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Rajan S, Lamers KP, Both C, Wheatcroft D. Translocated wild birds are predisposed to learn songs of their ancestral population. Curr Biol 2024; 34:2535-2540.e4. [PMID: 38772360 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Population differences in socially learned mating signals like oscine birdsong are particularly vulnerable to breakdown through dispersal.1 Despite this challenge, geographic variation in learned signals is ubiquitous.2 A proposed explanation for this pattern is that birds express predispositions to selectively learn and produce population-typical songs.3,4,5 While experimental studies on lab-reared birds have shown the existence of within-species learning predispositions,6,7,8,9,10 it remains unclear whether and how learning predispositions influence song acquisition in the wild. Here, we investigated innate song learning predispositions in wild pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) by measuring the songs of individuals translocated as eggs from a Dutch population to a breeding population in Sweden. We compared the songs of the adult males hatched from these translocated eggs with those from the ancestral and receiving populations. Songs of translocated males closely resemble the local Swedish songs to which they were exposed during development, supporting the importance of social learning. However, translocated males selectively learned those local Swedish song elements that sound the most "Dutch-like." As a result, their songs are significantly shifted toward those of the ancestral Dutch population. This suggests that innate learning predispositions track ongoing song evolution in wild populations of pied flycatchers. We propose that as songs continue to diverge over time, this coevolutionary relationship between song and learning predispositions may contribute to the emergence of incipient pre-mating barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samyuktha Rajan
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Koosje P Lamers
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Christiaan Both
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - David Wheatcroft
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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2
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Spottiswoode CN, Wood BM. Culturally determined interspecies communication between humans and honeyguides. Science 2023; 382:1155-1158. [PMID: 38060656 DOI: 10.1126/science.adh4129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Species interactions that vary across environments can create geographical mosaics of genetic coevolution. However, traits mediating species interactions are sometimes culturally inherited. Here we show that traditions of interspecies communication between people and wild birds vary in a culturally determined geographical mosaic. Honey hunters in different parts of Africa use different calls to communicate with greater honeyguides (Indicator indicator) that lead them to bees' nests. We show experimentally that honeyguides in Tanzania and Mozambique discriminate among honey hunters' calls, responding more readily to local than to foreign calls. This was not explained by variation in sound transmission and instead suggests that honeyguides learn local human signals. We discuss the forces stabilizing and diversifying interspecies communication traditions, and the potential for cultural coevolution between species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire N Spottiswoode
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Brian M Wood
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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3
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Wei J, Liu Q, Riebel K. Generalisation of early learned tutor song preferences in female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Behav Processes 2022; 201:104731. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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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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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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Howell C, Anderson R, Derryberry EP. Female cognitive performance and mass are correlated with different aspects of mate choice in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Anim Cogn 2019; 22:1085-1094. [PMID: 31401761 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01299-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A female's cognitive ability may influence her mate preferences through various mechanisms. These mechanisms include the direct effect of cognitive ability on the information-processing skills used during mate choice, and the indirect effect of cognitive ability on quality when females mate assortatively. Here, we examined whether the ability to learn a novel foraging task, a cognitive skill which has been associated with reproductive success in other capacities, was correlated with song preferences in female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Female preferences were measured in an operant testing chamber where hops on a perch triggered song playback. Females were given the choice of (1) conspecific vs. heterospecific song and (2) high-quality male vs. low-quality male conspecific song. We found that female performance on the novel foraging task was positively correlated with preference for conspecific song, but not with preference for high-quality male song. Instead, female mass was positively correlated with preference for high-quality male song, potentially signifying that female mass is a stronger predictor of female quality in assortative mating than female cognitive performance. Female mass and cognitive performance were unrelated. Our results suggest that the particular traits of a female that affect conspecific preference do not necessarily affect preference for high-quality males.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Howell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA. .,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
| | - R Anderson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Davie, FL, 33314, USA
| | - E P Derryberry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
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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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Hudson EJ, Hahn M, Shizuka D. Nestling and adult sparrows respond differently to conspecific dialects. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Emily Jane Hudson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Matthew Hahn
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Daizaburo Shizuka
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
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Boogert NJ, Lachlan RF, Spencer KA, Templeton CN, Farine DR. Stress hormones, social associations and song learning in zebra finches. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 373:20170290. [PMID: 30104435 PMCID: PMC6107560 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of information provided by others is a common short-cut adopted to inform decision-making. However, instead of indiscriminately copying others, animals are often selective in what, when and whom they copy. How do they decide which 'social learning strategy' to use? Previous research indicates that stress hormone exposure in early life may be important: while juvenile zebra finches copied their parents' behaviour when solving novel foraging tasks, those exposed to elevated levels of corticosterone (CORT) during development copied only unrelated adults. Here, we tested whether this switch in social learning strategy generalizes to vocal learning. In zebra finches, juvenile males often copy their father's song; would CORT-treated juveniles in free-flying aviaries switch to copying songs of other males? We found that CORT-treated juveniles copied their father's song less accurately as compared to control juveniles. We hypothesized that this could be due to having weaker social foraging associations with their fathers, and found that sons that spent less time foraging with their fathers produced less similar songs. Our findings are in line with a novel hypothesis linking early-life stress and social learning: early-life CORT exposure may affect social learning indirectly as a result of the way it shapes social affiliations.This article is part of the theme issue 'Causes and consequences of individual differences in cognitive abilities'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeltje J Boogert
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Robert F Lachlan
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Karen A Spencer
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9JP, UK
| | | | - Damien R Farine
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell 78315, Germany
- Chair of Biodiversity and Collective Behaviour, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78464, Germany
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Sewall KB, Anderson RC, Soha JA, Peters S, Nowicki S. Early life conditions that impact song learning in male zebra finches also impact neural and behavioral responses to song in females. Dev Neurobiol 2018; 78:10.1002/dneu.22600. [PMID: 29675841 PMCID: PMC6195868 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Revised: 04/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Early life stressors can impair song in songbirds by negatively impacting brain development and subsequent learning. Even in species in which only males sing, early life stressors might also impact female behavior and its underlying neural mechanisms, but fewer studies have examined this possibility. We manipulated brood size in zebra finches to simultaneously examine the effects of developmental stress on male song learning and female behavioral and neural response to song. Although adult male HVC volume was unaffected, we found that males from larger broods imitated tutor song less accurately. In females, early condition did not affect the direction of song preference: all females preferred tutor song over unfamiliar song in an operant test. However, treatment did affect the magnitude of behavioral response to song: females from larger broods responded less during song preference trials. This difference in activity level did not reflect boldness per se, as a separate measure of this trait did not differ with brood size. Additionally, in females we found a treatment effect on expression of the immediate early gene ZENK in response to tutor song in brain regions involved in song perception (dNCM) and social motivation (LSc.vl, BSTm, TnA), but not in a region implicated in song memory (CMM). These results are consistent with the hypothesis that developmental stressors that impair song learning in male zebra finches also influence perceptual and/or motivational processes in females. However, our results suggest that the learning of tutor song by females is robust to disturbance by developmental stress. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2018.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendra B. Sewall
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Rindy C. Anderson
- Department Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Davie, FL, USA
| | - Jill A. Soha
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Susan Peters
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Stephen Nowicki
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical School, Durham, NC, USA
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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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12
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The effects of experience with different courtship modalities on unimodal and multimodal preferences in a wolf spider. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.10.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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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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