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Xie B, Brask JB, Dabelsteen T, Briefer EF. Exploring the role of vocalizations in regulating group dynamics. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230183. [PMID: 38768197 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Because of the diverging needs of individuals, group life can lead to disputes and competition, but it also has many advantages, such as reduced predation risk, information sharing and increased hunting success. Social animals have to maintain group cohesion and need to synchronize activities, such as foraging, resting, social interactions and movements, in order to thrive in groups. Acoustic signals are highly relevant for social dynamics, some because they are long-ranging and others because they are short-ranging, which may serve important within-group functions. However, although there has been an increase in studies concentrating on acoustic communication within groups in the past decade, many aspects of how vocalizations relate to group dynamics are still poorly understood. The aim of this review is to present an overview of our current knowledge on the role of vocalizations in regulating social group dynamics, identify knowledge gaps and recommend potential future research directions. We review the role that vocalizations play in (i) collective movement, (ii) separation risk and cohesion maintenance, (iii) fission-fusion dynamics, and (iv) social networks. We recommend that future studies aim to increase the diversity of studied species and strengthen the integration of state-of-the-art tools to study social dynamics and acoustic signals. This article is part of the theme issue 'The power of sound: unravelling how acoustic communication shapes group dynamics'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Xie
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Section for Ecology and Evolution, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark
| | - Josefine B Brask
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Section for Ecology and Evolution, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark
| | - Torben Dabelsteen
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Section for Ecology and Evolution, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark
| | - Elodie F Briefer
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Section for Ecology and Evolution, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark
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2
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Lefeuvre M, Rutkowska J. Zebra finch song parameters are affected by the breeding status of the male, but not temperature variability. Physiol Behav 2024; 281:114581. [PMID: 38734358 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Bird song is a crucial feature for mate choice and reproduction. Song can potentially communicate information related to the quality of the mate, through song complexity, structure or finer changes in syllable characteristics. It has been shown in zebra finches that those characteristics can be affected by various factors including motivation, hormone levels or extreme temperature. However, although the literature on zebra finch song is substantial, some factors have been neglected. In this paper, we recorded male zebra finches in two breeding contexts (before and after pairing) and in two ambient temperature conditions (stable and variable) to see how those factors could influence song production. We found strong differences between the two breeding contexts: compared to their song before pairing, males that were paired had lower song rate, syllable consistency, frequency and entropy, while surprisingly the amplitude of their syllables increased. Temperature variability had an impact on the extent of these differences, but did not directly affect the song parameters that we measured. Our results describe for the first time how breeding status and temperature variability can affect zebra finch song, and give some new insights into the subtleties of the acoustic communication of this model species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maëlle Lefeuvre
- Jagiellonian University, Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences, Cracow, Poland; Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Cracow, Poland.
| | - Joanna Rutkowska
- Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Cracow, Poland
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3
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Beauchamp G, Barve S. Gazing Strategies among Sentinels of a Cooperative Breeder Are Repeatable but Unrelated to Survival. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:458. [PMID: 38927338 PMCID: PMC11200772 DOI: 10.3390/biology13060458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Vigilance is a common behavioural adaptation to increase the chances of detecting predators before it is too late to escape. Behavioural traits are often repeatable among individuals over the long term, suggesting differences in personality. Earlier studies have documented individual consistency in the time allocated to vigilance. However, little is known about individual consistency in the ways vigilance is achieved from one moment to another and whether different patterns of vigilance among individuals are associated with survival. We aimed to determine whether sentinels of a cooperative breeder showed individual consistency in their vigilance and if individual variation was related to annual survival. During sentinel bouts from vantage points, Florida scrub-jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) turn their heads from side to side to monitor their surroundings. Over three field seasons, we found that the head-turning frequency was repeatable in breeders but not in juveniles or non-breeding helpers. The moderate repeatability in breeders was not related to survival. Our results suggest that the head-turning frequency in sentinels of the Florida scrub-jay is repeatable in breeders but not in less experienced juveniles or helpers and, therefore, likely becomes more repeatable as individuals age. The assumption that individual variation in vigilance is related to survival was unsupported in our study and requires further study.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sahas Barve
