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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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2
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Leitão AV, Mulder RA, Hall ML. Song functions for joint territory defence and within-pair communication in female and male lovely fairy-wrens. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.08.003] [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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3
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Brewer DE, Fudickar AM. A preliminary comparison of a songbird's song repertoire size and other song measures between an urban and a rural site. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8602. [PMID: 35222968 PMCID: PMC8848481 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8602] [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: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Characteristics of birdsong, especially minimum frequency, have been shown to vary for some species between urban and rural populations and along urban-rural gradients. However, few urban-rural comparisons of song complexity-and none that we know of based on the number of distinct song types in repertoires-have occurred. Given the potential ability of song repertoire size to indicate bird condition, we primarily sought to determine if number of distinct song types displayed by Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) varied between an urban and a rural site. We determined song repertoire size of 24 individuals; 12 were at an urban ('human-dominated') site and 12 were at a rural ('agricultural') site. Then, we compared song repertoire size, note rate, and peak frequency between these sites. Song repertoire size and note rate did not vary between our human-dominated and agricultural sites. Peak frequency was greater at the agricultural site. Our finding that peak frequency was higher at the agricultural site compared to the human-dominated site, contrary to many previous findings pertaining to frequency shifts in songbirds, warrants further investigation. Results of our pilot study suggest that song complexity may be less affected by anthropogenic factors in Song Sparrows than are frequency characteristics. Additional study, however, will be required to identify particular causal factors related to the trends that we report and to replicate, ideally via multiple urban-rural pairings, so that broader generalization is possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin E. Brewer
- Environmental Resilience InstituteIndiana UniversityBloomingtonIndianaUSA
- Present address:
Central Michigan UniversityMount PleasantMichiganUSA
| | - Adam M. Fudickar
- Environmental Resilience InstituteIndiana UniversityBloomingtonIndianaUSA
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4
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Individuality, as well as genetic background, affects syntactical features of courtship songs in male mice. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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5
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Winandy GSM, Japyassú HF, Izar P, Slabbekoorn H. Noise-Related Song Variation Affects Communication: Bananaquits Adjust Vocally to Playback of Elaborate or Simple Songs. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.570431] [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
Birds communicate through acoustic variation in their songs for territorial defense and mate attraction. Noisy urban conditions often induce vocal changes that can alleviate masking problems, but that may also affect signal value. We investigated this potential for a functional compromise in a neotropical songbird: the bananaquit (Coereba flaveola). This species occurs in urban environments with variable traffic noise levels and was previously found to reduce song elaboration in concert with a noise-dependent reduction in song frequency bandwidth. Singing higher and in a narrower bandwidth may make their songs more audible in noisy conditions of low-frequency traffic. However, it was unknown whether the associated decrease in syllable diversity affected their communication. Here we show that bananaquits responded differently to experimental playback of elaborate vs. simple songs. The variation in syllable diversity did not affect general response strength, but the tested birds gave acoustically distinct song replies. Songs had fewer syllables and were lower in frequency and of wider bandwidth when individuals responded to elaborate songs compared to simple songs. This result suggests that noise-dependent vocal restrictions may change the signal value of songs and compromise their communicative function. It remains to be investigated whether there are consequences for individual fitness and how such effects may alter the diversity and density of the avian community in noisy cities.
