1
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Sierro J, de Kort SR, Hartley IR. A limit to sustained performance constrains trill length in birdsong. iScience 2023; 26:108206. [PMID: 37953962 PMCID: PMC10637923 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
In birds, song performance determines the outcome of contests over crucial resources. We hypothesized that 1) sustained performance is limited within song, resulting in a performance decline towards the end and 2) the impact of song length is compromised if performance declines. To test these hypotheses, we analyzed the songs of 597 bird species (26 families) and conducted a playback experiment on blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). Our multi-species analysis showed that song performance declines after sustained singing, supporting our hypothesis. If the performance decline is determined by individual attributes (i.e., physical condition), our results explain how trill length can honestly signal quality. Our experiment showed that longer trills of high performance elicited a stronger response during territorial interactions. However, long trills that declined in performance elicited a weaker response than short, high-performance trills. A trade-off between the duration and performance quality of a motor display can be an important aspect in communication across taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Sierro
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Selvino R. de Kort
- Ecology and Environment Research Centre, Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BH, UK
| | - Ian R. Hartley
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
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2
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Opaev AS. The Communicative Value of Complex Singing in Passerine Birds. BIOL BULL+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359022100168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
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3
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Dudouit C, Maury C, Bosca J, Bakker A, Gahr M, Aubin T, Rybak F, Geberzahn N. Vocal performance during spontaneous song is equal in male and female European robins. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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4
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Jablonszky M, Canal D, Hegyi G, Krenhardt K, Laczi M, Markó G, Nagy G, Rosivall B, Szász E, Zsebők S, Garamszegi LZ. Individual differences in song plasticity in response to social stimuli and singing position. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8883. [PMID: 35509613 PMCID: PMC9058795 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual animals can react to the changes in their environment by exhibiting behaviors in an individual‐specific way leading to individual differences in phenotypic plasticity. However, the effect of multiple environmental factors on multiple traits is rarely tested. Such a complex approach is necessary to assess the generality of plasticity and to understand how among‐individual differences in the ability to adapt to changing environments evolve. This study examined whether individuals adjust different song traits to varying environmental conditions in the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis), a passerine with complex song. We also aimed to reveal among‐individual differences in behavioral responses by testing whether individual differences in plasticity were repeatable. The presence of general plasticity across traits and/or contexts was also tested. To assess plasticity, we documented (1) short‐scale temporal changes in song traits in different social contexts (after exposition to male stimulus, female stimulus or without stimuli), and (2) changes concerning the height from where the bird sang (singing position), used as a proxy of predation risk and acoustic transmission conditions. We found population‐level relationships between singing position and both song length (SL) and complexity, as well as social context‐dependent temporal changes in SL and maximum frequency (MF). We found among‐individual differences in plasticity of SL and MF along both the temporal and positional gradients. These among‐individual differences in plasticity were repeatable. Some of the plastic responses correlated across different song traits and environmental gradients. Overall, our results show that the plasticity of bird song (1) depends on the social context, (2) exists along different environmental gradients, and (3) there is evidence for trade‐offs between the responses of different traits to different environmental variables. Our results highlight the need to consider individual differences and to investigate multiple traits along multiple environmental axes when studying behavioral plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónika Jablonszky
- Centre for Ecological Research Institute of Ecology and Botany Vácrátót Hungary.,Behavioural Ecology Group Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary
| | - David Canal
- Centre for Ecological Research Institute of Ecology and Botany Vácrátót Hungary
| | - Gergely Hegyi
- Behavioural Ecology Group Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary
| | - Katalin Krenhardt
- Centre for Ecological Research Institute of Ecology and Botany Vácrátót Hungary.,Behavioural Ecology Group Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary
| | - Miklós Laczi
- Behavioural Ecology Group Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary.,The Barn Owl Foundation Orosztony Hungary
| | - Gábor Markó
- Department of Plant Pathology Institute of Plant Protection Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences Budapest Hungary
| | - Gergely Nagy
- Centre for Ecological Research Institute of Ecology and Botany Vácrátót Hungary.,Behavioural Ecology Group Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary
| | - Balázs Rosivall
- Behavioural Ecology Group Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary
| | - Eszter Szász
- Behavioural Ecology Group Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary
| | - Sándor Zsebők
- Centre for Ecological Research Institute of Ecology and Botany Vácrátót Hungary.,Behavioural Ecology Group Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary
| | - László Zsolt Garamszegi
