of song learning. Understanding the behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying the formation, maintenance, expression, and alteration of such song preference in birds will potentially give insight into the mechanisms of speech communication in humans. To pursue this line of research, however, it is necessary to understand current methodological challenges in defining and measuring song preference. In addition, consideration of ultimate questions can also be important for laboratory researchers in designing experiments and interpreting results. Here we summarize the current understanding of song preference in female and juvenile songbirds in the context of Tinbergen's four questions, incorporating results ranging from ethological field research to the latest neuroscience findings. We also discuss problems and remaining questions in this field and suggest some possible solutions and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoko G. Fujii
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Austin Coulter
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, Program in Neuroscience, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, United States
| | - Koedi S. Lawley
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Jonathan F. Prather
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, Program in Neuroscience, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, United States
| | - Kazuo Okanoya
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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3
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Fujii TG, Okanoya K. Auditory and sexual preferences for a father's song can co-emerge in female Bengalese finches. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0254302. [PMID: 35271565 PMCID: PMC8912213 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Birdsong is an important communication signal used in mate choice. In some songbird species, only the males produce songs. While the females of those species do not sing, they are sensitive to inter- and intra-species song variations, and the song preferences of females depend on their developmental experiences and/or genetic predispositions. For example, in Bengalese finches and zebra finches, adult females prefer the song to which they were exposed early in life, such as the father’s song. In the current study, we aimed to test whether the preference for the father’s song, as reported in previous Bengalese finch studies, can be interpreted as a mating preference. For this purpose, the subjects were raised exclusively with their family until they became sexually mature and then tested as adults. We measured copulation solicitation displays during playbacks of the father’s song vs. unfamiliar conspecific songs and found that across individuals, the father’s song elicited more displays than other songs. In addition, we analyzed if a bird’s response to a given song could be predicted by the level of similarity of that song to the father’s song. Although the birds expressed more displays to songs with greater similarity to the father’s song, the effect was not statistically significant. These results suggest that female Bengalese finches can develop a strong mating preference for the father’s song if they are exclusively exposed to the father’s song early in life. However, it is not clear if such a preference generalizes to other cases in which birds are exposed to multiple male songs during development. In order to fully elucidate the possible contribution of experience and genetic factors in the development of female song preference in this species, future studies will need more detailed manipulation and control of the rearing conditions, including cross-fostering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoko G. Fujii
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuo Okanoya
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Behavior and Cognition Joint Research Laboratory, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
- * E-mail:
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4
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Coomes C, Derryberry E. High temperatures reduce song production and alter signal salience in songbirds. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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5
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Fujii TG, Ikebuchi M, Okanoya K. Sex differences in the development and expression of a preference for familiar vocal signals in songbirds. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0243811. [PMID: 33471804 PMCID: PMC7816980 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Production and perception of birdsong critically depends on early developmental experience. In species where singing is a sexually dimorphic trait, early life song experience may affect later behavior differently between sexes. It is known that both male and female songbirds acquire a life-long memory of early song experience, though its function remains unclear. In this study, we hypothesized that male and female birds express a preference for their fathers' song, but do so differently depending on the developmental stage. We measured preference for their father's song over an unfamiliar one in both male and female Bengalese finches at multiple time points across ontogeny, using phonotaxis and vocal response as indices of preference. We found that in males, selective approach to their father's song decreased as they developed while in females, it remained stable regardless of age. This may correspond to a higher sensitivity to tutor song in young males while they are learning and a retained sensitivity in females because song is a courtship signal that is used throughout life. In addition, throughout development, males vocalized less frequently during presentation of their father's song compared to unfamiliar song, whereas females emitted more calls to their father's song. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of why songbirds acquire and maintain such a robust song memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoko G. Fujii
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Maki Ikebuchi
- Behavior and Cognition Joint Research Laboratory, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako-shi, Saitama, Japan
| | - Kazuo Okanoya
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Behavior and Cognition Joint Research Laboratory, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako-shi, Saitama, Japan
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6
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Zipple MN, Peters S, Searcy WA, Nowicki S. Female swamp sparrows do not show evidence of discriminating between the songs of peak‐aged and senescent males. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Susan Peters
- Department of Biology Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
| | | | - Stephen Nowicki
- Department of Biology Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
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7