- Archbold Research Station, 123 Main Dr., Venus, FL 33960, USA;
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4
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Zhou Y, Radford AN, Magrath RD. Noise constrains heterospecific eavesdropping more than conspecific reception of alarm calls. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20230410. [PMID: 38228188 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Many vertebrates eavesdrop on alarm calls of other species, as well as responding to their own species' calls, but eavesdropping on heterospecific alarm calls might be harder than conspecific reception when environmental conditions make perception or recognition of calls difficult. This could occur because individuals lack hearing specializations for heterospecific calls, have less familiarity with them, or require more details of call structure to identify calls they have learned to recognize. We used a field playback experiment to provide a direct test of whether noise, as an environmental perceptual challenge, reduces response to heterospecific compared to conspecific alarm calls. We broadcast superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) and white-browed scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis) flee alarm calls to each species with or without simultaneous broadcast of ambient noise. Using two species allows isolation of the challenge of heterospecific eavesdropping independently of any effect of call structure on acoustic masking. As predicted, birds were less likely to flee to heterospecific than conspecific alarm calls during noise. We conclude that eavesdropping was harder in noise, which means that noise could disrupt information on danger in natural eavesdropping webs and so compromise survival. This is particularly significant in a world with increasing anthropogenic noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- You Zhou
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Andrew N Radford
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Robert D Magrath
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
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5
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Salahshour M. Evolution as a result of resource flow in ecosystems: Ecological dynamics can drive evolution. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286922. [PMID: 37796863 PMCID: PMC10553275 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
To see how the flow of energy across ecosystems can derive evolution, I introduce a framework in which individuals interact with their peers and environment to accumulate resources, and use the resources to pay for their metabolic costs, grow and reproduce. I show that two conservation principles determine the system's equilibrium state: conservation of resources- a physical principle stating that in the equilibrium, resource production and consumption should balance, and payoff equality- an economic principle, stating that the payoffs of different types in equilibrium should equal. Besides the equilibrium state, the system shows non-equilibrium fluctuations derived by the exponential growth of the individuals in which the payoff equality principle does not hold. A simple gradient-ascend dynamical mean-field equation predicts the onset of non-equilibrium fluctuations. As an example, I study the evolution of cooperation in public goods games. In both mixed and structured populations, cooperation evolves naturally in resource-poor environments but not in resource-rich environments. Population viscosity facilitates cooperation in poor environments but can be detrimental to cooperation in rich environments. In addition, cooperators and defectors show different life-history strategies: Cooperators live shorter lives and reproduce more than defectors. Both population structure and, more significantly, population viscosity reduce lifespan and life history differences between cooperators and defectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Salahshour
- Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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6
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Beauchamp G, Barve S. Multiple Sentinels in a Cooperative Breeder Synchronize Rather Than Coordinate Gazing. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13091524. [PMID: 37174561 PMCID: PMC10177084 DOI: 10.3390/ani13091524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Sentinels can detect predators and rivals early by monitoring their surroundings from vantage points. Multiple sentinels in a group may reduce the perceived predation risk by diluting the risk and increasing collective detection, especially if sentinels monitor different areas at the same time. We investigated sentinel behavior in groups of the Florida scrub jay (Aphelocoma caerulescens). Sentinels in this species turn their heads frequently to monitor different areas for threats. As predicted, we found that sentinels turned their heads less frequently in the presence of other sentinels. Multiple sentinels, however, tended to gaze in the same direction at the same time more often than predicted by chance alone. Gaze synchronization reduces the efficiency of collective detection by reducing visual coverage at any one time at the group level. Despite the benefits of the presence of other sentinels, our results highlight the limits to collective detection when multiple individuals are vigilant at the same time.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sahas Barve