- Centre for Ecological Research Institute of Ecology and Botany Vácrátót Hungary.,MTA-ELTE Theoretical Biology and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group Institute of Physics ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary
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5
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Feel the beat: cape fur seal males encode their arousal state in their bark rate. Naturwissenschaften 2021; 109:5. [PMID: 34894271 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-021-01778-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The cape fur seal is one of the most colonial mammal species in the world. Breeding colonies are composed of harems held by mature males (older than 10 years) with up to 30 females and their pups, while roaming subadult males (younger and socially immature) are kept away from bulls' territories. As in other pinnipeds, cape fur seals are highly vocal and use acoustic signals in all their social interactions. Males produce barks-short vocalizations always produced in sequences-for territorial defense, mating behaviors, and agonistic interactions. These calls convey information about the sex, age class, and individual identity. This study investigated whether motivational cues such as the arousal state can be encoded in territorial males' barks and whether these cues are decoded by listening sub-adult males. The rate (number of calls per unit of time) and fundamental frequency of barks were found to significantly increase during high arousal state interactions (i.e., male-male confrontation) compared to spontaneous barks. Playback experiments revealed that subadult males responded with a higher level of vigilance when territorial males' barks had a faster bark rate. This mechanism of decoding the bulls' arousal state from barks will likely constitute an advantage for both bulls and the subadult males, by avoiding or reducing physical conflicts, and thereby reducing energy expenditure and the risk of injury. This study is the first experimental evidence of cape fur seals' using vocal rhythmic patterns to modulate their social interactions.
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6
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Gémard C, Planas-Bielsa V, Bonadonna F, Aubin T. Contextual variations in calls of two nonoscine birds: the blue petrel Halobaena caerulea and the Antarctic prion Pachyptila desolata. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Bird vocalizations are critical cues in social interactions as they convey temporary information varying with the social context, for example, the signaler motivation when facing a rival or a potential mate. To date, literature mainly focused on learning birds. Burrowing petrels (Procellariidae) are nonlearning birds with a limited vocal repertoire. Bachelor males communicate with conspecifics with a single call emitted in three situations: in the absence of a certain auditory (spontaneous calls), toward females (female-directed calls), and toward males (male-directed calls). We first hypothesized that, although the call structure is preserved, temporal and spectral parameters vary between the three call types of bachelor males, translating different motivations (Motivation Hypothesis). To go further, we hypothesized that acoustic variations in male-directed calls indicate the signaler’s aggressive motivation and, therefore, the variations are similar whether calls are produced by breeder or bachelor males (Breeding Status Hypothesis). We tested the two hypotheses performing field playback experiments on two petrel species: the blue petrel (Halobaena caerulea) and the Antarctic prion (Pachyptila desolata). Despite the obvious call stereotypy, we observed temporal variations and frequency shifts when males react to a female or a male, which may translate the sexual or aggressive motivation of the signaler. Furthermore, the similarity of variations in male-directed calls of both breeder and bachelor males suggests the aggressive motivation. So far, vocal plasticity in nonlearning birds has been greatly underestimated. Here, we highlighted the expression of different motivations through vocal variations and the ability to produce frequency variations in species with genetically coded vocalizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlène Gémard
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
- Equipe Communications Acoustiques, UMR 9197, Neuro-PSI-CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Víctor Planas-Bielsa
- Département de Biologie Polaire, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, 8 Quai Antoine 1ère, Principality of Monaco, Monaco
| | - Francesco Bonadonna
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Thierry Aubin
- Equipe Communications Acoustiques, UMR 9197, Neuro-PSI-CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
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7
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Jablonszky M, Zsebők S, Laczi M, Nagy G, Vaskuti É, Garamszegi LZ. The effect of social environment on bird song: listener-specific expression of a sexual signal. Behav Ecol 2021; 32:395-406. [PMID: 34899049 PMCID: PMC8653761 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal signals should consistently differ among individuals to convey distinguishable information about the signalers. However, behavioral display signals, such as bird song are also loaded with considerable within-individual variance with mostly unknown function. We hypothesized that the immediate social environment may play a role in mediating such variance component, and investigated in the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) if the identity and quality of listeners could affect song production in signalers. After presenting territorial males with either a female or male social stimulus, we found in the subsequent song recordings that the among-stimulus effects corresponded to non-zero variance components in several acoustic traits indicating that singing males are able to plastically adjust their songs according to stimulus identity. Male and female stimuli elicited different responses as the identity of the female stimuli affected song complexity only, while the identity of male stimuli altered also song length, maximum frequency, and song rate. The stimulus-specific effect on song in some cases decreased with time, being particularly detectable right after the removal of the stimulus and ceasing later, but this pattern varied across the sex of the stimulus and the song traits. We were able to identify factors that can explain the among-stimulus effects (e.g., size and quality of the stimuli) with roles that also varied among song traits. Our results confirm that the variable social environment can raise considerable variation in song performance, highlighting that within-individual plasticity of bird song can play important roles in sexual signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónika Jablonszky
