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Santema P, Kempenaers B. Experimentally advancing morning emergence time does not increase extra-pair siring success in blue tit males. Behav Ecol 2023; 34:346-353. [PMID: 37192920 PMCID: PMC10183205 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arad006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Extra-pair paternity occurs frequently in socially monogamous birds, but there is substantial variation in extra-pair siring success among males. Several studies have shown that siring success relates to the timing of morning activity, with the earliest active males being more successful, suggesting that early activity is important for acquiring extra-pair copulations. However, these studies are correlational, and it, therefore, remains unclear whether the relationship between timing and extra-pair siring success is causal. An alternative explanation is that successful extra-pair sires tend to be active earlier (e.g., because they are of high quality or in good condition), but that early activity in itself does not increase siring success. We experimentally advanced the emergence time of male blue tits by exposing them to light about half an hour before their natural emergence time. Although males that were exposed to the light treatment emerged from their roost substantially earlier than males that were exposed to a control treatment, light-treated males were not more likely to sire extra-pair offspring. Furthermore, whereas control males showed the expected relation between emergence time and siring success (although not statistically significant), there was no relation between emergence time and extra-pair siring success among light-treated males. Our results suggest that the timing of emergence from the roost is not an important factor underlying extra-pair siring success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Santema
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Seewiesen, Germany
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Seewiesen, Germany
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2
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Schlicht L, Santema P, Kempenaers B. Start and end of daily activity predict extrapair siring success independently of age in male blue tits. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
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3
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Haave-Audet E, Besson AA, Nakagawa S, Mathot KJ. Differences in resource acquisition, not allocation, mediate the relationship between behaviour and fitness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:708-731. [PMID: 34859575 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Within populations, individuals often show repeatable variation in behaviour, called 'animal personality'. In the last few decades, numerous empirical studies have attempted to elucidate the mechanisms maintaining this variation, such as life-history trade-offs. Theory predicts that among-individual variation in behavioural traits could be maintained if traits that are positively associated with reproduction are simultaneously associated with decreased survival, such that different levels of behavioural expression lead to the same net fitness outcome. However, variation in resource acquisition may also be important in mediating the relationship between individual behaviour and fitness components (survival and reproduction). For example, if certain phenotypes (e.g. dominance or aggressiveness) are associated with higher resource acquisition, those individuals may have both higher reproduction and higher survival, relative to others in the population. When individuals differ in their ability to acquire resources, trade-offs are only expected to be observed at the within-individual level (i.e. for a given amount of resource, if an individual increases its allocation to reproduction, it comes at the cost of allocation to survival, and vice versa), while among individuals traits that are associated with increased survival may also be associated with increased reproduction. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis, asking: (i) do among-individual differences in behaviour reflect among-individual differences in resource acquisition and/or allocation, and (ii) is the relationship between behaviour and fitness affected by the type of behaviour and the testing environment? Our meta-analysis consisted of 759 estimates from 193 studies. Our meta-analysis revealed a positive correlation between pairs of estimates using both survival and reproduction as fitness proxies. That is, for a given study, behaviours that were associated with increased reproduction were also associated with increased survival, suggesting that variation in behaviour at the among-individual level largely reflects differences among individuals in resource acquisition. Furthermore, we found the same positive correlation between pairs of estimates using both survival and reproduction as fitness proxies at the phenotypic level. This is significant because we also demonstrated that these phenotypic correlations primarily reflect within-individual correlations. Thus, even when accounting for among-individual differences in resource acquisition, we did not find evidence of trade-offs at the within-individual level. Overall, the relationship between behaviour and fitness proxies was not statistically different from zero at the among-individual, phenotypic, and within-individual levels; this relationship was not affected by behavioural category nor by the testing condition. Our meta-analysis highlights that variation in resource acquisition may be more important in driving the relationship between behaviour and fitness than previously thought, including at the within-individual level. We suggest that this may come about via heterogeneity in resource availability or age-related effects, with higher resource availability and/or age leading to state-dependent shifts in behaviour that simultaneously increase both survival and reproduction. We emphasize that future studies examining the mechanisms maintaining behavioural variation in populations should test the link between behavioural expression and resource acquisition - both within and among individuals. Such work will allow the field of animal personality to develop specific predictions regarding the mediating effect of resource acquisition on the fitness consequences of individual behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elène Haave-Audet
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Anne A Besson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada.,Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Kimberley J Mathot
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada.,Canada Research Chair, Integrative Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
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4