- Archbold Biological Station, 123 Main Dr., Venus, FL 33960, USA
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7
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Lawson SL, Enos JK, Gill SA, Hauber ME. Red-winged blackbirds nesting nearer to yellow warbler and conspecific nests experience less brood parasitism. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9818. [PMID: 36789338 PMCID: PMC9911624 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In functionally referential communication systems, the signaler's message intended for a conspecific receiver may be intercepted and used by a heterospecific eavesdropper for its own benefit. For example, yellow warblers (Setophaga petechia) produce seet calls to warn conspecifics of nearby brood parasitic brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater), and red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) eavesdrop on and recruit to seet calls to mob the brood parasites. Prior work found that warblers nesting closer to blackbirds were less likely to be parasitized, suggesting that blackbirds may even be the target of warbler's seet calls to assist with antiparasitic defense. Here we discovered for the reverse to apply too: blackbirds nesting closer to yellow warblers also experienced lower probability of brood parasitism. Concurrently, we also found that blackbirds nesting closer to other blackbirds also experience lower parasitism rates. Although these are strictly correlational results, they nonetheless suggest that blackbirds are better able to defend their nest against cowbirds when also listening to nearby warblers' referential alarm calls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelby L. Lawson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and BehaviorUniversity of Illinois Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
| | - Janice K. Enos
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research InstituteUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignChampaignIllinoisUSA
| | - Sharon A. Gill
- Department of Biological SciencesWestern Michigan UniversityKalamazooMichiganUSA
| | - Mark E. Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and BehaviorUniversity of Illinois Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA,Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research InstituteUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignChampaignIllinoisUSA
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8
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Wang T, Kong Y, Zhang H, Li Y, Hou R, Dunn DW, Hou X, Huang K, Li B. Do golden snub-nosed monkeys use deceptive alarm calls during competition for food? iScience 2023; 26:106098. [PMID: 36852160 PMCID: PMC9958509 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Tactical deception can be beneficial for social animals during intra-specific competition. However, the use of tactical deception in wild mammals is predicted to be rare. We tested whether a food-provisioned free-ranging band of golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) use alarm calls in a functionally deceptive manner to gain access to food resources, whether the rate of deceptive alarm calls varies among individuals, and whether there are any counter-deception behaviors. We used a hexagonal camera array consisting of 10 cameras to record videos during feeding, which allowed us to identify individual alarm callers. We found evidence that these monkeys use deceptive alarms and that adult females were more likely to use such calls than other individuals. The monkeys increased their rates of response to alarm calls when competition for food was high. However, we found no direct evidence of any counter-deception strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiantian Wang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China,Qingyang No.6 Middle School, Qingyang 745000, China
| | - Yuchen Kong
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - He Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Yuhang Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Rong Hou
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Derek W. Dunn
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Xiduo Hou
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Kang Huang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China,Corresponding author
| | - Baoguo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
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9
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Remacha C, Ramírez Á, Arriero E, Pérez-Tris J. Haemosporidian infections influence risk-taking behaviours in young male blackcaps, Sylvia atricapilla. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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10
