1
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Syntactic rules predict song type matching in a songbird. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03286-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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2
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Worm M, Landgraf T, von der Emde G. Electric signal synchronization as a behavioural strategy to generate social attention in small groups of mormyrid weakly electric fish and a mobile fish robot. BIOLOGICAL CYBERNETICS 2021; 115:599-613. [PMID: 34398266 PMCID: PMC8642351 DOI: 10.1007/s00422-021-00892-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
African weakly electric fish communicate at night by constantly emitting and perceiving brief electrical signals (electric organ discharges, EOD) at variable inter-discharge intervals (IDI). While the waveform of single EODs contains information about the sender's identity, the variable IDI patterns convey information about its current motivational and behavioural state. Pairs of fish can synchronize their EODs to each other via echo responses, and we have previously formulated a 'social attention hypothesis' stating that fish use echo responses to address specific individuals and establish brief dyadic communication frameworks within a group. Here, we employed a mobile fish robot to investigate the behaviour of small groups of up to four Mormyrus rume and characterized the social situations during which synchronizations occurred. An EOD-emitting robot reliably evoked social following behaviour, which was strongest in smaller groups and declined with increasing group size. We did not find significant differences in motor behaviour of M. rume with either an interactive playback (echo response) or a random control playback by the robot. Still, the robot reliably elicited mutual synchronizations with other fish. Synchronizations mostly occurred during relatively close social interactions, usually when the fish that initiated synchronization approached either the robot or another fish from a distance. The results support our social attention hypothesis and suggest that electric signal synchronization might facilitate the exchange of social information during a wide range of social behaviours from aggressive territorial displays to shoaling and even cooperative hunting in some mormyrids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Worm
- Neuroethology/Sensory Ecology, Institute for Zoology, University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 169, Bonn, Germany
- Stingray Marine Solutions AS, Stålfjæra 5, 0975, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tim Landgraf
- Dahlem Center for Machine Learning and Robotics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gerhard von der Emde
- Neuroethology/Sensory Ecology, Institute for Zoology, University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 169, Bonn, Germany.
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3
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Kawamoto A, Le Galliard JF, Badiane A. The role of social costs as a mechanism enforcing the honesty of ultraviolet-reflecting signals in a lizard. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
According to animal signalling theory, social costs incurred by aggressive conspecifics are one mechanism maintaining signal honesty. Although our understanding of signal evolution has much improved for pigment-based colours, the mechanisms maintaining the honesty of structural colour signals, such as ultraviolet (UV), remain elusive. Here, we used the common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) to test whether the honesty of UV-reflecting signals displayed on male throats is under social control. To do so, we staged agonistic interactions between non-manipulated focal males and opponents of either larger or smaller body size. We manipulated the UV component of the male throat colour patch to create small cheaters with UV-enhanced throats, large cheaters with UV-reduced throats, and their respective controls. In support of a conventional signal hypothesis, focal males were aggressive towards large cheaters and became submissive when these large cheaters retaliated, and were less submissive against small cheaters. However, that focal males were not more aggressive towards small cheaters contradicts our initial predictions. We confirm that male UV reflectance and bite force were good predictors of contest outcomes in control conditions. Overall, we provide partial evidence suggesting that social costs enforce UV signal honesty in common lizards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kawamoto
- Institut d’écologie et des sciences de l’environnement (IEES), CNRS, IRD, INRA, Sorbonne Université, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Jean-François Le Galliard
- Institut d’écologie et des sciences de l’environnement (IEES), CNRS, IRD, INRA, Sorbonne Université, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
- Centre de recherche en écologie expérimentale et prédictive (CEREEP-Ecotron IleDeFrance), Département de biologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, PSL Research University, UMS 3194, 11 Chemin de Busseau, 77140 Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours, France
| | - Arnaud Badiane
- Institut d’écologie et des sciences de l’environnement (IEES), CNRS, IRD, INRA, Sorbonne Université, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
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4
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Zhang J, Hodges-Simeon C, Gaulin SJ, Reid SA. Pitch lowering enhances men's perceived aggressive intent, not fighting ability. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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5
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Gil-Guevara O, Amézquita A. Adjusted phonotactic reactions to sound amplitude and pulse number mediate territoriality in the harlequin poison frog. Behav Processes 2020; 181:104249. [PMID: 32971222 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The information content of signals remains one of the central questions in animal communication. Auditory signals might contain information that allows receivers to estimate the distance as well as the size or the motivational state of senders. Proper differential reactions by receivers could be especially important for territorial species and lead to behavioural adjustments towards intruders according to the threat level: the perceived risk of losing territory. Therefore, territorial individuals should decode signal parameters that indicate the sender's size, distance, and motivation/treat level, reacting accordingly. To test this hypothesis, we studied the phonotactic reaction in territorial males of the poison frog Oophaga histrionica, after analyzing the variability of spectral and temporal parameters of natural calls. Next, we constructed synthetic calls by manipulating sound amplitude (sound pressure level: SPL), gross (inter-call intervals), and fine-temporal (number of pulses) structure of synthetic signals. In this way, we simulated near and far intruders with potentially variable sizes, motivational states, or threat levels. Then, we conducted playback experiments using these synthetic calls to determine 1) how perceived proximity of vocal competitors (determined by SPL) affect the behavior of receivers, and 2) how variation in the temporal structure of calls (inter-call interval and call pulse number) impact the behavior of receivers. We also asked whether signals convey body-size related information by analyzing the relationship between call parameters and body size of the males receiving the experimental stimuli. Consistent with our hypothesis, males recognized the variations in the SPL of calls. Males attacking the simulated opponent increased the number of pulses per call, while those retreating, kept pulse number unchanged (a graded aggressive signal). On the other hand, despite call traits resulted as poor predictors of body size, both SPL and fine temporal call traits might aid to predict whether a contestant will attack an opponent. Our data demonstrate that males discriminate and use SPL to estimate the sender's distance and use the call's fine temporal traits and to adjust the competitive/aggressive reaction using bimodal signals. They further suggest that body size assessment is not always an important factor in vocally- mediated agonistic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oswaldo Gil-Guevara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia; Natural Sciences and Mathematics Faculty, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Adolfo Amézquita
- Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
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6
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Penn DJ, Számadó S. The Handicap Principle: how an erroneous hypothesis became a scientific principle. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:267-290. [PMID: 31642592 PMCID: PMC7004190 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The most widely cited explanation for the evolution of reliable signals is Zahavi's so-called Handicap Principle, which proposes that signals are honest because they are costly to produce. Here we provide a critical review of the Handicap Principle and its theoretical development. We explain why this idea is erroneous, and how it nevertheless became widely accepted as the leading explanation for honest signalling. In 1975, Zahavi proposed that elaborate secondary sexual characters impose 'handicaps' on male survival, not due to inadvertent signalling trade-offs, but as a mechanism that functions to demonstrate males' genetic quality to potential mates. His handicap hypothesis received many criticisms, and in response, Zahavi clarified his hypothesis and explained that it assumes that signals are wasteful as well as costly, and that they evolve because wastefulness enforces honesty. He proposed that signals evolve under 'signal selection', a non-Darwinian type of selection that favours waste rather than efficiency. He maintained that the handicap hypothesis provides a general principle to explain the evolution of all types of signalling systems, i.e. the Handicap Principle. In 1977, Zahavi proposed a second hypothesis for honest signalling, which received many different labels and interpretations, although it was assumed to be another example of handicap signalling. In 1990, Grafen published models that he claimed vindicated Zahavi's Handicap Principle. His conclusions were widely accepted and the Handicap Principle subsequently became the dominant paradigm for explaining the evolution of honest signalling in the biological and social sciences. Researchers have subsequently focused on testing predications of the Handicap Principle, such as measuring the absolute costs of honest signals (and using energetic and other proximate costs as proxies for fitness), but very few have attempted to test Grafen's models. We show that Grafen's models do not support the handicap hypothesis, although they do support Zahavi's second hypothesis, which proposes that males adjust their investment into the expression of their sexual signals according to their condition and ability to bear the costs (and risks to their survival). Rather than being wasteful over-investments, honest signals evolve in this scenario because selection favours efficient and optimal investment into signal expression and minimizes signalling costs. This idea is very different from the handicap hypothesis, but it has been widely misinterpreted and equated to the Handicap Principle. Theoretical studies have since shown that signalling costs paid at the equilibrium are neither sufficient nor necessary to maintain signal honesty, and that honesty can evolve through differential benefits, as well as differential costs. There have been increasing criticisms of the Handicap Principle, but they have focused on the limitations of Grafen's model and overlooked the fact that it is not a handicap model. This model is better understood within a Darwinian framework of adaptive signalling trade-offs, without the added burden and confusing logic of the Handicap Principle. There is no theoretical or empirical support for the Handicap Principle and the time is long overdue to usher this idea into an 'honorable retirement'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin J. Penn
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of EthologyUniversity of Veterinary MedicineViennaAustria
| | - Szabolcs Számadó
- Department of Sociology and CommunicationBudapest University of Technology and EconomicsBudapestHungary,CSS‐ RECENSMTA Centre for Social SciencesBudapestHungary,Evolutionary Systems Research GroupMTA Centre for Ecological ResearchTihanyHungary
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7
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Xia C, Deng Z, Lloyd H, Møller AP, Zhao X, Zhang Y. The function of three main call types in common cuckoo. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Canwei Xia
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences Beijing Normal University Beijing China
| | - Zhuqing Deng
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences Beijing Normal University Beijing China
| | - Huw Lloyd
- Division of Biology and Conservation Ecology, School of Science and the Environment Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK
| | - Anders Pape Møller
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences Beijing Normal University Beijing China
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris‐Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech Université Paris‐Saclay Orsay Cedex France
| | - Xiaomeng Zhao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences Beijing Normal University Beijing China
| | - Yanyun Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences Beijing Normal University Beijing China
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8
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Leitão AV, Hall ML, Delhey K, Mulder RA. Female and male plumage colour signals aggression in a dichromatic tropical songbird. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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9
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Barker JL, Power EA, Heap S, Puurtinen M, Sosis R. Content, cost, and context: A framework for understanding human signaling systems. Evol Anthropol 2019; 28:86-99. [PMID: 30869833 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Revised: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Humans frequently perform extravagant and seemingly costly behaviors, such as widely sharing hunted resources, erecting conspicuous monumental structures, and performing dramatic acts of religious devotion. Evolutionary anthropologists and archeologists have used signaling theory to explain the function of such displays, drawing inspiration from behavioral ecology, economics, and the social sciences. While signaling theory is broadly aimed at explaining honest communication, it has come to be strongly associated with the handicap principle, which proposes that such costly extravagance is in fact an adaptation for signal reliability. Most empirical studies of signaling theory have focused on obviously costly acts, and consequently anthropologists have likely overlooked a wide range of signals that also promote reliable communication. Here, we build on recent developments in signaling theory and animal communication, developing an updated framework that highlights the diversity of signal contents, costs, contexts, and reliability mechanisms present within human signaling systems. By broadening the perspective of signaling theory in human systems, we strive to identify promising areas for further empirical and theoretical work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Barker