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Paul N, Thompson MJ, Foote JR. Characterising the flight song: repeatable individual variation of Ovenbird song features. BIOACOUSTICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2020.1718552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Paul
- Department of Biology, Algoma University, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada
| | - Megan J. Thompson
- Department of Biology, Algoma University, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada
| | - Jennifer R. Foote
- Department of Biology, Algoma University, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada
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5
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Fülöp A, Lukács D, Fábián PI, Kocsis B, Csöppü G, Bereczki J, Barta Z. Sex-specific signalling of individual personality by a mutual plumage ornament in a passerine. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-02971-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
The significance of colour signals in species with strong sexual dimorphism and/or elaborated visual ornaments is rather well-understood. Less attention has, however, been devoted to study colour signals in species with weak or no apparent sexual dimorphism. In such species, an interesting possibility arises as both sexes can bear the same colour ornament(s) (i.e. sexes are mutually ornamented), but their signalling value might differ in males and females. We aimed to explore this possibility by investigating the phenotypic correlates of the black bib, a melanin-based plumage ornament, in the Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus). More specifically, we studied the sex-dependent relationships between bib size and three aspects of individuals’ phenotype: body condition (i.e. size-corrected body mass), physiology (i.e. cellular innate immunity/inflammation status, expressed through total leucocyte counts, and chronic physiological stress, expressed through the ratio of heterophils to lymphocytes) and individual personality (i.e. activity in a novel environment). We found that bib size was not associated with body condition and cellular innate immunity/inflammation status, but was positively related to physiological stress levels independent of sex. Furthermore, bib size was negatively associated with activity in males but positively in females. Our findings bring important correlative evidence that mutual ornamental traits may have sex-specific signalling value.
Significance statement
The signalling role of elaborated colourful ornaments, that are usually possessed only by males in sexually dimorphic species, is well-established. The function of various colour traits which are borne by both sexes (i.e. mutual ornaments), however, is less obvious. Do they have a signalling value in both sexes? If yes, do they signal the same information in males and females? Or, most intriguingly, can they convey different information in the two sexes? To test these alternatives, we studied the signalling value of the black bib, a melanin-based mutual plumage ornament, in Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus). Apart from being correlated with chronic stress in both sexes, bib size was positively related to activity in females but negatively in males. Our results suggest that the information content of the same colour trait in males and females can be different in mutually ornamented species.
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Sánchez-González K, Aguirre-Obando OA, Ríos-Chelén AA. Urbanization levels are associated with the start of the dawn chorus in vermilion flycatchers in Colombia. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2020.1837963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katherin Sánchez-González
- Escuela de Investigación en Biomatemáticas, Universidad del Quindío, Carrera 15, Calle 12 Norte, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Oscar A. Aguirre-Obando
- Escuela de Investigación en Biomatemáticas, Universidad del Quindío, Carrera 15, Calle 12 Norte, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Alejandro A. Ríos-Chelén
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Carretera Tlaxcala-Puebla km 1.5, C.P. 90070, Tlaxcala, México
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8
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Thompson MJ, Pearse KA, Foote JR. Seasonal and diel plasticity of song type use in individual ovenbirds (
Seiurus aurocapilla). Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Naguib M, Diehl J, van Oers K, Snijders L. Repeatability of signalling traits in the avian dawn chorus. Front Zool 2019; 16:27. [PMID: 31333753 PMCID: PMC6617708 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-019-0328-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Birdsong, a key model in animal communication studies, has been the focus of intensive research. Song traits are commonly considered to reflect differences in individual or territory quality. Yet, few studies have quantified the variability of song traits between versus within individuals (i.e. repeatability), and thus whether certain song traits indeed provide reliable individual-specific information. Here, we studied the dawn chorus of male great tits (Parus major) to determine if key song traits are repeatable over multiple days and during different breeding stages. Additionally, we examined whether repeatability was associated with exploration behaviour, a relevant personality trait. Finally, we tested if variation in song traits could be explained by breeding stage, lowest night temperature, and exploration behaviour. Results We show that the start time of an individual’s dawn song was indeed repeatable within and across breeding stages, and was more repeatable before, than during, their mate’s egg laying stage. Males started singing later when the preceding night was colder. Daily repertoire size was repeatable, though to a lesser extent than song start time, and no differences were observed between breeding stages. We did not find evidence for an association between exploration behaviour and variation in dawn song traits. Repertoire composition, and specifically the start song type, varied across days, but tended to differ less than expected by chance. Conclusions Our findings that individuals consistently differ in key song traits provides a better understanding of the information receivers can obtain when sampling songs of different males. Surprisingly, start time, despite being influenced by a highly variable environmental factor, appeared to be a more reliable signal of individual differences than repertoire size. Against expectation, singers were more repeatable before than during their mate’s egg laying stage, possibly because before egg laying, females are less constrained to move around unguarded and thus may then already sample (and compare) different singers. Combining repeated dawn song recordings with spatial tracking could reveal if the sampling strategies of receivers are indeed important drivers of repeatability of song traits. Such a complementary approach will further advance our insights into the dynamics and evolution of animal signalling systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Naguib