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Lopes LE, Frank ET, Kárpáti Z, Schmitt T, Kronauer DJC. The Alarm Pheromone and Alarm Response of the Clonal Raider Ant. J Chem Ecol 2023; 49:1-10. [PMID: 36759430 PMCID: PMC9941220 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-023-01407-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Ants communicate via an arsenal of different pheromones produced in a variety of exocrine glands. For example, ants release alarm pheromones in response to danger to alert their nestmates and to trigger behavioral alarm responses. Here we characterize the alarm pheromone and the alarm response of the clonal raider ant Ooceraea biroi, a species that is amenable to laboratory studies but for which no pheromones have been identified. During an alarm response, ants quickly become unsettled, leave their nest pile, and are sometimes initially attracted to the source of alarm, but ultimately move away from it. We find that the alarm pheromone is released from the head of the ant and identify the putative alarm pheromone as a blend of two compounds found in the head, 4-methyl-3-heptanone and 4-methyl-3-heptanol. These compounds are sufficient to induce alarm behavior alone and in combination. They elicit similar, though slightly different behavioral features of the alarm response, with 4-methyl-3-heptanone being immediately repulsive and 4-methyl-3-heptanol being initially attractive before causing ants to move away. The behavioral response to these compounds in combination is dose-dependent, with ants becoming unsettled and attracted to the source of alarm pheromone at low concentrations and repulsed at high concentrations. While 4-methyl-3-heptanone and 4-methyl-3-heptanol are known alarm pheromones in other more distantly related ant species, this is the first report of the chemical identity of a pheromone in O. biroi, and the first alarm pheromone identified in the genus Ooceraea. Identification of a pheromone that triggers a robust, consistent, and conserved behavior, like the alarm pheromone, provides an avenue to dissect the behavioral and neuronal mechanisms underpinning chemical communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey E Lopes
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
| | - Erik T Frank
- Biocentre, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Zsolt Kárpáti
- Biocentre, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Chemical Ecology, Plant Protection Institute, Centre of Agricultural Research, ELKH, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Thomas Schmitt
- Biocentre, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
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11
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Sillam-Dussès D, Jandák V, Stiblik P, Delattre O, Chouvenc T, Balvín O, Cvačka J, Soulet D, Synek J, Brothánek M, Jiříček O, Engel MS, Bourguignon T, Šobotník J. Alarm communication predates eusociality in termites. Commun Biol 2023; 6:83. [PMID: 36681783 PMCID: PMC9867704 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04438-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Termites (Blattodea: Isoptera) have evolved specialized defensive strategies for colony protection. Alarm communication enables workers to escape threats while soldiers are recruited to the source of disturbance. Here, we study the vibroacoustic and chemical alarm communication in the wood roach Cryptocercus and in 20 termite species including seven of the nine termite families, all life-types, and all feeding and nesting habits. Our multidisciplinary approach shows that vibratory alarm signals represent an ethological synapomorphy of termites and Cryptocercus. In contrast, chemical alarms have evolved independently in several cockroach groups and at least twice in termites. Vibroacoustic alarm signaling patterns are the most complex in Neoisoptera, in which they are often combined with chemical signals. The alarm characters correlate to phylogenetic position, food type and hardness, foraging area size, and nesting habits. Overall, species of Neoisoptera have developed the most sophisticated communication system amongst termites, potentially contributing to their ecological success.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Sillam-Dussès
- University Sorbonne Paris Nord, Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology UR4443, 93430, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Vojtěch Jandák
- Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, 166 27, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Stiblik
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 21, Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Olivier Delattre
- University Sorbonne Paris Nord, Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology UR4443, 93430, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Thomas Chouvenc
- Entomology and Nematology Department, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33314, USA
| | - Ondřej Balvín
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 21, Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Josef Cvačka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 166 10, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Delphine Soulet
- University Sorbonne Paris Nord, Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology UR4443, 93430, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Jiří Synek
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 21, Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Marek Brothánek
- Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, 166 27, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Jiříček
- Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, 166 27, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 1501 Crestline Drive-Suite 140, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, 66045, USA.
| | - Thomas Bourguignon
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 21, Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Jan Šobotník
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 21, Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic.
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12