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,The Behavioural Insights Team, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eleanor A Power
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico.,Department of Methodology, London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen Heap
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Mikael Puurtinen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Richard Sosis
- Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
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10
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Gomes ACR, Cardoso GC. Choice of high-quality mates versus avoidance of low-quality mates. Evolution 2018; 72:2608-2616. [PMID: 30421418 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Research in sexual selection assumes that individuals attempt to choose high-quality mates, and that sexual signals evolve to indicate high quality. But it may often be more important to instead discriminate and avoid low-quality mates, thus reducing the likelihood of large penalties in fitness. We show, using simulations, that avoidance of low-quality mates (i.e., rejecting low-quality and accepting either high- or medium-quality mates) evolves in socio-ecological circumstances such as monogamy with moderate opportunities for choice, costly choice, or abundant low-quality mates. We also show that this strategy is qualitatively different from choosing high-quality mates (i.e., preferring high-quality over medium- and low-quality mates). Rather than selecting signals that distinguish high- from low- and medium-quality mates, avoiding low-quality mates selects for signals or cues attuned at discriminating low-quality mates from the remaining (e.g., low-cost signals, absence of signaling mistakes). This may help explain the high diversity of sexual signals in nature, and their high evolutionary turnover with frequent losses and replacements (rather than reductions/increases of the same signal) over evolutionary time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Cristina R Gomes
- CIBIO/InBIO-Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Gonçalo C Cardoso
- CIBIO/InBIO-Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal.,Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
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11
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Briolat ES, Burdfield-Steel ER, Paul SC, Rönkä KH, Seymoure BM, Stankowich T, Stuckert AMM. Diversity in warning coloration: selective paradox or the norm? Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 94:388-414. [PMID: 30152037 PMCID: PMC6446817 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Revised: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Aposematic theory has historically predicted that predators should select for warning signals to converge on a single form, as a result of frequency‐dependent learning. However, widespread variation in warning signals is observed across closely related species, populations and, most problematically for evolutionary biologists, among individuals in the same population. Recent research has yielded an increased awareness of this diversity, challenging the paradigm of signal monomorphy in aposematic animals. Here we provide a comprehensive synthesis of these disparate lines of investigation, identifying within them three broad classes of explanation for variation in aposematic warning signals: genetic mechanisms, differences among predators and predator behaviour, and alternative selection pressures upon the signal. The mechanisms producing warning coloration are also important. Detailed studies of the genetic basis of warning signals in some species, most notably Heliconius butterflies, are beginning to shed light on the genetic architecture facilitating or limiting key processes such as the evolution and maintenance of polymorphisms, hybridisation, and speciation. Work on predator behaviour is changing our perception of the predator community as a single homogenous selective agent, emphasising the dynamic nature of predator–prey interactions. Predator variability in a range of factors (e.g. perceptual abilities, tolerance to chemical defences, and individual motivation), suggests that the role of predators is more complicated than previously appreciated. With complex selection regimes at work, polytypisms and polymorphisms may even occur in Müllerian mimicry systems. Meanwhile, phenotypes are often multifunctional, and thus subject to additional biotic and abiotic selection pressures. Some of these selective pressures, primarily sexual selection and thermoregulation, have received considerable attention, while others, such as disease risk and parental effects, offer promising avenues to explore. As well as reviewing the existing evidence from both empirical studies and theoretical modelling, we highlight hypotheses that could benefit from further investigation in aposematic species. Finally by collating known instances of variation in warning signals, we provide a valuable resource for understanding the taxonomic spread of diversity in aposematic signalling and with which to direct future research. A greater appreciation of the extent of variation in aposematic species, and of the selective pressures and constraints which contribute to this once‐paradoxical phenomenon, yields a new perspective for the field of aposematic signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuelle S Briolat
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, U.K
| | - Emily R Burdfield-Steel
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland
| | - Sarah C Paul
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, U.K.,Department of Chemical Ecology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Katja H Rönkä
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland.,Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Brett M Seymoure
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80525, U.S.A.,Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80525, U.S.A
| | - Theodore Stankowich
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, CA 90840, U.S.A
| | - Adam M M Stuckert
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, 1000 E Fifth St, Greenville, NC 27858, U.S.A
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12