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6
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Experimental test of the communicative value of syllable diversity and syllable switching in the common chiffchaff. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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7
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Wermke K, Quast A, Hesse V. From melody to words: The role of sex hormones in early language development. Horm Behav 2018; 104:206-215. [PMID: 29573996 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2018] [Revised: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Contribution to Special Issue on Fast effects of steroids. Human infants are the most proficient of the few vocal learner species. Sharing similar principles in terms of the generation and modification of complex sounds, cross-vocal learner comparisons are a suitable strategy when it comes to better understanding the evolution and mechanisms of auditory-vocal learning in human infants. This approach will also help us to understand sex differences in relation to vocal development towards language, the underlying brain mechanisms thereof and sex-specific hormonal effects. Although we are still far from being capable of discovering the "fast effects of steroids" in human infants, we have identified that peripheral hormones (blood serum) are important regulators of vocal behaviour towards language during a transitory hormone surge ("mini-puberty") that is comparable in its extent to puberty. This new area of research in human infants provides a promising opportunity to not only better understand early language acquisition from an ontogenetic and phylogenetic perspective, but to also identify reliable clinical risk-markers in infants for the development of later language disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen Wermke
- Center for Prespeech Development & Developmental Disorders, Department of Orthodontics University Hospital of Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Anja Quast
- Center for Prespeech Development & Developmental Disorders, Department of Orthodontics University Hospital of Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany; Department of Orthodontics, University Medical Center Goettingen, 37075 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Volker Hesse
- Institute for Experimental Paediatric Endocrinology, Charité-University-Medicine Berlin, 13533 Berlin, Germany
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8
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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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9
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Pearse WD, Morales-Castilla I, James LS, Farrell M, Boivin F, Davies TJ. Global macroevolution and macroecology of passerine song. Evolution 2018; 72:944-960. [PMID: 29441527 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2016] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Studying the macroevolution of the songs of Passeriformes (perching birds) has proved challenging. The complexity of the task stems not just from the macroevolutionary and macroecological challenge of modeling so many species, but also from the difficulty in collecting and quantifying birdsong itself. Using machine learning techniques, we extracted songs from a large citizen science dataset, and then analyzed the evolution, and biotic and abiotic predictors of variation in birdsong across 578 passerine species. Contrary to expectations, we found few links between life-history traits (monogamy and sexual dimorphism) and the evolution of song pitch (peak frequency) or song complexity (standard deviation of frequency). However, we found significant support for morphological constraints on birdsong, as reflected in a negative correlation between bird size and song pitch. We also found that broad-scale biogeographical and climate factors such as net primary productivity, temperature, and regional species richness were significantly associated with both the evolution and present-day distribution of bird song features. Our analysis integrates comparative and spatial modeling with newly developed data cleaning and curation tools, and suggests that evolutionary history, morphology, and present-day ecological processes shape the distribution of song diversity in these charismatic and important birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- William D Pearse
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada.,Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada.,Department of Biology and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322
| | - Ignacio Morales-Castilla
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada.,Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada.,Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.,Department of Life Sciences, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares 28805, Spain
| | - Logan S James
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
| | - Maxwell Farrell
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
| | - Frédéric Boivin
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
| | - T Jonathan Davies
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
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Cholewiak DM, Cerchio S, Jacobsen JK, Urbán-R. J, Clark CW. Songbird dynamics under the sea: acoustic interactions between humpback whales suggest song mediates male interactions. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:171298. [PMID: 29515847 PMCID: PMC5830736 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.171298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The function of song has been well studied in numerous taxa and plays a role in mediating both intersexual and intrasexual interactions. Humpback whales are among few mammals who sing, but the role of sexual selection on song in this species is poorly understood. While one predominant hypothesis is that song mediates male-male interactions, the mechanism by which this may occur has never been explored. We applied metrics typically used to assess songbird interactions to examine song sequences and movement patterns of humpback whale singers. We found that males altered their song presentation in the presence of other singers; focal males increased the rate at which they switched between phrase types (p = 0.005), and tended to increase the overall evenness of their song presentation (p = 0.06) after a second male began singing. Two-singer dyads overlapped their song sequences significantly more than expected by chance. Spatial analyses revealed that change in distance between singers was related to whether both males kept singing (p = 0.012), with close approaches leading to song cessation. Overall, acoustic interactions resemble known mechanisms of mediating intrasexual interactions in songbirds. Future work should focus on more precisely resolving how changes in song presentation may be used in competition between singing males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle M. Cholewiak
- Protected Species Branch, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Marine Fisheries Service, Woods Hole, MA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior and the Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Salvatore Cerchio
- New England Aquarium, Boston, MA, USA
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Jeff K. Jacobsen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA, USA
| | - Jorge Urbán-R.