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Bessa Ferreira VH, Dutour M, Oscarsson R, Gjøen J, Jensen P. Effects of domestication on responses of chickens and red junglefowl to conspecific calls: A pilot study. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0279553. [PMID: 36584172 PMCID: PMC9803126 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Beyond physical and zootechnical characteristics, the process of animal domestication has also altered how domesticated individuals, compared to their wild counterparts, perceive, process, and interact with their environment. Little is known, however, on whether and how domestication altered the perception of conspecific calls on both domesticated and wild breeds. In the present work, we compared the vigilance behavior of domestic and captive-born wild fowl following the playback of chicken alarm calls and contentment calls (control). The playback tests were performed on four different breeds/lines. We first compared the behavioral reaction of domesticated White Leghorn (WL, a breed selected for egg production) and Red Junglefowl (RJF) hens (ancestor of domestic chickens). We also compared the behavior of Red Junglefowl hens selected for high or low fear of humans (RJF HF and RJF LF, respectively), a proxy to investigate early effects of domestication. Contrary to our expectations, no breed/line reacted accordingly to the calls, as the increase in vigilance behavior after the playback calls was similar for both alarm and contentment calls. Although no call discrimination differences were found, breeds did differ on how they reacted/habituated to the calls. Overall, WL were more vigilant than RJF, and birds from the RJF LF line decreased their vigilance over testing days, while this was not the case for the RJF HF line. These results suggest that birds under commercial-like conditions are unable to discriminate between alarm and contentment calls. Interestingly, domestication and selection for low fear of humans may have altered how birds react to vocal stimuli. It is important to consider that farmed animals may interpret and be affected by the vocalizations of their conspecifics in unexpected ways, which warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitor Hugo Bessa Ferreira
- IFM Biology, AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden,* E-mail: (PJ); (VHBF)
| | - Mylène Dutour
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Rebecca Oscarsson
- IFM Biology, AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Johanna Gjøen
- IFM Biology, AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Per Jensen
- IFM Biology, AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden,* E-mail: (PJ); (VHBF)
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13
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Swider CR, Gemelli CF, Wrege PH, Parks SE. Passive acoustic monitoring reveals behavioural response of African forest elephants to gunfire events. Afr J Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.13070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Colin R. Swider
- Bioacoustics and Behavioral Ecology Lab, Biology Department Syracuse University Syracuse New York USA
| | - Christopher F. Gemelli
- Bioacoustics and Behavioral Ecology Lab, Biology Department Syracuse University Syracuse New York USA
| | - Peter H. Wrege
- Elephant Listening Project, K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Cornell University Ithaca New York USA
| | - Susan E. Parks
- Bioacoustics and Behavioral Ecology Lab, Biology Department Syracuse University Syracuse New York USA
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14
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Deshpande A, Van Boekholt B, Zuberbuhler K. Preliminary evidence for one-trial social learning of vervet monkey alarm calling. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:210560. [PMID: 36016915 DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6133928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
How do non-human primates learn to use their alarm calls? Social learning is a promising candidate, but its role in the acquisition of meaning and call usage has not been studied systematically, neither during ontogeny nor in adulthood. To investigate the role of social learning in alarm call comprehension and use, we exposed groups of wild vervet monkeys to two unfamiliar animal models in the presence or absence of conspecific alarm calls. To assess the learning outcome of these experiences, we then presented the models for a second time to the same monkeys, but now without additional alarm call information. In subjects previously exposed in conjunction with alarm calls, we found heightened predator inspection compared to control subjects exposed without alarm calls, indicating one-trial social learning of 'meaning'. Moreover, some juveniles (but not adults) produced the same alarm calls they heard during the initial exposure whereas the authenticity of the models had an additional effect. Our experiment provides preliminary evidence that, in non-human primates, call meaning can be acquired by one-trail social learning but that subject age and core knowledge about predators additionally moderate the acquisition of novel call-referent associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adwait Deshpande
- Department of Comparative Cognition, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| | - Bas Van Boekholt
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Animal Ecology, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Comparative BioCognition, Department of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Klaus Zuberbuhler
- Department of Comparative Cognition, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
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15
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Deshpande A, Van Boekholt B, Zuberbuhler K. Preliminary evidence for one-trial social learning of vervet monkey alarm calling. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:210560. [PMID: 36016915 PMCID: PMC9399712 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