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Turri J, Park Y. Knowledge and Assertion in Korean. Cogn Sci 2018; 42:2060-2080. [PMID: 29998583 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2017] [Revised: 03/10/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Evidence from life science, cognitive science, and philosophy supports the hypothesis that knowledge is a central norm of the human practice of assertion. However, to date, the experimental evidence supporting this hypothesis is limited to American anglophones. If the hypothesis is correct, then such findings will not be limited to one language or culture. Instead, we should find a strong connection between knowledge and assertability across human languages and cultures. To begin testing this prediction, we conducted three experiments on Koreans in Korean. In each case, the findings replicated prior results observed in Americans and were corroborated by key findings from new replication studies on Americans using materials back-translated from Korean. These findings support the theory that there is a core, cross-culturally robust human practice of assertion and that, according to the rules of this practice, assertions should express knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Turri
- Philosophy Department and Cognitive Science Program, University of Waterloo
| | - YeounJun Park
- Philosophy Department and Cognitive Science Program, University of Waterloo
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13
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Fan M, Teunissen N, Hall ML, Hidalgo Aranzamendi N, Kingma SA, Roast M, Delhey K, Peters A. From ornament to armament or loss of function? Breeding plumage acquisition in a genetically monogamous bird. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:1274-1285. [PMID: 29943467 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of conspicuous male traits is thought to be driven by female mate choice or male-male competition. These two mechanisms are often viewed as distinct processes, with most studies focusing on female choice. However, both mechanisms of sexual selection can act simultaneously on the same trait (i.e., dual function) and/or interact in a synergistic or conflicting way. Dual-function traits are commonly assumed to originate through male-male competition before being used in female choice; yet, most studies focusing on such traits could not determine the direction of change, lacking phylogenetic information. We investigated the role of conspicuous male seasonal plumage in male-male competitive interactions in the purple-crowned fairy-wren Malurus coronatus, a cooperatively breeding bird. Male breeding plumage in most Malurus species is selected by female choice through extra-pair mate choice, but unlike its congeners, M. coronatus is genetically monogamous, and females do not seem to choose males based on breeding plumage acquisition. Our study shows that, within groups, subordinate males that were older, and therefore higher-ranked in the queue for breeder position inheritance, produced a more complete breeding plumage. In line with this, subordinate males that were older and/or displayed a more complete breeding plumage were more successful in competitively acquiring a breeder position. A role as a signal of competitive ability was experimentally confirmed by presenting models of males: in breeding colours, these received more aggression from resident breeder males than in nonbreeding colours, but elicited limited response from females, consistent with competitors in breeding plumage being perceived as a bigger threat to the breeder male. The role of the conspicuous breeding plumage in mediating male-male interactions might account for its presence in this genetically monogamous species. As phylogenetic reconstructions suggest a past female choice function in M. coronatus, this could represent a sexual trait that shifted functions, or a dual-function trait that lost one function. These evolutionary scenarios imply that intra- and intersexual functions of ornaments may be gained or lost independently and offer new perspectives in understanding the complex dynamics of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Fan
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Vic., Australia
| | - Niki Teunissen
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Vic., Australia
| | - Michelle L Hall
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.,Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Radolfzell, Germany
| | | | - Sjouke A Kingma
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Radolfzell, Germany.,Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Michael Roast
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Vic., Australia
| | - Kaspar Delhey
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Vic., Australia.,Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Anne Peters
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Vic., Australia.,Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Radolfzell, Germany
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14
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Stephens DW, Heinen VK. Modeling nonhuman conventions: the behavioral ecology of arbitrary action. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David W Stephens
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, University of Minnesota, Gortner Laboratories, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Virginia K Heinen
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, University of Minnesota, Gortner Laboratories, St. Paul, MN, USA
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15
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinguang Zhang
- Department of Communicology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, United States
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16
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Bliege Bird R, Ready E, Power EA. The social significance of subtle signals. Nat Hum Behav 2018; 2:452-457. [DOI: 10.1038/s41562-018-0298-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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17
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Laubach ZM, Perng W, Dolinoy DC, Faulk CD, Holekamp KE, Getty T. Epigenetics and the maintenance of developmental plasticity: extending the signalling theory framework. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:1323-1338. [PMID: 29356358 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Developmental plasticity, a phenomenon of importance in both evolutionary biology and human studies of the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD), enables organisms to respond to their environment based on previous experience without changes to the underlying nucleotide sequence. Although such phenotypic responses should theoretically improve an organism's fitness and performance in its future environment, this is not always the case. Herein, we first discuss epigenetics as an adaptive mechanism of developmental plasticity and use signaling theory to provide an evolutionary context for DOHaD phenomena within a generation. Next, we utilize signalling theory to identify determinants of adaptive developmental plasticity, detect sources of random variability - also known as process errors that affect maintenance of an epigenetic signal (DNA methylation) over time, and discuss implications of these errors for an organism's health and fitness. Finally, we apply life-course epidemiology conceptual models to inform study design and analytical strategies that are capable of parsing out the potential effects of process errors in the relationships among an organism's early environment, DNA methylation, and phenotype in a future environment. Ultimately, we hope to foster cross-talk and interdisciplinary collaboration between evolutionary biology and DOHaD epidemiology, which have historically remained separate despite a shared interest in developmental plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary M Laubach