- 1Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, De Elst 1, 6708WD, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Joris Diehl
- 1Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, De Elst 1, 6708WD, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Kees van Oers
- 1Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, De Elst 1, 6708WD, Wageningen, The Netherlands.,2Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Lysanne Snijders
- 1Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, De Elst 1, 6708WD, Wageningen, The Netherlands.,3Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
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10
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Santema P, Valcu M, Clinchy M, Zanette L, Kempenaers B. Playback of predator calls inhibits and delays dawn singing in a songbird community. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Songbirds sing less and start singing later when faced with an increase in perceived predation risk. Perceived predation risk can have substantial behavioral effects on prey species, but whether or not it affects dawn singing – an important sexual signal - remains unknown. We played back predator calls in a songbird community throughout the breeding season to simulate increased predation risk and found that the majority of species inhibited or delayed their dawn song.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Santema
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Strasse, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Mihai Valcu
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Strasse, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Michael Clinchy
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Liana Zanette
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Strasse, Seewiesen, Germany
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11
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Pérez-Granados C, Osiejuk TS, López-Iborra GM. Dawn chorus interpretation differs when using songs or calls: the Dupont's Lark Chersophilus duponti case. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5241. [PMID: 30038868 PMCID: PMC6054861 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Territorial songbirds vocalise intensively before sunrise and then decrease their vocal activity. This creates a communication network that disseminates essential information for both males and females. The function of dawn chorus in birds has been frequently interpreted according to seasonal variation of singing as the breeding season advances, but potential differences in seasonal variation of song and calls for the same species have not been taken into account. Methods We chose Dupont’s Lark as a model species to study whether the seasonal pattern of dawn chorus differs between singing and calling activity, because in this species most daily songs and calls are uttered at dawn. We registered vocal activity of Dupont’s Lark before and around dawn in three different populations, through repeated sampling over the entire breeding season of two consecutive years. Results We found that dawn singing parameters remained constant or presented an increasing trend while dawn calling activity decreased as breeding season advanced. We also found different daily patterns for singing and calling, with birds calling mostly during the first 30 minutes of dawn choruses and singing peaking afterwards. Discussion The different time patterns of songs and calls may indicate that they serve diverse functions at dawn in the Dupont’s Lark. Relaxation of dawn calling activity after the first month of the breeding season would suggest that dawn calling may be mainly related to mate attraction, while constant dawn singing throughout the breeding period would support a relationship of dawn singing to territorial defence. Our study highlights that the type of vocalisation used is an important factor to consider in further research on dawn choruses, since results may differ depending on whether calls or songs are analysed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian Pérez-Granados
- Ecology Department/Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Studies "Ramón Margalef", Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain.,Current affiiation: Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG-UAM), Department of Ecology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Tomasz S Osiejuk
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznan, Poznan, Poland
| | - Germán M López-Iborra
- Ecology Department/Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Studies "Ramón Margalef", Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
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12
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Hau M, Dominoni D, Casagrande S, Buck CL, Wagner G, Hazlerigg D, Greives T, Hut RA. Timing as a sexually selected trait: the right mate at the right moment. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0249. [PMID: 28993493 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual selection favours the expression of traits in one sex that attract members of the opposite sex for mating. The nature of sexually selected traits such as vocalization, colour and ornamentation, their fitness benefits as well as their costs have received ample attention in field and laboratory studies. However, sexually selected traits may not always be expressed: coloration and ornaments often follow a seasonal pattern and behaviours may be displayed only at specific times of the day. Despite the widely recognized differences in the daily and seasonal timing of traits and their consequences for reproductive success, the actions of sexual selection on the temporal organization of traits has received only scant attention. Drawing on selected examples from bird and mammal studies, here we summarize the current evidence for the daily and seasonal timing of traits. We highlight that molecular advances in chronobiology have opened exciting new opportunities for identifying the genetic targets that sexual selection may act on to shape the timing of trait expression. Furthermore, known genetic links between daily and seasonal timing mechanisms lead to the hypothesis that selection on one timescale may simultaneously also affect the other. We emphasize that studies on the timing of sexual displays of both males and females from wild populations will be invaluable for understanding the nature of sexual selection and its potential to act on differences within and between the sexes in timing. Molecular approaches will be important for pinpointing genetic components of biological rhythms that are targeted by sexual selection, and to clarify whether these represent core or peripheral components of endogenous clocks. Finally, we call for a renewed integration of the fields of evolution, behavioural ecology and chronobiology to tackle the exciting question of how sexual selection contributes to the evolution of biological clocks.This article is part of the themed issue 'Wild clocks: integrating chronobiology and ecology to understand timekeeping in free-living animals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Hau