- Programa de Investigación de Mamíferos Marinos, Departamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, BCS, México
| | - Christopher W. Clark
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior and the Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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11
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Unpredictability of escape trajectory explains predator evasion ability and microhabitat preference of desert rodents. Nat Commun 2017; 8:440. [PMID: 28874728 PMCID: PMC5585173 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00373-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanistically linking movement behaviors and ecology is key to understanding the adaptive evolution of locomotion. Predator evasion, a behavior that enhances fitness, may depend upon short bursts or complex patterns of locomotion. However, such movements are poorly characterized by existing biomechanical metrics. We present methods based on the entropy measure of randomness from Information Theory to quantitatively characterize the unpredictability of non-steady-state locomotion. We then apply the method by examining sympatric rodent species whose escape trajectories differ in dimensionality. Unlike the speed-regulated gait use of cursorial animals to enhance locomotor economy, bipedal jerboa (family Dipodidae) gait transitions likely enhance maneuverability. In field-based observations, jerboa trajectories are significantly less predictable than those of quadrupedal rodents, likely increasing predator evasion ability. Consistent with this hypothesis, jerboas exhibit lower anxiety in open fields than quadrupedal rodents, a behavior that varies inversely with predator evasion ability. Our unpredictability metric expands the scope of quantitative biomechanical studies to include non-steady-state locomotion in a variety of evolutionary and ecologically significant contexts.Biomechanical understanding of animal gait and maneuverability has primarily been limited to species with more predictable, steady-state movement patterns. Here, the authors develop a method to quantify movement predictability, and apply the method to study escape-related movement in several species of desert rodents.
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12
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It's complicated: the association between songbird extrapair paternity and within-song complexity. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.06.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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13
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Kershenbaum A, Déaux ÉC, Habib B, Mitchell B, Palacios V, Root-Gutteridge H, Waller S. Measuring acoustic complexity in continuously varying signals: how complex is a wolf howl? BIOACOUSTICS 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2017.1317287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Éloïse C. Déaux
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Bilal Habib
- Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India
| | - Brian Mitchell
- The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Vicente Palacios
- Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Sara Waller
- Department of Philosophy, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
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14
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Discrimination of male black-capped chickadee songs: relationship between acoustic preference and performance accuracy. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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15
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Hill SD, Pawley MDM, Ji W. Local habitat complexity correlates with song complexity in a vocally elaborate honeyeater. AUSTRAL ECOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel D. Hill
- Human-Wildlife Interactions Research Group; Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences; Massey University; North Shore Mail Centre; Auckland New Zealand
| | - Matthew D. M. Pawley
- Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences; Massey University; North Shore Mail Centre; Auckland New Zealand
| | - Weihong Ji
- Human-Wildlife Interactions Research Group; Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences; Massey University; North Shore Mail Centre; Auckland New Zealand
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16
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Hoeschele M, Bowling DL. Sex Differences in Rhythmic Preferences in the Budgerigar ( Melopsittacus undulatus): A Comparative Study with Humans. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1543. [PMID: 27757099 PMCID: PMC5047910 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A variety of parrot species have recently gained attention as members of a small group of non-human animals that are capable of coordinating their movements in time with a rhythmic pulse. This capacity is highly developed in humans, who display unparalleled sensitivity to musical beats and appear to prefer rhythmically organized sounds in their music. Do parrots also exhibit a preference for rhythmic over arrhythmic sounds? Here, we presented humans and budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) - a small parrot species that have been shown to be able to align movements with a beat - with rhythmic and arrhythmic sound patterns in an acoustic place preference paradigm. Both species were allowed to explore an environment for 5 min. We quantified how much time they spent in proximity to rhythmic vs. arrhythmic stimuli. The results show that humans spent more time with rhythmic stimuli, and also preferred rhythmic stimuli when directly asked in a post-test survey. Budgerigars did not show any such overall preferences. However, further examination of the budgerigar results showed an effect of sex, such that male budgerigars spent more time with arrthymic stimuli, and female budgerigars spent more time with rhythmic stimuli. Our results support the idea that rhythmic information is interesting to budgerigars. We suggest that future investigations into the temporal characteristics of naturalistic social behaviors in budgerigars, such as courtship vocalizations and head-bobbing displays, may help explain the sex difference we observed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel L. Bowling