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, 288 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, U.S.A.,Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Michigan State University, 288 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, U.S.A.,BEACON, NSF Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, 567 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI, 48824, U.S.A
| | - Wei Perng
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2029, U.S.A.,Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2029, U.S.A
| | - Dana C Dolinoy
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2029, U.S.A.,Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2029, U.S.A
| | - Christopher D Faulk
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Minnesota, 495B AnSc/VetMed, 1988 Fitch Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108, U.S.A
| | - Kay E Holekamp
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, 288 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, U.S.A.,Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Michigan State University, 288 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, U.S.A.,BEACON, NSF Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, 567 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI, 48824, U.S.A
| | - Thomas Getty
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, 288 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, U.S.A.,Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Michigan State University, 288 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, U.S.A.,BEACON, NSF Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, 567 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI, 48824, U.S.A
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18
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Stritih N, Žunič Kosi A. Olfactory signaling of aggressive intent in male-male contests of cave crickets (Troglophilus neglectus; Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae). PLoS One 2017; 12:e0187512. [PMID: 29112984 PMCID: PMC5675388 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In animal contests, communicating aggressive motivation is most often mediated by visual or acoustic signals, while chemical signals are not expected to serve such a function since they are less able to be modulated by the sender during the changing behavioral context. We describe a rare example of ephemeral olfactory signals in terrestrial animals, signals that are emitted via protrusive scent glands in male cave crickets Troglophilus neglectus (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae) to reflect the state of the signaler's aggression. We correlate the intensity of behaviorally expressed aggression of the individuals in dyadic contests with the frequency and extent of their gland tissue protrusion, the latter serving as an indication of the amount of released odor. We detected large amounts of odor release during brief gland protrusions, and the absence of its release during gland retraction. Males protruded the glands during and after encountering a rival, with the degree of protrusion increasing with the intensity of the signalers' aggression. During the encounters, the degree of gland protrusion increased most strongly with the occurrence of the elevated body posture, directly preceding the attack. This degree was significantly higher in encounter winners than in losers displaying such posture, suggesting the highly important role of the released odor for contest resolution. After the encounters, glands were protruded almost exclusively by winners, apparently announcing victory. We tested for the function of the olfactory signals also directly, by preventing gland tissue protrusion in symmetric and asymmetric treatments of the contestants. Treating only the dominant individuals decreased the percentage of encounters they won by over 60%, while treating both contestants elicited a significant increase in the frequency and duration of fights. During contests, the olfactory signals of T. neglectus apparently function as a highly effective threat, which prevents maximal contest escalation and decreases the conflict-related costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataša Stritih
- National Institute of Biology, Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- * E-mail:
| | - Alenka Žunič Kosi
- National Institute of Biology, Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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19
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Bachmann JC, Cortesi F, Hall MD, Marshall NJ, Salzburger W, Gante HF. Real-time social selection maintains honesty of a dynamic visual signal in cooperative fish. Evol Lett 2017; 1:269-278. [PMID: 30283655 PMCID: PMC6121853 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Revised: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of animal communication has been largely driven by advances in theory since empirical evidence has been difficult to obtain. Costly signaling theory became the dominant paradigm explaining the evolution of honest signals, according to which communication reliability relies on differential costs imposed on signalers to distinguish animals of different quality. On the other hand, mathematical models disagree on the source of costs at the communication equilibrium. Here, we present an empirical framework to study the evolution of honest signals that generates predictions on the form, function, and sources of reliability of visual signals. We test these predictions on the facial color patterns of the cooperatively breeding Princess of Burundi cichlid, Neolamprologus brichardi. Using theoretical visual models and behavioral experiments we show that these patterns possess stable chromatic properties for efficient transmission in the aquatic environment, while dynamic changes in signal luminance are used by the fish to communicate switches in aggressive intent. By manipulating signal into out-of-equilibrium expression and simulating a cheater invasion, we demonstrate that social costs (receiver retaliation) promote the honesty of this dynamic conventional signal. By directly probing the sender of a signal in real time, social selection is likely to be the mechanism of choice shaping the evolution of inexpensive, yet reliable context-dependent social signals in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith C Bachmann
- Zoological Institute, Vesalgasse 1 University of Basel 4051 Basel Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich 8057 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Fabio Cortesi
- Zoological Institute, Vesalgasse 1 University of Basel 4051 Basel Switzerland.,Queensland Brain Institute University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - Matthew D Hall
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Melbourne 3800 Australia
| | - N Justin Marshall
- Queensland Brain Institute University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - Walter Salzburger
- Zoological Institute, Vesalgasse 1 University of Basel 4051 Basel Switzerland
| | - Hugo F Gante
- Zoological Institute, Vesalgasse 1 University of Basel 4051 Basel Switzerland
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20
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Zhang J, Reid SA. Aggression in young men high in threat potential increases after hearing low-pitched male voices: two tests of the retaliation-cost model. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2017.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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21