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany .,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Davide Dominoni
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands.,Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | | | - C Loren Buck
- Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Bioengineering Innovation, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Gabriela Wagner
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT: the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - David Hazlerigg
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT: the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Timothy Greives
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USA
| | - Roelof A Hut
- Chronobiology unit, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
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13
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Grunst ML, Grunst AS, Formica VA, Gonser RA, Tuttle EM. Multiple signaling functions of song in a polymorphic species with alternative reproductive strategies. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:1369-1383. [PMID: 29375804 PMCID: PMC5773301 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Revised: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal traits can be sexually selected to reflect male quality, but may also evolve to serve additional signaling functions. We used a long-term dataset to examine the signaling potential of song in dimorphic white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis). We investigated whether song conveys multifaceted information about the vocalizing individual, including fitness, species identity, individual identity, and morph. We also evaluated whether song traits correlate differently with fitness in the two morphs, as the more promiscuous strategy of white, relative to tan, morph males might impose stronger sexual selection. Males with high song rates achieved higher lifetime reproductive success, and this pattern was driven by white morph males. In addition, males that sang songs with many notes survived longer, but this pattern was less robust. Thus, song traits reflect differences in fitness and may more strongly affect fitness in the white morph. Song frequency was unrelated to fitness, body size, or morph, but was individual specific and could signal individual identity. Songs of the two morphs displayed similar frequency ratios and bandwidths. However, tan morph males sang songs with longer first notes, fewer notes, and higher variability. Thus, song could be used in morph discrimination. Variation in frequency ratios between notes was low and could function in conspecific recognition, but pitch change dynamics did differ between four different song types observed. Our results support a multiple messages model for white-throated sparrow song, in which different song traits communicate discrete information about the vocalizing individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa L Grunst
- Department of Biology Indiana State University Terre Haute IN USA
| | - Andrea S Grunst
- Department of Biology Indiana State University Terre Haute IN USA
| | | | - Rusty A Gonser
- Department of Biology Indiana State University Terre Haute IN USA
| | - Elaina M Tuttle
- Department of Biology Indiana State University Terre Haute IN USA
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Zsebők S, Herczeg G, Blázi G, Laczi M, Nagy G, Szász E, Markó G, Török J, Garamszegi LZ. Short- and long-term repeatability and pseudo-repeatability of bird song: sensitivity of signals to varying environments. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2379-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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15
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Graham JL, Cook NJ, Needham KB, Hau M, Greives TJ. Early to rise, early to breed: a role for daily rhythms in seasonal reproduction. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
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16
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Da Silva A, de Jong M, van Grunsven RHA, Visser ME, Kempenaers B, Spoelstra K. Experimental illumination of a forest: no effects of lights of different colours on the onset of the dawn chorus in songbirds. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:160638. [PMID: 28280562 PMCID: PMC5319328 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2016] [Accepted: 12/06/2016] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Light pollution is increasing exponentially, but its impact on animal behaviour is still poorly understood. For songbirds, the most repeatable finding is that artificial night lighting leads to an earlier daily onset of dawn singing. Most of these studies are, however, correlational and cannot entirely dissociate effects of light pollution from other effects of urbanization. In addition, there are no studies in which the effects of different light colours on singing have been tested. Here, we investigated whether the timing of dawn singing in wild songbirds is influenced by artificial light using an experimental set-up with conventional street lights. We illuminated eight previously dark forest edges with white, green, red or no light, and recorded daily onset of dawn singing during the breeding season. Based on earlier work, we predicted that onset of singing would be earlier in the lighted treatments, with the strongest effects in the early-singing species. However, we found no significant effect of the experimental night lighting (of any colour) in the 14 species for which we obtained sufficient data. Confounding effects of urbanization in previous studies may explain these results, but we also suggest that the experimental night lighting may not have been strong enough to have an effect on singing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Da Silva
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Maaike de Jong
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Roy H. A. van Grunsven
- Nature Conservation and Plant Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel E. Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Kamiel Spoelstra
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
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17