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological
Research, Alkotmány u. 2–4, 2163
Vácrátót, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and
Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University,
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Sándor Zsebők
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological
Research, Alkotmány u. 2–4, 2163
Vácrátót, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and
Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University,
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Miklós Laczi
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and
Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University,
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
- The Barn Owl Foundation, Temesvári út 8,
8744 Orosztony, Hungary
| | - Gergely Nagy
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological
Research, Alkotmány u. 2–4, 2163
Vácrátót, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and
Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University,
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Éva Vaskuti
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and
Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University,
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - László Zsolt Garamszegi
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological
Research, Alkotmány u. 2–4, 2163
Vácrátót, Hungary
- MTA-ELTE Theoretical Biology and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group,
Institute of Physics, Eötvös Loránd
University, Pázmány Péter
sétány 1/A, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
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8
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Mikula P, Valcu M, Brumm H, Bulla M, Forstmeier W, Petrusková T, Kempenaers B, Albrecht T. A global analysis of song frequency in passerines provides no support for the acoustic adaptation hypothesis but suggests a role for sexual selection. Ecol Lett 2020; 24:477-486. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Mikula
- Department of Zoology Faculty of Science Charles University Viničná 7 Praha12844Czech Republic
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology Czech Academy of Sciences Květná 8 Brno603 65Czech Republic
| | - Mihai Valcu
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary GeneticsMax Planck Institute for Ornithology Eberhard‐Gwinner‐Str. 7 Seewiesen82319Germany
| | - Henrik Brumm
- Communication and Social Behaviour GroupMax Planck Institute for Ornithology Eberhard‐Gwinner‐Str. 11 Seewiesen82319Germany
| | - Martin Bulla
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary GeneticsMax Planck Institute for Ornithology Eberhard‐Gwinner‐Str. 7 Seewiesen82319Germany
- Department of Ecology Faculty of Environmental Sciences Czech University of Life Sciences Praha16521Czech Republic
| | - Wolfgang Forstmeier
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary GeneticsMax Planck Institute for Ornithology Eberhard‐Gwinner‐Str. 7 Seewiesen82319Germany
| | - Tereza Petrusková
- Department of Ecology Faculty of Science Charles University Viničná 7 Praha12843Czech Republic
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary GeneticsMax Planck Institute for Ornithology Eberhard‐Gwinner‐Str. 7 Seewiesen82319Germany
| | - Tomáš Albrecht
- Department of Zoology Faculty of Science Charles University Viničná 7 Praha12844Czech Republic
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology Czech Academy of Sciences Květná 8 Brno603 65Czech Republic
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9
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Logue DM, Sheppard JA, Walton B, Brinkman BE, Medina OJ. An analysis of avian vocal performance at the note and song levels. BIOACOUSTICS 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2019.1674693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David M. Logue
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, PR, USA
| | - Jacob A. Sheppard
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Bailey Walton
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Benjamin E. Brinkman
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Orlando J. Medina
- United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge, Cabo Rojo, PR, USA
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10
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Hathcock TJ, Benedict L. Conspecific challenges provoke female canyon wrens to sing but not to duet. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2625-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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11
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Scordato ESC. Male competition drives song divergence along an ecological gradient in an avian ring species. Evolution 2018; 72:2360-2377. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Revised: 08/07/2018] [Accepted: 08/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth S. C. Scordato
- Committee on Evolutionary Biology The University of Chicago Chicago Illinois 60637
- Current Address: Department of Biological Sciences California State Polytechnic University Pomona California 91768
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12
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Schneider JN, Mercado E. Characterizing the rhythm and tempo of sound production by singing whales. BIOACOUSTICS 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2018.1428827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Eduardo Mercado
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
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13
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14