How do non-human primates learn to use their alarm calls? Social learning is a promising candidate, but its role in the acquisition of meaning and call usage has not been studied systematically, neither during ontogeny nor in adulthood. To investigate the role of social learning in alarm call comprehension and use, we exposed groups of wild vervet monkeys to two unfamiliar animal models in the presence or absence of conspecific alarm calls. To assess the learning outcome of these experiences, we then presented the models for a second time to the same monkeys, but now without additional alarm call information. In subjects previously exposed in conjunction with alarm calls, we found heightened predator inspection compared to control subjects exposed without alarm calls, indicating one-trial social learning of 'meaning'. Moreover, some juveniles (but not adults) produced the same alarm calls they heard during the initial exposure whereas the authenticity of the models had an additional effect. Our experiment provides preliminary evidence that, in non-human primates, call meaning can be acquired by one-trail social learning but that subject age and core knowledge about predators additionally moderate the acquisition of novel call-referent associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adwait Deshpande
- Department of Comparative Cognition, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| | - Bas Van Boekholt
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Animal Ecology, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Comparative BioCognition, Department of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Klaus Zuberbuhler
- Department of Comparative Cognition, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
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16
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Girard-Buttoz C, Bortolato T, Laporte M, Grampp M, Zuberbühler K, Wittig RM, Crockford C. Population-specific call order in chimpanzee greeting vocal sequences. iScience 2022; 25:104851. [PMID: 36034222 PMCID: PMC9399282 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Primates rarely learn new vocalizations, but they can learn to use their vocalizations in different contexts. Such “vocal usage learning,” particularly in vocal sequences, is a hallmark of human language, but remains understudied in non-human primates. We assess usage learning in four wild chimpanzee communities of Taï and Budongo Forests by investigating population differences in call ordering of a greeting vocal sequence. Whilst in all groups, these sequences consisted of pant-hoots (long-distance contact call) and pant-grunts (short-distance submissive call), the order of the two calls differed across populations. Taï chimpanzees consistently commenced greetings with pant-hoots, whereas Budongo chimpanzees started with pant-grunts. We discuss different hypotheses to explain this pattern and conclude that higher intra-group aggression in Budongo may have led to a local pattern of individuals signaling submission first. This highlights how within-species variation in social dynamics may lead to flexibility in call order production, possibly acquired via usage learning. Chimpanzees combine pant-grunt and pant-hoot calls into a greeting hoot sequence Call-order of these greeting and contact calls is population specific Pant-grunt is uttered first in the population with higher in-group aggressions Vocal usage learning may lead to these population differences in sequence structure
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17
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Ferreira CH, Heinemans M, Farias M, Gonçalves R, Moita MA. Social Cues of Safety Can Override Differences in Threat Level. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.885795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals in groups integrate social with directly gathered information about the environment to guide decisions regarding reproduction, foraging, and defence against predatory threats. In the context of predation, usage of social information has acute fitness benefits, aiding the detection of predators, the mounting of concerted defensive responses, or allowing the inference of safety, permitting other beneficial behaviors, such as foraging for food. We previously showed that Drosophila melanogaster exposed to an inescapable visual threat use freezing by surrounding flies as a cue of danger and movement resumption as a cue of safety. Moreover, group responses were primarily guided by the safety cues, resulting in a net social buffering effect, i.e., a graded decrease in freezing behavior with increasing group sizes, similar to other animals. Whether and how different threat levels affect the use of social cues to guide defense responses remains elusive. Here, we investigated this issue by exposing flies individually and in groups to two threat imminences using looms of different speeds. We showed that freezing responses are stronger to the faster looms regardless of social condition. However, social buffering was stronger for groups exposed to the fast looms, such that the increase in freezing caused by the higher threat was less prominent in flies tested in groups than those tested individually. Through artificial control of movement, we created groups composed of moving and freezing flies and by varying group composition, we titrated the motion cues that surrounding flies produce, which were held constant across threat levels. We found that the same level of safety motion cues had a bigger weight on the flies’ decisions when these were exposed to the higher threat, thus overriding differences in perceived threat levels. These findings shed light on the “safety in numbers” effect, revealing the modulation of the saliency of social safety cues across threat intensities, a possible mechanism to regulate costly defensive responses.