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaVienna, Austria
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17
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Ronald KL, Skillman T, Lin A, Li Q, Fernandez‐Juricic E, Lucas JR. Watch Your Tone: Social Conditions Modulate Singing Strategies. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Andy Lin
- Purdue University West Lafayette IN USA
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Riebel K, Lachlan RF, Slater PJ. Learning and Cultural Transmission in Chaffinch Song. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2015.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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Behavioral and neural trade-offs between song complexity and stress reaction in a wild and a domesticated finch strain. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 46 Pt 4:547-56. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2013] [Revised: 06/23/2014] [Accepted: 07/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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20
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Alward BA, Mayes WD, Peng K, Stevenson TJ, Balthazart J, Ball GF. Dissociable effects of social context on song and doublecortin immunoreactivity in male canaries. Eur J Neurosci 2014; 40:2941-7. [PMID: 24974859 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2014] [Revised: 05/12/2014] [Accepted: 05/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Variation in environmental factors such as day length and social context greatly affects reproductive behavior and the brain areas that regulate these behaviors. One such behavior is song in songbirds, which males use to attract a mate during the breeding season. In these species the absence of a potential mate leads to an increase in the number of songs produced, while the presence of a mate greatly diminishes singing. Interestingly, although long days promote song behavior, producing song itself can promote the incorporation of new neurons in brain regions controlling song output. Social context can also affect such neuroplasticity in these song control nuclei. The goal of the present study was to investigate in canaries (Serinus canaria), a songbird species, how photoperiod and social context affect song and the incorporation of new neurons, as measured by the microtubule-associated protein doublecortin (DCX) in HVC, a key vocal production brain region of the song control system. We show that long days increased HVC size and singing activity. In addition, male canaries paired with a female for 2 weeks showed enhanced DCX-immunoreactivity in HVC relative to birds housed alone. Strikingly, however, paired males sang fewer songs that exhibited a reduction in acoustic features such as song complexity and energy, compared with birds housed alone, which sang prolifically. These results show that social presence plays a significant role in the regulation of neural and behavioral plasticity in songbirds and can exert these effects in opposition to what might be expected based on activity-induced neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beau A Alward
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218-2686, USA
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21
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Dunning JL, Pant S, Bass A, Coburn Z, Prather JF. Mate choice in adult female Bengalese finches: females express consistent preferences for individual males and prefer female-directed song performances. PLoS One 2014; 9:e89438. [PMID: 24558501 PMCID: PMC3928452 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2013] [Accepted: 01/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the process of mate selection by female songbirds, male suitors advertise their quality through reproductive displays in which song plays an important role. Females evaluate the quality of each signal and the associated male, and the results of that evaluation guide expression of selective courtship displays. Some studies reveal broad agreement among females in their preferences for specific signal characteristics, indicating that those features are especially salient in female mate choice. Other studies reveal that females differ in their preference for specific characteristics, indicating that in those cases female evaluation of signal quality is influenced by factors other than simply the physical properties of the signal. Thus, both the physical properties of male signals and specific traits of female signal evaluation can impact female mate choice. Here, we characterized the mate preferences of female Bengalese finches. We found that calls and copulation solicitation displays are equally reliable indicators of female preference. In response to songs from an array of males, each female expressed an individual-specific song preference, and those preferences were consistent across tests spanning many months. Across a population of females, songs of some males were more commonly preferred than others, and females preferred female-directed songs more than undirected songs, suggesting that some song features are broadly attractive. Preferences were indistinguishable for females that did or did not have social experience with the singers, indicating that female preference is strongly directed by song features rather than experiences associated with the singer. Analysis of song properties revealed several candidate parameters that may influence female evaluation. In an initial investigation of those parameters, females could be very selective for one song feature yet not selective for another. Therefore, multiple song parameters are evaluated independently. Together these findings reveal the nature of signal evaluation and mate choice in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffery L. Dunning