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Krieg CA, Burnett AD. Female House Wrens may Use a Low‐Amplitude Call as an Aggressive Signal. Ethology 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cara A. Krieg
- Department of Integrative Biology Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station Hickory Corners MI USA
| | - Alexandra D. Burnett
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA
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22
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Ligon RA, McGraw KJ. Social costs enforce honesty of a dynamic signal of motivation. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:rspb.2016.1873. [PMID: 27798310 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2016] [Accepted: 10/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the processes that promote signal reliability may provide important insights into the evolution of diverse signalling strategies among species. The signals that animals use to communicate must comprise mechanisms that prohibit or punish dishonesty, and social costs of dishonesty have been demonstrated for several fixed morphological signals (e.g. colour badges of birds and wasps). The costs maintaining the honesty of dynamic signals, which are more flexible and potentially cheatable, are unknown. Using an experimental manipulation of the dynamic visual signals used by male veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) during aggressive interactions, we tested the idea that the honesty of rapid colour change signals is maintained by social costs. Our results reveal that social costs are an important mechanism maintaining the honesty of these dynamic colour signals-'dishonest' chameleons whose experimentally manipulated coloration was incongruent with their contest behaviour received more physical aggression than 'honest' individuals. This is the first demonstration, to the best our knowledge, that the honesty of a dynamic signal of motivation-physiological colour change-can be maintained by the social costliness of dishonesty. Behavioural responses of signal receivers, irrespective of any specific detection mechanisms, therefore prevent chameleon cheaters from prospering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell A Ligon
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Kevin J McGraw
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
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23
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Ferreira AC, Atwell JW, Whittaker DJ, Ketterson ED, Cardoso GC. Communication Value of Mistakes in Dark-Eyed Junco Song. Am Nat 2016; 188:289-305. [DOI: 10.1086/687520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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24
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Variable Signals in a Complex World. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2016.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
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25
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Brant CO, Johnson NS, Li K, Buchinger TJ, Li W. Female sea lamprey shift orientation toward a conspecific chemical cue to escape a sensory trap. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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26
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27
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Abstract
Animal communication abounds with extravagant displays. These signals are usually interpreted as costly signals of quality. However, there is another important function for these signals: to call the attention of the receiver to the signaller. While there is abundant empirical evidence to show the importance of this stage, it is not yet incorporated into standard signalling theory. Here I investigate a general model of signalling - based on a basic action-response game - that incorporates this searching stage. I show that giving attention-seeking displays and searching for them can be an ESS. This is a very general result and holds regardless whether only the high quality signallers or both high and low types give them. These signals need not be costly at the equilibrium and they need not be honest signals of any quality, as their function is not to signal quality but simply to call the attention of the potential receivers. These kind of displays are probably more common than their current weight in the literature would suggest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szabolcs Számadó
- MTA-ELTE Theoretical Biology and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Eötvös Loránd University, Department of Plant Taxonomy and Ecology, Budapest, Hungary
- * E-mail:
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28
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Summers K, Speed MP, Blount JD, Stuckert AMM. Are aposematic signals honest? A review. J Evol Biol 2015; 28:1583-99. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2014] [Revised: 06/08/2015] [Accepted: 06/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- K. Summers
- Department of Biology; East Carolina University; Greenville NC USA
| | - M. P. Speed
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behaviour; University of Liverpool; Liverpool UK
| | - J. D. Blount
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences; University of Exeter; Penryn UK
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29
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Reichard DG, Anderson RC. Why signal softly? The structure, function and evolutionary significance of low-amplitude signals. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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30
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Knauer AC, Schiestl FP. Bees use honest floral signals as indicators of reward when visiting flowers. Ecol Lett 2014; 18:135-43. [PMID: 25491788 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2014] [Accepted: 09/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Pollinators visit flowers for rewards and should therefore have a preference for floral signals that indicate reward status, so called 'honest signals'. We investigated honest signalling in Brassica rapa L. and its relevance for the attraction of a generalised pollinator, the bumble bee Bombus terrestris (L.). We found a positive association between reward amount (nectar sugar and pollen) and the floral scent compound phenylacetaldehyde. Bumble bees developed a preference for phenylacetaldehyde over other scent compounds after foraging on B. rapa. When foraging on artificial flowers scented with synthetic volatiles, bumble bees developed a preference for those specific compounds that honestly indicated reward status. These results show that the honesty of floral signals can play a key role in their attractiveness to pollinators. In plants, a genetic constraint, resource limitation in reward and signal production, and sanctions against cheaters may contribute to the evolution and maintenance of honest signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- A C Knauer
- Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland
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31
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Ręk P. Do aggressive signals evolve towards higher reliability or lower costs of assessment? J Evol Biol 2014; 27:2605-13. [PMID: 25290527 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2014] [Accepted: 09/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