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Howell C, Anderson R, Derryberry EP. Female zebra finches prefer the songs of males who quickly solve a novel foraging task to the songs of males unable to solve the task. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:10281-10291. [PMID: 33005382 PMCID: PMC7520207 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Correlative evidence suggests that high problem-solving and foraging abilities in a mate are associated with direct fitness advantages, so it would benefit females to prefer problem-solving males. Recent work has also shown that females of several bird species who directly observe males prefer those that can solve a novel foraging task over those that cannot. In addition to or instead of direct observation of cognitive skills, many species utilize assessment signals when choosing a mate. Here, we test whether females can select a problem-solving male over a non-solving male when presented only with a signal known to be used in mate assessment: song. Using an operant conditioning assay, we compared female zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) preference for the songs of males that could quickly solve a novel foraging task to the songs of males that could not solve the task. Females were never housed with the test subject males whose song they heard, and the only information provided about the males was their song. We found that females elicited more songs of problem-solving males than of non-solvers, indicating that song may contain information about a male's ability to solve a novel foraging task and that naïve females prefer the songs of problem-solving males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Howell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyTulane UniversityNew OrleansLAUSA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of TennesseeKnoxvilleTNUSA
| | - Rindy Anderson
- Department of Biological SciencesFlorida Atlantic UniversityDavieFLUSA
| | - Elizabeth P. Derryberry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyTulane UniversityNew OrleansLAUSA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of TennesseeKnoxvilleTNUSA
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8
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9
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Coomes CM, Danner RM, Derryberry EP. Elevated temperatures reduce discrimination between conspecific and heterospecific sexual signals. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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10
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Salvin P, Derégnaucourt S, Leboucher G, Amy M. Consistency of female preference for male song in the domestic canary using two measures: Operant conditioning and vocal response. Behav Processes 2018; 157:238-243. [PMID: 30355508 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Variation of female preferences is often reported in the literature and could be related to an artefact derived from multiple different methods used. Thus, there is a need to evaluate the influence of different methods when assessing female preferences. The present study aims to compare female preferences obtained from an operant conditioning test and from female vocal responses to male song in the domestic canary (Serinus canaria). In an operant conditioning test, females had the possibility to choose between two keys; a peck on one key elicited a supposed very attractive canary song while a peck on the other key elicited a less attractive song. Meanwhile, female vocal responses were recorded. Our results revealed that female canaries preferred to peck on the key eliciting the attractive song and that they emitted more copulation calls in response to the attractive song compared to the less attractive song. This study shows the congruence of these two methods and further suggests that they are reliable to study female preferences in laboratory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Salvin
- UPL, Univ Paris Nanterre, Laboratoire Ethologie Cognition Développement, EA 3456, F92000 Nanterre, France.
| | - Sébastien Derégnaucourt
- UPL, Univ Paris Nanterre, Laboratoire Ethologie Cognition Développement, EA 3456, F92000 Nanterre, France
| | - Gérard Leboucher
- UPL, Univ Paris Nanterre, Laboratoire Ethologie Cognition Développement, EA 3456, F92000 Nanterre, France
| | - Mathieu Amy
- UPL, Univ Paris Nanterre, Laboratoire Ethologie Cognition Développement, EA 3456, F92000 Nanterre, France
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11
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Dunning JL, Maze SE, Atwood EJ, Prather JF. Caudal mesopallial neurons in female songbirds bridge sensory and motor brain regions. J Comp Neurol 2018; 526:1703-1711. [PMID: 29603218 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Revised: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Female songbirds use male song as an indicator of fitness and use that information to select their mate. Investigations of the female auditory system have provided evidence that the neurons within the caudal mesopallium (CM) are involved in the processing of songs that a female finds attractive, however, it is not clear how CM may exert its influence on behavioral indicators of mate choice. In the present study, anterograde tracing revealed the efferent connections of the female songbird CM. The results demonstrate connections to other auditory regions previously described in males, as well as novel connections to brain regions implicated in motor control. As in males, CM neurons in females project robustly to the lateral and medial extents of the caudal nidopallium, and to the ventral intermediate arcopallium. In a novel finding that is not present in males, CM neurons also project to the robust nucleus of the arcopallium and to the caudal striatum. Calling behavior and the expression of copulation solicitation displays are key indicators of female mate choice, and the projections found here bridge critical gaps necessary to understand how auditory perception can influence circuits related to the expression of those affiliative behaviors in female songbirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffery L Dunning
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
| | - Sarah E Maze
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
| | - Ethan J Atwood
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
| | - Jonathan F Prather
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
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12
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Rodríguez-Saltos CA. To Become Senders, Songbirds Must be Receivers First. Integr Comp Biol 2017; 57:910-919. [PMID: 28985314 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icx106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Courtship signals are attractive; in other words, receivers are motivated to approach courtship signals. Though the concept of a receiver is commonly associated in the literature with that of a mate seeker, young songbirds that are learning to sing by imitating conspecifics are also receivers. Juvenile songbirds are attracted to conspecific songs, which has been shown by juveniles working to hear song in operant chambers. The mechanisms explaining this attraction are poorly understood. Here, I review studies that hint at the mechanisms by which conspecific song becomes attractive. In at least some species, juveniles imitate individuals with which they have a strong social bond, such as the father. Such cases suggest that social reward plays a role in the process of song becoming attractive. In addition, experiments using birds reared in isolation from conspecific song have shown that juveniles imitate songs that have acoustic features that are typically found in conspecific song. Those studies suggest that such features are attractive to juveniles regardless of their social experience. The relative contributions of social reward and species-typical acoustic features to the attractiveness of a song can be determined using methods such as operant conditioning. For example, juvenile songbirds can be given control over the playback of songs that differ in a given attribute, such as acoustic similarity to the song of the father. The juveniles will frequently elicit playback of the songs that are attractive to them. Investigating the mechanisms that contribute to the attractiveness of conspecific song to learners will broaden our understanding of the evolution of song as a courtship signal, because the preferences of learners may ultimately determine what will be sung to potential mates.