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Marini KL, Reudink MW, LaZerte SE, Otter KA. Urban mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli) begin vocalizing earlier, and have greater dawn chorus output than rural males. BEHAVIOUR 2017. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Vocal output during the dawn chorus is often an honest indicator of male quality, where males with greater access to food and in better condition produce more vocalizations. We compare the vocal output among male mountain chickadees living along an urbanization gradient to assess how urbanization affects male signalling. Chickadees forage in the canopy, and because urban habitats are associated with lower canopy volume, we predicted that urban habitats may offer lower food and thus lead to reduced song output. Contrary to our predictions, males in more urbanized habitats had greater vocal output. We suggest that despite decreased canopy cover, urban birds may have greater access to food in both the breeding and pre-breeding seasons due to differences in both supplementary resources and vegetation composition of urban vs rural landscapes in our area. Living in urban habitats may allow males to enter the breeding season in better condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen L.D. Marini
- Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, Canada V2C 0C8
| | - Matthew W. Reudink
- Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, Canada V2C 0C8
| | - Stefanie E. LaZerte
- Department of Geography, Thompson Rivers University, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, Canada V2C 0C8
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, Canada V2N 4Z9
| | - Ken A. Otter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, Canada V2N 4Z9
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Snijders L, Naguib M. Communication in Animal Social Networks. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2017.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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Erb WM, Ziegler T, Lestari NS, Hammerschmidt K. Are simakobu (Simias concolor) loud calls energetically costly signals? AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 161:44-52. [PMID: 27154468 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2015] [Revised: 01/09/2016] [Accepted: 04/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Male vocal displays play an important role in sexual selection in many species. If there are costs or constraints, calls may convey honest information about the caller. We studied the loud calls of male simakobu (Simias concolor), a sexually dimorphic primate that resides in one-male groups, on Siberut Island, Indonesia. MATERIALS AND METHODS We combined behavioral and ecological data with acoustic analysis to determine the influence of energy costs and status on calling effort. Based on all-day follows (n = 107) and loud-call recordings (n = 186), we determined how calling rates and durations varied in relation to short-term (time of day, temperature, travel distance) and long-term (fruit availability, physical condition) measures of energy availability and expenditure. RESULTS We found that males avoided calling at the hottest times of the day, and produced shorter calls at higher temperatures, supporting the hypothesis that calls are influenced by thermoregulation costs. A peak of longer duration calls just before sunrise, however, could not be explained by energy constraints, but we hypothesize that this pattern is related to the fact that dawn calls occur in choruses, motivating males to call longer than their neighbors. Contrary to predictions, calling rates increased with decreasing fruit availability and did not appear to be energetically costly. DISCUSSION We hypothesize that calling rates instead reflect strategies involving feeding and/or mate competition, signaling the motivation, rather than fighting ability, of the caller. Overall, results only weakly support the hypothesis that the timing and duration-but not rate-of simakobu loud calls are influenced by energy costs. Am J Phys Anthropol 161:44-52, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy M Erb
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794.,Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901
| | - Thomas Ziegler
- Leipniz Institute for Primate Research, German Primate Center, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Nurul S Lestari
- Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Forestry Research and Development Agency, Samarinda, 75119, Indonesia
| | - Kurt Hammerschmidt
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory German Primate Center, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
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Redmond LJ, Murphy MT, Cooper NW, O'Reilly KM. Testosterone secretion in a socially monogamous but sexually promiscuous migratory passerine. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 228:24-32. [PMID: 26808965 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2014] [Revised: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The steroid hormone testosterone (T) influences a multitude of traits critical to reproduction in vertebrates. In birds, high male T supports territory establishment and mate attraction, but is thought to interfere with parental care. Interspecific comparisons indicate that migratory species with short, synchronous breeding seasons have the highest peak T, and that the seasonal profile of T exhibits a rapid decline with the onset of incubation by females. We describe the T profile of the migratory, socially monogamous, and biparental Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) from the high desert of eastern Oregon, USA, where breeding occurs within a short 2-3 month period. Eastern Kingbirds are socially monogamous but exhibit high rates of extra-pair paternity as ∼60% of broods contain extra-pair young. We therefore evaluate whether Eastern Kingbirds exhibit the "typical" T profile expected for a synchronously breeding migratory species, or whether T is maintained at a more constant level as would be predicted for a species with opportunities for mating that extend over a majority of the breeding season. Our samples were divided into six periods of the reproductive cycle from territory establishment to the feeding of fledglings. T did not change across stages of the nest cycle. Instead, T declined with sampling date and nest density, and increased with the number of fertile females in the population. Male kingbirds advertise their presence through song for most of the breeding season, and we suggest that T is maintained throughout most of the breeding season because male fitness is equally dependent on within- and extra-pair reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas J Redmond
- Department of Biology, PO Box 751, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA.