It has been suggested that the evolution of signals must be a wasteful process for the signaller, aimed at the maximization of signal honesty. However, the reliability of communication depends not only on the costs paid by signallers but also on the costs paid by receivers during assessment, and less attention has been given to the interaction between these two types of costs during the evolution of signalling systems. A signaller and receiver may accept some level of signal dishonesty by choosing signals that are cheaper in terms of assessment but that are stabilized with less reliable mechanisms. I studied the potential trade-off between signal reliability and the costs of signal assessment in the corncrake (Crex crex). I found that the birds prefer signals that are less costly regarding assessment rather than more reliable. Despite the fact that the fundamental frequency of calls was a strong predictor of male size, it was ignored by receivers unless they could directly compare signal variants. My data revealed a response advantage of costly signals when comparison between calls differing with fundamental frequencies is fast and straightforward, whereas cheap signalling is preferred in natural conditions. These data might improve our understanding of the influence of receivers on signal design because they support the hypothesis that fully honest signalling systems may be prone to dishonesty based on the effects of receiver costs and be replaced by signals that are cheaper in production and reception but more susceptible to cheating.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Ręk
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland; Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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32
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Yack JE, Gill S, Drummond-Main C, Sherratt TN. Residency Duration and Shelter Quality Influence Vibratory Signalling Displays in A Territorial Caterpillar. Ethology 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jayne E. Yack
- Department of Biology; Carleton University; Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Sharleen Gill
- Department of Biology; Carleton University; Ottawa ON Canada
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33
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Carazo P, Font E. ‘Communication breakdown’: the evolution of signal unreliability and deception. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.10.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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34
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Simple signaling games of sexual selection (Grafen’s revisited). J Math Biol 2013; 69:1719-42. [DOI: 10.1007/s00285-013-0745-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2013] [Revised: 10/22/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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35
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36
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Cant MA, Young AJ. Resolving social conflict among females without overt aggression. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2013; 368:20130076. [PMID: 24167306 PMCID: PMC3826205 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of animal societies compete over resources and reproduction, but the extent to which such conflicts of interest are resolved peacefully (without recourse to costly or wasteful acts of aggression) varies widely. Here, we describe two theoretical mechanisms that can help to understand variation in the incidence of overt behavioural conflict: (i) destruction competition and (ii) the use of threats. The two mechanisms make different assumptions about the degree to which competitors are socially sensitive (responsive to real-time changes in the behaviour of their social partners). In each case, we discuss how the model assumptions relate to biological reality and highlight the genetic, ecological and informational factors that are likely to promote peaceful conflict resolution, drawing on empirical examples. We suggest that, relative to males, reproductive conflict among females may be more frequently resolved peacefully through threats of punishment, rather than overt acts of punishment, because (i) offspring are more costly to produce for females and (ii) reproduction is more difficult to conceal. The main need now is for empirical work to test whether the mechanisms described here can indeed explain how social conflict can be resolved without overt aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Cant
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, , Tremough Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 8BG, UK
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37
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonçalo C. Cardoso
- CIBIO-Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos; Universidade do Porto; Vairão Portugal
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38
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39
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40
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Sewall KB, Caro SP, Sockman KW. Song competition affects monoamine levels in sensory and motor forebrain regions of male Lincoln's sparrows (Melospiza lincolnii). PLoS One 2013; 8:e59857. [PMID: 23555809 PMCID: PMC3608548 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2012] [Accepted: 02/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Male animals often change their behavior in response to the level of competition for mates. Male Lincoln's sparrows (Melospiza lincolnii) modulate their competitive singing over the period of a week as a function of the level of challenge associated with competitors' songs. Differences in song challenge and associated shifts in competitive state should be accompanied by neural changes, potentially in regions that regulate perception and song production. The monoamines mediate neural plasticity in response to environmental cues to achieve shifts in behavioral state. Therefore, using high pressure liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection, we compared levels of monoamines and their metabolites from male Lincoln's sparrows exposed to songs categorized as more or less challenging. We compared levels of norepinephrine and its principal metabolite in two perceptual regions of the auditory telencephalon, the caudomedial nidopallium and the caudomedial mesopallium (CMM), because this chemical is implicated in modulating auditory sensitivity to song. We also measured the levels of dopamine and its principal metabolite in two song control nuclei, area X and the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA), because dopamine is implicated in regulating song output. We measured the levels of serotonin and its principal metabolite in all four brain regions because this monoamine is implicated in perception and behavioral output and is found throughout the avian forebrain. After controlling for recent singing, we found that males exposed to more challenging song had higher levels of norepinephrine metabolite in the CMM and lower levels of serotonin in the RA. Collectively, these findings are consistent with norepinephrine in perceptual brain regions and serotonin in song control regions contributing to neuroplasticity that underlies socially-induced changes in behavioral state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendra B. Sewall
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail: (KBS); (KWS)
| | - Samuel P. Caro
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Keith W. Sockman
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Curriculum in Neurobiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail: (KBS); (KWS)