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13
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Wheatcroft D, Qvarnström A. Reproductive character displacement of female, but not male song discrimination in an avian hybrid zone. Evolution 2017; 71:1776-1786. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Revised: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David Wheatcroft
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics Uppsala University Norbyvägen 18D 752 36 Sweden
| | - Anna Qvarnström
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics Uppsala University Norbyvägen 18D 752 36 Sweden
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14
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Lachlan RF, Anderson RC, Peters S, Searcy WA, Nowicki S. Typical versions of learned swamp sparrow song types are more effective signals than are less typical versions. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20140252. [PMID: 24807252 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.0252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The learned songs of songbirds often cluster into population-wide types. Here, we test the hypothesis that male and female receivers respond differently to songs depending on how typical of those types they are. We used computational methods to cluster a large sample of swamp sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) songs into types and to estimate the degree to which individual song exemplars are typical of these types. We then played exemplars to male and female receivers. Territorial males responded more aggressively and captive females performed more sexual displays in response to songs that are highly typical than to songs that are less typical. Previous studies have demonstrated that songbirds distinguish song types that are typical for their species, or for their population, from those that are not. Our results show that swamp sparrows also discriminate typical from less typical exemplars within learned song-type categories. In addition, our results suggest that more typical versions of song types function better, at least in male-female communication. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that syllable type typicality serves as a proxy for the assessment of song learning accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- R F Lachlan
- Department of Biology, Duke University, , Durham, NC 27708, USA, Department of Biology, University of Miami, , Coral Gables, FL 33124, USA, Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical School, , Durham, NC 27708, USA
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15
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16
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Dunning JL, Pant S, Bass A, Coburn Z, Prather JF. Mate choice in adult female Bengalese finches: females express consistent preferences for individual males and prefer female-directed song performances. PLoS One 2014; 9:e89438. [PMID: 24558501 PMCID: PMC3928452 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2013] [Accepted: 01/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the process of mate selection by female songbirds, male suitors advertise their quality through reproductive displays in which song plays an important role. Females evaluate the quality of each signal and the associated male, and the results of that evaluation guide expression of selective courtship displays. Some studies reveal broad agreement among females in their preferences for specific signal characteristics, indicating that those features are especially salient in female mate choice. Other studies reveal that females differ in their preference for specific characteristics, indicating that in those cases female evaluation of signal quality is influenced by factors other than simply the physical properties of the signal. Thus, both the physical properties of male signals and specific traits of female signal evaluation can impact female mate choice. Here, we characterized the mate preferences of female Bengalese finches. We found that calls and copulation solicitation displays are equally reliable indicators of female preference. In response to songs from an array of males, each female expressed an individual-specific song preference, and those preferences were consistent across tests spanning many months. Across a population of females, songs of some males were more commonly preferred than others, and females preferred female-directed songs more than undirected songs, suggesting that some song features are broadly attractive. Preferences were indistinguishable for females that did or did not have social experience with the singers, indicating that female preference is strongly directed by song features rather than experiences associated with the singer. Analysis of song properties revealed several candidate parameters that may influence female evaluation. In an initial investigation of those parameters, females could be very selective for one song feature yet not selective for another. Therefore, multiple song parameters are evaluated independently. Together these findings reveal the nature of signal evaluation and mate choice in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffery L. Dunning
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Santosh Pant
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Aaron Bass
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Zachary Coburn
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Jonathan F. Prather
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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17
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Effects of early auditory experience on the development of local song preference in female swamp sparrows. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1658-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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18
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Divergent selection on bill morphology contributes to nonrandom mating between swamp sparrow subspecies. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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19
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Lachlan RF, Nowicki S. How Reliable Is Song Learning Accuracy as a Signal of Male Early Condition? Am Nat 2012; 180:751-61. [DOI: 10.1086/668010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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20