| | - Michael T Murphy
- Department of Biology, PO Box 751, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
| | - Nathan W Cooper
- Department of Biology, PO Box 751, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
| | - Kathleen M O'Reilly
- Department of Biology, University of Portland, 5000 N. Willamette Blvd., Portland, OR 97203, USA
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Naguib M, van Rooij EP, Snijders L, van Oers K. To sing or not to sing: seasonal changes in singing vary with personality in wild great tits. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Chutter C, Redmond L, Cooper N, Dolan A, Duffield D, Murphy M. Paternal behaviour in a socially monogamous but sexually promiscuous passerine bird. BEHAVIOUR 2016. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
We documented parental behaviour and paternity of eastern kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) to test the predictions that paternal care would decline with increasing loss of paternity, increasing nesting density (a proxy for probability of paternity loss), male quality, and number of fertile females available in the population. Extra-pair young were found in 58% of 45 nests for which behaviour was recorded and a higher proportion of young were extra-pair as nesting density increased. Male feeding rate declined with increasing nesting density and male quality, but neither feeding rate nor a composite measure of paternal behaviour varied with number of fertile females or paternity. Although alternative explanations exist, one interpretation of the reduced paternal care at high nesting density was that it was a response to perceived threats of paternity loss. The ultimate basis for the lower paternal effort of higher quality males is unclear but we discuss several possible explanations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M. Chutter
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
- Ministry of Advanced Education, 313-4529 West Saanich Road, Victoria BC, Canada V8Z 3G3
| | - Lucas J. Redmond
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
- Pennsylvania State University — Schuylkill Campus, 200 University Drive, Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972, USA
| | - Nathan W. Cooper
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
- Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA
| | - Amy C. Dolan
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
- Department of Biology, Northern State University, MJ224, 1200 South Jay Street, Aberdeen, SD 57401, USA
| | - Deborah Duffield
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
| | - Michael T. Murphy
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
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Snijders L, van Rooij EP, Henskens MF, van Oers K, Naguib M. Dawn song predicts behaviour during territory conflicts in personality-typed great tits. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.07.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Baldo S, Mennill DJ, Guindre-Parker S, Gilchrist HG, Love OP. The Oxidative Cost of Acoustic Signals: Examining Steroid Versus Aerobic Activity Hypotheses in a Wild Bird. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Baldo
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Windsor; Windsor ON Canada
| | - Daniel J. Mennill
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Windsor; Windsor ON Canada
| | | | - Hugh Grant Gilchrist
- National Wildlife Research Centre; Environment Canada; Carleton University; Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Oliver P. Love
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Windsor; Windsor ON Canada
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research; University of Windsor; Windsor ON Canada
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Zhang VY, Celis-Murillo A, Ward MP. Conveying information with one song type: changes in dawn song performance correspond to different female breeding stages. BIOACOUSTICS 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2015.1076348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Ferrer ES, García-Navas V, Bueno-Enciso J, Sanz JJ, Ortego J. Multiple sexual ornaments signal heterozygosity in male blue tits. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Esperanza S. Ferrer
- Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales; Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales y Bioquímica; Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha; Avda. Carlos III s/n 45071 Toledo Spain
- Grupo de Investigación de la Biodiversidad Genética y Cultural; Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM); Ronda de Toledo s/n 13071 Ciudad Real Spain
| | - Vicente García-Navas
- Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales; Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales y Bioquímica; Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha; Avda. Carlos III s/n 45071 Toledo Spain
- Grupo de Investigación de la Biodiversidad Genética y Cultural; Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM); Ronda de Toledo s/n 13071 Ciudad Real Spain
- Evolution and Genetics of Love, Life and Death Group; Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zurich; Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Javier Bueno-Enciso
- Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales; Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales y Bioquímica; Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha; Avda. Carlos III s/n 45071 Toledo Spain
| | - Juan José Sanz
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC); C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2 28006 Madrid Spain
| | - Joaquín Ortego
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group; Department of Integrative Ecology; Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC); Avda. Américo Vespucio s/n 41092 Seville Spain