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41
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42
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Apfelbeck B, Kiefer S, Mortega KG, Goymann W, Kipper S. Testosterone affects song modulation during simulated territorial intrusions in male black redstarts (Phoenicurus ochruros). PLoS One 2012; 7:e52009. [PMID: 23284852 PMCID: PMC3524101 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2012] [Accepted: 11/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Although it has been suggested that testosterone plays an important role in resource allocation for competitive behavior, details of the interplay between testosterone, territorial aggression and signal plasticity are largely unknown. Therefore, we investigated if testosterone acts specifically on signals that communicate the motivation or ability of individuals to engage in competitive situations in a natural context. We studied the black redstart, a territorial songbird species, during two different life-cycle stages, the early breeding phase in spring and the non-breeding phase in fall. Male territory holders were implanted with the androgen receptor blocker flutamide (Flut) and the aromatase inhibitor letrozole (Let) to inhibit the action of testosterone and its estrogenic metabolites. Controls received a placebo treatment. Three days after implantation birds were challenged with a simulated territorial intrusion (STI). Song was recorded before, during and after the challenge. In spring, both treatment groups increased the number of elements sung in parts of their song in response to the STI. However, Flut/Let-implanted males reacted to the STI with a decreased maximum acoustic frequency of one song part, while placebo-implanted males did not. Instead, placebo-implanted males sang the atonal part of their song with a broader frequency range. Furthermore, placebo-, but not Flut/Let-implanted males, sang shorter songs with shorter pauses between parts in the STIs. During simulated intrusions in fall, when testosterone levels are naturally low in this species, males of both treatment groups sang similar to Flut/Let-implanted males during breeding. The results suggest that song sung during a territorial encounter is of higher competitive value than song sung in an undisturbed situation and may, therefore, convey information about the motivation or quality of the territory holder. We conclude that testosterone facilitates context-dependent changes in song structures that may be honest signals of male quality in black redstarts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beate Apfelbeck
- Abteilung für Verhaltensneurobiologie, Max-Planck-Institut für Ornithologie, Seewiesen, Germany.
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43
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Ręk P, Osiejuk TS. Temporal patterns of broadcast calls in the corncrake encode information arbitrarily. Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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44
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45
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Bywater CL, Wilson RS. Is honesty the best policy? Testing signal reliability in fiddler crabs when receiver-dependent costs are high. Funct Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2012.02002.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Candice L. Bywater
- School of Biological Sciences; The University of Queensland; St Lucia; Queensland; 4072; Australia
| | - Robbie S. Wilson
- School of Biological Sciences; The University of Queensland; St Lucia; Queensland; 4072; Australia
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46
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An evolutionary advantage for extravagant honesty. J Theor Biol 2012; 292:30-8. [PMID: 21964260 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2011.09.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2011] [Revised: 09/20/2011] [Accepted: 09/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
A game-theoretic model of handicap signalling over a pair of signalling channels is introduced in order to determine when one channel has an evolutionary advantage over the other. The stability conditions for honest handicap signalling are presented for a single channel and are shown to conform with the results of prior handicap signalling models. Evolutionary simulations are then used to show that, for a two-channel system in which honest signalling is possible on both channels, the channel featuring larger advertisements at equilibrium is favoured by evolution. This result helps to address a significant tension in the handicap principle literature. While the original theory was motivated by the prevalence of extravagant natural signalling, contemporary models have demonstrated that it is the cost associated with deception that stabilises honesty, and that the honest signals exhibited at equilibrium need not be extravagant at all. The current model suggests that while extravagant and wasteful signals are not required to ensure a signalling system's evolutionary stability, extravagant signalling systems may enjoy an advantage in terms of evolutionary attainability.
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47
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Androgen-dependent male vocal performance influences female preference in Neotropical singing mice. Anim Behav 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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48
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Zeigler-Hill V, Myers EM. An Implicit Theory of Self-Esteem: The Consequences of Perceived Self-Esteem for Romantic Desirability. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2011. [DOI: 10.1177/147470491100900202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The provision of information appears to be an important property of self-esteem as evidenced by previous research concerning the status-tracking and status-signaling models of self-esteem. The present studies examine whether there is an implicit theory of self-esteem that leads individuals to assume targets with higher levels of self-esteem possess more desirable characteristics than those with lower levels of self-esteem. Across 6 studies, targets with ostensibly higher levels of self-esteem were generally rated as more attractive and as more desirable relationship partners than those with lower levels of self-esteem. It is important to note, however, that this general trend did not consistently emerge for female targets. Rather, female targets with high self-esteem were often evaluated less positively than those with more moderate levels of self-esteem. The present findings are discussed in the context of an extended informational model of self-esteem consisting of both the status-tracking and status-signaling properties of self-esteem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virgil Zeigler-Hill
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA
| | - Erin M. Myers
- Department of Psychology, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, USA
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Klenova AV, Zubakin VA, Zubakina EV. Vocal and Optical Indicators of Individual Quality in a Social Seabird, the Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella). Ethology 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2011.01880.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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