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Caro SP. Avian ecologists and physiologists have different sexual preferences. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2012; 176:1-8. [PMID: 22222933 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2011.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2011] [Revised: 12/16/2011] [Accepted: 12/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Seasonal timing is studied by ecologists and physiologists alike and it is now widely recognized that further integration of these fields is needed for a full understanding of phenology. This is especially true in the light of the impact of global climate change on living organisms. In studies of avian reproduction, one obstacle to this integration is that ecologists and physiologists do not allocate their research efforts equally to males and females. The physiological orchestration of breeding stages has been studied almost exclusively in males, while in avian ecology and evolutionary biology females are more often considered. This sex bias has severe implications: sexes differ in the way they use external cues to organize their life cycles, but often cue in on each other's physiology and behavior. The simultaneous investigation of both males and females within single studies is thus essential. In this review, I begin by illustrating the sex-bias in studies and attempt to explain its origin. I then provide a number of examples in which focusing on a single sex would have resulted in misleading conclusions. Finally, I review some classical studies of female reproductive physiology that have promoted and developed research on the "forgotten-sex".
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel P Caro
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), PO Box 50, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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21
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Gess A, Schneider DM, Vyas A, Woolley SMN. Automated auditory recognition training and testing. Anim Behav 2011; 82:285-293. [PMID: 21857717 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Laboratory training and testing of auditory recognition skills in animals is important for understanding animal communication systems that depend on auditory cues. Songbirds are commonly studied because of their exceptional ability to learn complex vocalizations. In recent years, mounting interest in the perceptual abilities of songbirds has increased the demand for laboratory behavioural training and testing paradigms. Here, we describe and demonstrate the success of a method for auditory discrimination experiments, including all the necessary hardware, training procedures and freely-available, versatile software. The system can run several behavioural training and testing paradigms, including operant (go-nogo, stimulus preference, and two-alternative forced choice) and classical conditioning tasks. The software and some hardware components can be used with any laboratory animal that learns and responds to sensory cues. The peripheral hardware and training procedures are designed for use with songbirds and auditory stimuli. Using the go-nogo paradigm of the training system, we show that adult zebra finches learn to recognize and correctly classify individual female calls and male songs. We also show that learning the task generalizes to new stimulus classes; birds that learned the task with calls subsequently learned to recognize songs faster than did birds that learned the task and songs at the same time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austen Gess
- Department of Biology, Graduate Center of the City University of New York 365 Fifth Avenue New York, N.Y., 10016, USA
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Spatial and age-related variation in use of locally common song elements in dawn singing of song sparrows Melospiza melodia: old males sing the hits. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-011-1223-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Caro SP, Sewall KB, Salvante KG, Sockman KW. Female Lincoln's sparrows modulate their behavior in response to variation in male song quality. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 21:562-569. [PMID: 22476505 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2009] [Revised: 02/08/2010] [Accepted: 02/08/2010] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Sexually reproducing organisms should mate with the highest quality individuals that they can. When female songbirds choose a mate, they are thought to use several aspects of male song that reflect his quality. Under resource-limited environmental conditions, male Lincoln's sparrows (Melospiza lincolnii) vary among one another in several aspects of song quality, including song length, song complexity, and trill performance. In a 2-pronged approach, we tested whether variation in song quality of male Lincoln's sparrows influences the behavior of females that are in a reproductive-like state. Over two trials, we exposed females to songs from the high and low ends of the distribution of naturally occurring song quality variation and found a higher level of behavioral activity in females exposed to high-quality songs, especially when they had first been exposed to low-quality songs. We also examined female phonotaxis toward antiphonally played songs with experimentally elevated and reduced trill performance and found that females moved preferentially toward the songs with elevated trill performance. Contrary to most studies investigating the behavioral responses of wild, female songbirds to variation in male song, we obtained our results without administering exogenous estradiol, which can artificially perturb the female's physiology. Our results demonstrate that the behavior of female Lincoln's sparrows is modulated by the quality of male songs to which they are exposed and that trill performance plays a significant role in this behavioral modulation. Furthermore, as the order of song quality presentation matters, it appears that recent song experience also influences female behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel P Caro
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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