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Da Silva A, Samplonius JM, Schlicht E, Valcu M, Kempenaers B. Artificial night lighting rather than traffic noise affects the daily timing of dawn and dusk singing in common European songbirds. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Dominoni DM, Carmona-Wagner EO, Hofmann M, Kranstauber B, Partecke J. Individual-based measurements of light intensity provide new insights into the effects of artificial light at night on daily rhythms of urban-dwelling songbirds. J Anim Ecol 2013; 83:681-92. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2013] [Accepted: 09/10/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Davide M. Dominoni
- Department of Migration and Immuno-ecology; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Am Obstberg 1 78315 Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Biology; University of Konstanz; Universitätsstraße 10 78464 Konstanz Germany
| | | | - Michaela Hofmann
- Department of Biology; Ludwig-Maximilians University; Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1 80539 Munich Germany
| | - Bart Kranstauber
- Department of Migration and Immuno-ecology; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Am Obstberg 1 78315 Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Biology; University of Konstanz; Universitätsstraße 10 78464 Konstanz Germany
| | - Jesko Partecke
- Department of Migration and Immuno-ecology; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Am Obstberg 1 78315 Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Biology; University of Konstanz; Universitätsstraße 10 78464 Konstanz Germany
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Nordt A, Klenke R. Sleepless in town--drivers of the temporal shift in dawn song in urban European blackbirds. PLoS One 2013; 8:e71476. [PMID: 23940759 PMCID: PMC3737108 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2013] [Accepted: 06/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Organisms living in urban environments are exposed to different environmental conditions compared to their rural conspecifics. Especially anthropogenic noise and artificial night light are closely linked to urbanization and pose new challenges to urban species. Songbirds are particularly affected by these factors, because they rely on the spread of acoustic information and adjust their behaviour to the rhythm of night and day, e.g. time their dawn song according to changing light intensities. Our aim was to clarify the specific contributions of artificial night light and traffic noise on the timing of dawn song of urban European Blackbirds (Turdus merula). We investigated the onset of blackbird dawn song along a steep urban gradient ranging from an urban forest to the city centre of Leipzig, Germany. This gradient of anthropogenic noise and artificial night light was reflected in the timing of dawn song. In the city centre, blackbirds started their dawn song up to 5 hours earlier compared to those in semi-natural habitats. We found traffic noise to be the driving factor of the shift of dawn song into true night, although it was not completely separable from the effects of ambient night light. We additionally included meteorological conditions into the analysis and found an effect on the song onset. Cloudy and cold weather delayed the onset, but cloud cover was assumed to reflect night light emissions, thus, amplified sky luminance and increased the effect of artificial night light. Beside these temporal effects, we also found differences in the spatial autocorrelation of dawn song onset showing a much higher variability in noisy city areas than in rural parks and forests. These findings indicate that urban hazards such as ambient noise and light pollution show a manifold interference with naturally evolved cycles and have significant effects on the activity patterns of urban blackbirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Nordt
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Conservation Biology, Leipzig, Germany.
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31
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Foote JR, Palazzi E, Mennill DJ. Songs of the Eastern Phoebe, a suboscine songbird, are individually distinctive but do not vary geographically. BIOACOUSTICS 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2012.740174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Ríos-Chelén AA, Quirós-Guerrero E, Gil D, Macías Garcia C. Dealing with urban noise: vermilion flycatchers sing longer songs in noisier territories. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-012-1434-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Beaulieu M, Sockman KW. Song in the cold is 'hot': memory of and preference for sexual signals perceived under thermal challenge. Biol Lett 2012; 8:751-3. [PMID: 22809726 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2012.0481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The environmental conditions under which signals are perceived can affect receiver responses. Many songbird populations produce a song chorus at dawn, when, in cold habitats, they would experience thermal challenge. We recorded temperature and the song activity of Lincoln's sparrows (Melospiza lincolnii) on a high-elevation meadow, and determined that song behaviour is concentrated around the coldest time of the day, at dawn. We hypothesized that this is because male song in the cold is more attractive to females than song in the warm. To test this, we exposed laboratory-housed Lincoln's sparrow females to songs at 1°C and 16°C, which they naturally experience in the wild. Females spent 40 per cent more time close to the speaker during playback at 1°C than at 16°C. When tested at 16°C 1-2 days later, females biased their movement towards the speaker playing songs previously heard at 1°C over 16°C. Thus, female Lincoln's sparrows remembered and affiliated with songs they heard under thermal challenge, indicating that the thermal environment can affect the attractiveness of a sexual signal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaël Beaulieu
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280, USA.