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Job JR, Kohler SL, Gill SA. Song adjustments by an open habitat bird to anthropogenic noise, urban structure, and vegetation. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
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15
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Cardoso GC, Atwell JW. Shared songs are of lower performance in the dark-eyed junco. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2016; 3:160341. [PMID: 27493786 PMCID: PMC4968478 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/29/2016] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Social learning enables the adjustment of behaviour to complex social and ecological tasks, and underlies cultural traditions. Understanding when animals use social learning versus other forms of behavioural development can help explain the dynamics of animal culture. The dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) is a songbird with weak cultural song traditions because, in addition to learning songs socially, male juncos also invent or improvise novel songs. We compared songs shared by multiple males (i.e. socially learned) with songs recorded from only one male in the population (many of which should be novel) to gain insight into the advantages of social learning versus invention or improvisation. Song types shared by multiple males were on average of lower performance, on aspects of vocal performance that have been implicated in agonistic communication in several species. This was not explained by cultural selection among socially learned songs (e.g. selective learning) because, for shared song types, song performance did not predict how many males shared them. We discuss why social learning does not maximize song performance in juncos, and suggest that some songbirds may add novel songs to culturally inherited repertoires as a means to acquire higher-quality signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonçalo C. Cardoso
- CIBIO—Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Jonathan W. Atwell
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 E. 3rd Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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16
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Henry L, Craig AJFK, Lemasson A, Hausberger M. Social coordination in animal vocal interactions. Is there any evidence of turn-taking? The starling as an animal model. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1416. [PMID: 26441787 PMCID: PMC4585254 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2015] [Accepted: 09/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Turn-taking in conversation appears to be a common feature in various human cultures and this universality raises questions about its biological basis and evolutionary trajectory. Functional convergence is a widespread phenomenon in evolution, revealing sometimes striking functional similarities between very distant species even though the mechanisms involved may be different. Studies on mammals (including non-human primates) and bird species with different levels of social coordination reveal that temporal and structural regularities in vocal interactions may depend on the species' social structure. Here we test the hypothesis that turn-taking and associated rules of conversations may be an adaptive response to the requirements of social life, by testing the applicability of turn-taking rules to an animal model, the European starling. Birdsong has for many decades been considered as one of the best models of human language and starling songs have been well described in terms of vocal production and perception. Starlings do have vocal interactions where alternating patterns predominate. Observational and experimental data on vocal interactions reveal that (1) there are indeed clear temporal and structural regularities, (2) the temporal and structural patterning is influenced by the immediate social context, the general social situation, the individual history, and the internal state of the emitter. Comparison of phylogenetically close species of Sturnids reveals that the alternating pattern of vocal interactions varies greatly according to the species' social structure, suggesting that interactional regularities may have evolved together with social systems. These findings lead to solid bases of discussion on the evolution of communication rules in relation to social evolution. They will be discussed also in terms of processes, at the light of recent neurobiological findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Henry
- Laboratoire d'éthologie animale et humaine, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 6552, Université de Rennes 1Rennes, France
| | | | - Alban Lemasson
- Laboratoire d'éthologie animale et humaine, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 6552, Université de Rennes 1Rennes, France
- Laboratoire d'éthologie animale et humaine, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 6552, Station Biologique, Université de Rennes 1Paimpont, France
| | - Martine Hausberger
- Laboratoire d'éthologie animale et humaine, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 6552, Université de Rennes 1Rennes, France
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17
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Belinsky KL, Nemes CE, Schmidt KA. Two novel vocalizations are used by veeries (Catharus fuscescens) during agonistic interactions. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0120933. [PMID: 25798825 PMCID: PMC4370839 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2014] [Accepted: 02/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian vocalizations are common examples of the complex signals used by animals to negotiate during agonistic interactions. In this study, we used two playback experiments to identify agonistic signals in a songbird species with several acoustically complex songs and calls, the veery. In the first experiment, we compared veery singing behavior in response to simulated territorial intrusions including playback of three variations of veery song: 1) song alone as a control, 2) songs with added whisper calls, and 3) songs with introductory notes removed. In the second experiment, we used multimodal stimuli including songs, whisper calls and songs with introductory notes removed, along with a robotic veery mount. Focal males readily responded to all of the playback stimuli, approached the speaker and/or robotic mount, and vocalized. Male veeries gave more whisper calls, and sang more songs without the introductory note in response to all types of playback. However, veeries responded similarly to all types of stimuli presented, and they failed to physically attack the robotic mount. These results indicate that rival veeries use two different types of novel vocalizations: whisper calls and songs lacking the introductory note as agonistic signals, but do not allow us to discern the specific functions of these two vocalizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara L. Belinsky