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Santosh Pant
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Aaron Bass
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Zachary Coburn
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Jonathan F. Prather
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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22
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Effects of early auditory experience on the development of local song preference in female swamp sparrows. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1658-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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23
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Goretskaia MI. Song structure variability in passerine birds: Random variation or direct informative changes. BIOL BULL+ 2013. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359013090069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Morinay J, Cardoso GC, Doutrelant C, Covas R. The evolution of birdsong on islands. Ecol Evol 2013; 3:5127-40. [PMID: 24455143 PMCID: PMC3892323 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2013] [Revised: 10/01/2013] [Accepted: 10/02/2013] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Islands are simplified, isolated ecosystems, providing an ideal set-up to study evolution. Among several traits that are expected to change on islands, an interesting but poorly understood example concerns signals used in animal communication. Islands are typified by reduced species diversity, increased population density, and reduced mate competition, all of which could affect communication signals. We used birdsong to investigate whether there are systematic changes in communication signals on islands, by undertaking a broad comparison based on pairs of closely related island-mainland species across the globe. We studied song traits related to complexity (number of different syllables, frequency bandwidth), to vocal performance (syllable delivery rate, song duration), and also three particular song elements (rattles, buzzes, and trills) generally implicated in aggressive communication. We also investigated whether song complexity was related to the number of similar sympatric species. We found that island species were less likely to produce broadband and likely aggressive song elements (rattles and buzzes). By contrast, various aspects of song complexity and performance did not differ between island and mainland species. Species with fewer same-family sympatric species used wider frequency bandwidths, as predicted by the character release hypothesis, both on continents and on islands. Our study supports the hypothesis of a reduction in aggressive behavior on islands and suggests that discrimination against closely related species is an important factor influencing birdsong evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Morinay
- AgroParisTech 16 Rue Claude Bernard, 75005, Paris, France ; CEFE-CNRS 1919 Route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France ; CIBIO, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Gonçalo C Cardoso
- CIBIO, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
| | | | - Rita Covas
- CIBIO, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal ; Biology Department, Science Faculty, University of Porto Porto, Portugal
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Giret N, Nitsch A, Nagle L. Phonological-dependent territorial responses in yellowhammers (Emberiza citrinella). Behav Processes 2011; 88:67-71. [PMID: 21827836 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2011.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2011] [Revised: 07/16/2011] [Accepted: 07/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In songbirds, males sing to attract potential mate and to defend their territory. Information about the sender such as its sex, its motivational state, its strength or identity can be encoded through subtle modifications in songs. In this study, we investigated whether territorial responses of yellowhammer males may be affected by modifications of song syntax and phonology. Yellowhammer song is mainly composed of three elements among which the last one is a long and low frequency note that is supposed to be the main component used by males to assess their potential rival. We carried out field experiments and played back either fully natural songs or partly natural and partly artificial songs to test this hypothesis. We identified that phonology rather than syntax modifications altered territorial responses. Our results also suggest that the phonology of the first song element plays a critical role in driving territorial responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Giret
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie et Cognition Comparées, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, 200, avenue de la République, 92001 Nanterre Cedex, France.