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Lehmann M, Spoelstra K, Visser, ME, Helm B. Effects of Temperature on Circadian Clock and Chronotype: An Experimental Study on a Passerine Bird. Chronobiol Int 2012; 29:1062-71. [DOI: 10.3109/07420528.2012.707159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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Grava T, Otter KA, Grava A. Vocal performance varies with habitat quality in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus). BEHAVIOUR 2012. [DOI: 10.1163/156853912x625854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIn vocal learners, such as songbirds, the ability to maintain an internal acoustic structure between songs during a chorus seems to be positively correlated with the singer’s condition and may, therefore, represent a reliable measure of the singer’s condition. For instance, some internal ratios in the black-capped chickadee (
Poecile atricapillus)
fee-beesong are more stable in the song of dominant males than in the song of subordinate males, suggesting that dominant birds are better at maintaining the internal song structure than subordinate males. Habitat quality is also known to affect the behaviour of this species. Birds settling in young forest have a lower song output and lower reproductive success than birds occupying mature forests, and it is suggested that those differences arise from differential food availability across habitats. As recent studies suggest that song performance can be altered by food limitation at the time of song learning, we explore whether habitat quality has a similar effect on the ability to maintain internal song structure as does social rank. We paired males by similar social rank, but who occupied different habitat types, and compared the consistency of male song within his dawn chorus. The ability to maintain an internal song structure of birds occupying young forests was consistently lower than birds occupying mature forests. Our results demonstrate that the same difference that exist in song structure between male differing in social rank also exist between males differing in the habitat in which they sing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibault Grava
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way Prince George, BC, Canada V2N 4Z9
| | - Ken A. Otter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way Prince George, BC, Canada V2N 4Z9
| | - Angelique Grava
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way Prince George, BC, Canada V2N 4Z9
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Male black-capped chickadees begin dawn chorusing earlier in response to simulated territorial insertions. Anim Behav 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.01.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Helm B, Visser ME. Heritable circadian period length in a wild bird population. Proc Biol Sci 2010; 277:3335-42. [PMID: 20534621 PMCID: PMC2981934 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.0871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2010] [Accepted: 05/17/2010] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Timing is essential, but circadian clocks, which play a crucial role in timekeeping, are almost unaddressed in evolutionary ecology. A key property of circadian clocks is their free-running period length (τ), i.e. the time taken for a full cycle under constant conditions. Under laboratory conditions, concordance of τ with the ambient light-dark cycle confers major fitness benefits, but little is known about period length and its implications in natural populations. We therefore studied natural variation of circadian traits in a songbird, the great tit (Parus major), by recording locomotor activity of 98 hand-raised, wild-derived individuals. We found, unexpectedly, that the free-running period of this diurnal species was significantly shorter than 24 h in constant dim light. We furthermore demonstrate, to our knowledge for the first time in a wild vertebrate, ample genetic variation and high heritability (h(2) = 0.86 ± 0.24), implying that period length is potentially malleable by micro-evolutionary change. The observed, short period length may be a consequence of sexual selection, as offspring from extra-pair matings had significantly shorter free-running periods than their half-siblings from within-pair matings. These findings position circadian clocks in the 'real world' and underscore the value of using chronobiological approaches in evolutionary ecology. Evolutionary ecologists study variation and its fitness consequences, but often have difficulties relating behavioural variation to physiological mechanisms. The findings presented here open the possibility that properties of internal, circadian clocks affect performance in traits that are relevant to fitness and sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Helm
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82346 Andechs, Germany.
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Kempenaers B, Borgström P, Loës P, Schlicht E, Valcu M. Artificial Night Lighting Affects Dawn Song, Extra-Pair Siring Success, and Lay Date in Songbirds. Curr Biol 2010; 20:1735-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2010.08.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 339] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2010] [Revised: 08/11/2010] [Accepted: 08/13/2010] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Naguib M, Kazek A, Schaper SV, Van Oers K, Visser ME. Singing Activity Reveals Personality Traits in Great Tits. Ethology 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2010.01791.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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40
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Maternal characteristics and the production and recruitment of sons in the eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-009-0787-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [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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Roth T, Sprau P, Schmidt R, Naguib M, Amrhein V. Sex-specific timing of mate searching and territory prospecting in the nightingale: nocturnal life of females. Proc Biol Sci 2009; 276:2045-50. [PMID: 19324798 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.1726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Formal models have shown that diel variation in female mate searching is likely to have profound influence on daily signalling routines of males. In studies on acoustic communication, the temporal patterns of the receivers' signal evaluation should thus be taken into account when investigating the functions of signalling. In bird species in which diel patterns of signalling differ between males singing to defend a territory or to attract a mate, the diel patterns of mate and territory prospecting are suggested to depend on the sex of the prospector. We simulated newly arriving female nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos) by translocating radio-tagged females to our study site. The mate-searching females prospected the area mostly at night, visiting several singing males. The timing of female prospecting corresponded to the period of the night when the singing activity of unpaired males was higher than that of paired males. In contrast to females, territory searching males have been shown to prospect territories almost exclusively during the dawn chorus. At dawn, both paired and unpaired males sang at high rates, suggesting that in contrast to nocturnal singing, dawn singing is important to announce territory occupancy to prospecting males. In the nightingale, the sex-specific timing of prospecting corresponded to the differential signalling routines of paired and unpaired males. The temporal patterns in the behaviour of signallers and receivers thus appear to be mutually adapted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Roth
- Research Station Petite Camargue Alsacienne, Rue de la Pisciculture, 68300 Saint-Louis, France.
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A dusk chorus effect in a nocturnal bird: support for mate and rival assessment functions. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-008-0621-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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