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18
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Sandoval L, Wilson DR. Neotropical birds respond innately to unfamiliar acoustic signals. Am Nat 2022; 200:419-434. [DOI: 10.1086/720441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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19
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Vocal recognition of distance calls in a group-living basal bird: the greylag goose, Anser anser. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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20
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Testing the maintenance of natural responses to survival-relevant calls in the conservation breeding population of a critically endangered corvid (Corvus hawaiiensis). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03130-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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21
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LEON EVELINA, LORENZÓN RODRIGO, OLGUÍN PAMELA, ATTADEMO ANDRES, BELTZER ADOLFO, PELTZER PAOLA. Structure and function of calls of the Masked Gnatcatcher Polioptila dumicola in Mid-eastern Argentina. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2022; 94:e20200442. [DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202220200442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- EVELINA LEON
- Instituto Nacional de Limnología (INALI – CONICET – UNL), Argentina; Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FBCB-UNL-CONICET), Argentina
| | - RODRIGO LORENZÓN
- Instituto Nacional de Limnología (INALI – CONICET – UNL), Argentina
| | - PAMELA OLGUÍN
- Instituto Nacional de Limnología (INALI – CONICET – UNL), Argentina
| | - ANDRES ATTADEMO
- Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FBCB-UNL-CONICET), Argentina
| | - ADOLFO BELTZER
- Instituto Nacional de Limnología (INALI – CONICET – UNL), Argentina
| | - PAOLA PELTZER
- Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FBCB-UNL-CONICET), Argentina
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22
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Meaux E, He C, Qin L, Goodale E. The cessation of contact calls does not provoke or modulate alarm behaviour in a social passerine. BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Vocalizations that signal predation risk such as alarm calls provide crucial information for the survival of group-living individuals. However, alarm calling may attract the predator’s attention and, to avoid this cost, animals can opt for alternative strategies to indicate danger, such as ‘adaptive silence’, which is the cessation of vocalizations. We investigate here whether abrupt contact call cessation would provoke alarm responses, or would reinforce the signal given by an alarm call. In an aviary setting, we conducted playback experiments with a group-living passerine, the Swinhoe’s white-eye, Zosterops simplex. We found that birds did not respond to a sudden call cessation, nor did they have a stronger response to alarm calls followed by silence than to alarm calls followed by contact calls. Confirming previous work investigating contact call rate, it appears that in this species contact calls encode information about social factors but not environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Meaux
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, P.R. China
| | - Chao He
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, P.R. China
| | - Luying Qin
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, P.R. China
| | - Eben Goodale
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, P.R. China
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23
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Morris V, Pitcher BJ, Chariton A. A Cause for Alarm: Increasing Translocation Success of Captive Individuals Through Alarm Communication. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2021.626311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Translocation programmes implying the movement of animals from one place to another aim to sustain endangered populations in the wild. However, their success varies greatly, with predation being a major contributing factor. This is particularly prevalent in released captive-raised individuals which have a reduced or lost awareness of predators. Alarm calls are an immediate response made toward a predator, mostly studied in highly predated, social vertebrates. These warning vocalizations are a vital part of a prey species' anti-predator behavior, enhancing the individuals' and surrounding listeners' survival. To date, most translocation programmes have not considered this behavior for release success. Here we review the literature summarizing alarm communication systems of wild and captive vertebrates, aiming to establish recommendations and actions which could encourage alarm communication behavior in captive vertebrate species. Observations of wild animals show that alarm-call understanding is gained through the experience of predation pressure from a young age, amongst conspecific and heterospecific social groups, which captive individuals can lack. This information, combined with consideration of a programme's accessible resources and captive individual's developmental history, is pivotal to efficiently guide appropriate actions. Focusing on preserving behaviors in captivity, we provide a list of recommendations and actions to guide the reinforcement of alarm communication throughout the translocation process. Ensuring predator awareness and the maintenance of alarm communication in translocated individuals may greatly improve the likelihood of release success.
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24
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Lawson SL, Enos JK, Mendes NC, Gill SA, Hauber ME. Pairing status moderates both the production of and responses to anti‐parasitic referential alarm calls in male yellow warblers. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shelby L. Lawson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior School of Biological Sciences University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign Urbana IL USA
| | - Janice K. Enos
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior School of Biological Sciences University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign Urbana IL USA
| | - Niko C. Mendes
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior School of Biological Sciences University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign Urbana IL USA
| | - Sharon A. Gill
- Department of Biological Sciences Western Michigan University Kalamazoo MI USA
| | - Mark E. Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior School of Biological Sciences University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign Urbana IL USA
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25
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Šmejkal M, Bartoň D, Brabec M, Sajdlová Z, Souza AT, Moraes KR, Soukalová K, Blabolil P, Vejřík L, Kubečka J. Climbing up the ladder: male reproductive behaviour changes with age in a long-lived fish. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02961-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
High reproductive performance is the key attribute of male fitness, especially due to the high reproductive skew among the males of most animal species. Males of long-lived iteroparous species have opportunities to improve upon their previous reproductive attempts with increasing age. We collected individual-specific reproductive behaviour and age data on a cyprinid fish, the asp (Leuciscus aspius), from 2015 to 2019. We tested whether males changed their performance over time using a unique dataset where individual performance was recorded yearly with passive telemetry. Individual fish behaviour was tracked from one to five reproductive seasons at least a year after the tagging. Fish were scored by measures of quality (first arrival time, number of visits and time spent in the reproductive grounds, and encountered proportion of males to all adult fish). In general, fish improved in the first three metrics with age, suggesting a shift towards behaviours likely to enhance reproductive success as individuals aged. A larger size at tagging was predictive of earlier fish arrival on the spawning ground in subsequent years. Our study therefore demonstrates the importance of age as a factor when considering the potential reproductive success of long-lived fish species.