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26
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Yang C, Zhang Y, Cai Y, Stokke BG, Liang W. Female crowing and differential responses to simulated conspecific intrusion in male and female Hainan partridge (Arborophila ardens). Zoolog Sci 2011; 28:249-53. [PMID: 21466341 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.28.249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Vocalizations of Hainan partridges (Arborophila ardens) during the breeding season were studied, by making use of playback experiments, in Yinggeling Nature Reserve, Hainan Island, China. Both males and females were found to crow and to produce duet calls during the breeding season, and there was a sex difference in crowing as shown by spectrogram analyses. Both sexes responded strongly to simulated intrusion from pairs of conspecifics. However, it was found that males responded to intrasexual intrusion to a greater extent than to intersexual intrusion. Moreover, females responded strongly to both intra- and intersexual intrusion. Female-female response is proposed as a behavioral mechanism that favors monogamy in the Hainan partridge, and a generally high response to any kind of vocal stimuli indicates that females may play an important role in territory defense in this species. To our knowledge, this is the first report for female crowing in the genus Arborophila, and the second case for female crowing in the family Phasianidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Canchao Yang
- College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, P. R. China
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27
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Laiolo P, Obeso JR, Roggia Y. Mimicry as a novel pathway linking biodiversity functions and individual behavioural performances. Proc Biol Sci 2011; 278:1072-81. [PMID: 20861043 PMCID: PMC3049029 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2010] [Accepted: 09/02/2010] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The feedback of biodiversity on individual trait variation is a poorly explored mechanistic pathway in ecological research. We analysed the relationship between biodiversity and individual performance by focusing on vocal mimicry, a widespread interaction that may serve in intra- and interspecific communication. We studied the songs of two lark species (genus Galerida) that increase the complexity of their song displays by mimicking other birds, and analysed the influence of bird species richness on individual song performance. The diversity of mimicked species and the prevalence of mimicry increased in areas characterized by great α and γ diversity (i.e. where larks experience more diverse encounters with community members, many of them being highly vocal owing to breeding). Conversely, the variability in species-specific song components peaked where larks were abundant, probably matching the complexity of conspecific social milieu. Some trade-offs existed between homo- and heterospecific complexity, suggesting that larks could change from population- to community-driven song variation by tracking the composition of the auditory environment. Mimicry, which serves communication with conspecifics or predators, may mediate interactions, ultimately cascading to aspects of ecological diversity other than those promoting its complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Laiolo
- ICAB, CSIC and Oviedo University, 33071 Oviedo, Spain.
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28
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Brumm H, Ritschard M. Song amplitude affects territorial aggression of male receivers in chaffinches. Behav Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Kato Y, Hasegawa T, Okanoya K. Song preference of female Bengalese finches as measured by operant conditioning. J ETHOL 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-010-0203-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Riebel K, Naguib M, Gil D. Experimental manipulation of the rearing environment influences adult female zebra finch song preferences. Anim Behav 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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32
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Anderson RC. Operant conditioning and copulation solicitation display assays reveal a stable preference for local song by female swamp sparrows Melospiza georgiana. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-009-0838-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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Brumm H, Lachlan RF, Riebel K, Slater PJ. On the function of song type repertoires: testing the ‘antiexhaustion hypothesis’ in chaffinches. Anim Behav 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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34
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Chapter 6 Song and Female Mate Choice in Zebra Finches: A Review. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/s0065-3454(09)40006-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Seki Y, Okanoya K. The effect of sound location in a song-discrimination task by Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata var. domestica). J ETHOL 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-008-0134-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Locke JL. Cost and complexity: Selection for speech and language. J Theor Biol 2008; 251:640-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2007.12.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2007] [Revised: 12/20/2007] [Accepted: 12/21/2007] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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38
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Dalziell AH, Cockburn A. Dawn song in superb fairy-wrens: a bird that seeks extrapair copulations during the dawn chorus. Anim Behav 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Hardouin LA, Reby D, Bavoux C, Burneleau G, Bretagnolle V. Communication of Male Quality in Owl Hoots. Am Nat 2007; 169:552-62. [PMID: 17427124 DOI: 10.1086/512136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2006] [Accepted: 11/17/2006] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of communication through intrasexual selection is expected to lead signalers to transmit honest information on their fighting ability. Here we studied the information encoded in the acoustic structure of the territorial calls of a nocturnal raptor. During territorial contests, male scops owls give hoots composed of a downward frequency shift followed by a stable plateau. We found that the frequency of the hoot was negatively correlated with the body weight of the vocalizer. We shifted the frequency contour of natural hoots in order to create resynthesized calls corresponding to individuals of varying body weight and used these stimuli in playback experiments simulating an intrusion into the territory of established breeders. Territory owners responded less intensely when they heard hoots simulating heavier intruders, and males with heavier apparent weight tended to give hoots with a lower plateau in response to playbacks simulating heavier intruders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loïc A Hardouin
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique--Unité Propre de Recherche 1934, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France.
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