- Biology Department, State University of New York New Paltz, New Paltz, New York, United States of America
| | - Claire E. Nemes
- Department of Biology, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Kenneth A. Schmidt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas United States of America
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18
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Leedale AE, Collins SA, de Kort SR. Blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) increase the whistle part of their song in response to simulated territorial intrusion. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amy E. Leedale
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Sheffield; Sheffield UK
| | - Sarah A. Collins
- School of Biological Sciences; Faculty of Science and Environment; Plymouth University; Plymouth UK
| | - Selvino R. de Kort
- Division of Biology and Conservation Ecology; School of Science and the Environment; Manchester Metropolitan University; Manchester UK
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19
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Geberzahn N, Aubin T. Assessing vocal performance in complex birdsong: a novel approach. BMC Biol 2014; 12:58. [PMID: 25096363 PMCID: PMC4243327 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-014-0058-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2014] [Accepted: 07/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vocal performance refers to the ability to produce vocal signals close to physical limits. Such motor skills can be used by conspecifics to assess a signaller's competitive potential. For example it is difficult for birds to produce repeated syllables both rapidly and with a broad frequency bandwidth. Deviation from an upper-bound regression of frequency bandwidth on trill rate has been widely used to assess vocal performance. This approach is, however, only applicable to simple trilled songs, and even then may be affected by differences in syllable complexity. RESULTS Using skylarks (Alauda arvensis) as a birdsong model with a very complex song structure, we detected another performance trade-off: minimum gap duration between syllables was longer when the frequency ratio between the end of one syllable and the start of the next syllable (inter-syllable frequency shift) was large. This allowed us to apply a novel measure of vocal performance ¿ vocal gap deviation: the deviation from a lower-bound regression of gap duration on inter-syllable frequency shift. We show that skylarks increase vocal performance in an aggressive context suggesting that this trait might serve as a signal for competitive potential. CONCLUSIONS We suggest using vocal gap deviation in future studies to assess vocal performance in songbird species with complex structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Geberzahn
- />Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre de Neuroscience Paris Sud, UMR 8195, 91405 Orsay, France
- />Université Paris Sud, Equipe Communications Acoustiques/CNPS, Bat. 446, 91405 Orsay, France
- />Current address: Laboratoire Éthologie Cognition Développement, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, 200 Avenue de la République 92001, Nanterre Cedex, France
| | - Thierry Aubin
- />Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre de Neuroscience Paris Sud, UMR 8195, 91405 Orsay, France
- />Université Paris Sud, Equipe Communications Acoustiques/CNPS, Bat. 446, 91405 Orsay, France
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Linossier J, Rybak F, Aubin T, Geberzahn N. Flight phases in the song of skylarks: impact on acoustic parameters and coding strategy. PLoS One 2013; 8:e72768. [PMID: 23967338 PMCID: PMC3744454 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2013] [Accepted: 07/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Skylarks inhabit open fields and perform an aerial song display which serves as a territorial signal. The particularly long and elaborate structure of this song flight raises questions about the impact of physical and energetic constraints acting on a communication signal. Song produced during the three distinct phases of the flight - ascending, level and descending phase could be subject to different constraints, serve different functions and encode different types of information. We compared song parameters during the ascending and the level phases. We found that the structure of the song varied with the phase of the flight. In particular, song had a higher tempo when skylarks were ascending which might be related to higher oxygen and energetic demands. We also explored which phase of the song flight might encode individuality. Earlier studies reported that skylarks reduced their territorial response to established neighbours if the neighbour song was broadcasted from the correct adjacent boundary, but reacted aggressively if the neighbour songs were broadcasted from an incorrect boundary (mimicking a displaced neighbour). Such differential response provides some evidence for individual recognition. Here, we exposed subjects to playback stimuli of neighbour song in which we had replaced either the song produced during the level or the ascending phase by the relevant song of the neighbour from the incorrect border. Singing response was higher towards stimuli in which the 'level phase song' was replaced, indicating that skylarks could be able to recognise their neighbours based on song of this phase. Thus, individuality seems to be primarily coded in the level phase of the flight song.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliette Linossier
- Université Paris-Sud, Centre de Neurosciences Paris-Sud, UMR 8195, Orsay, France ; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Orsay, France.
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