Significance statement
High reproductive performance is the key attribute of male fitness. Males of long-lived species reproducing multiple times in their life have opportunities to improve upon their previous reproductive performance with increasing age. In this 5-year study, we tracked a large cyprinid fish with telemetry systems during their reproduction. We investigated the age-related behavioural changes in males and demonstrated the improvement of male reproductive timing and length of stay with potential repercussions for male’s reproductive output. We emphasize the importance of old and experienced individuals among the fish population, which are often targeted and selectively removed from the human-managed waters.
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26
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Hopkins JM, Higgie M, Hoskin CJ. Calling behaviour in the invasive Asian house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) and implications for early detection. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.1071/wr20003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
ContextAcoustic communication is common in some animal groups, with an underlying function typically associated with mating or territoriality. Resolving the function of calls is valuable both in terms of understanding the fundamental biology of the species and, potentially, for applied reasons such as detection. Early detection is a key step in exclusion and eradication of invasive species, and calling behaviour can be used in this regard. The Asian house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) is one of a minority of lizards that uses acoustic communication. However, despite how conspicuous the call is, its function remains poorly resolved. It is also one of the world’s most invasive species, with exclusion via early detection being the key form of control.
AimsThe aim was to resolve calling patterns and underlying function of the loud, multiple-chirp call (‘chik, chik, chik…’) in H. frenatus, in the context of using the results for developing effective methods for detection of new and establishing populations.
MethodsThe calls of wild H. frenatus were recorded to assess peaks in calling activity. Also, laboratory experiments were performed to determine which individuals call, what causes them to call and the degree of call variation among individuals.
Key resultsAssessment of calling behaviour in the wild revealed greater calling activity in warmer months, and five- to 10-fold peaks in calling activity at sunset and 30min before sunrise. Laboratory experiments revealed that calls were uttered exclusively by males and primarily by adults (although juveniles can call). Males called more when they were paired with females as opposed to other males. Calls differed among geckos, including the expected negative correlation between dominant frequency and body size.
ConclusionsThe results suggest that the multiple-chirp call functions as a territory or sexual broadcast by males, perhaps containing information such as body size.
ImplicationsDetection success can be maximised by performing acoustic surveys (by human or machine) during the calling peaks at 30min before sunrise and at sunset, particularly during warm nights. However, these surveys will only be effective for detecting adult males. The results also suggest that good quality recordings could potentially be used to identify individual geckos.
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27
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Rauber R, Manser MB. Effect of group size and experience on the ontogeny of sentinel calling behaviour in meerkats. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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28
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Burnett AD, Koprowski JL. Ultimate causes of antipredator vocalizations in a nonhibernating squirrel. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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29
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Evans JC, Silk MJ, Boogert NJ, Hodgson DJ. Infected or informed? Social structure and the simultaneous transmission of information and infectious disease. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Julian C. Evans
- Dept of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zurich Switzerland
| | - Matthew J. Silk
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Univ. of Exeter Penryn Campus UK
- Environment and Sustainability Inst., Univ. of Exeter Penryn Campus UK
| | | | - David J. Hodgson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Univ. of Exeter Penryn Campus UK
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30
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Abstract
Escape is one of the most studied animal behaviors, and there is a rich normative theory that links threat properties to evasive actions and their timing. The behavioral principles of escape are evolutionarily conserved and rely on elementary computational steps such as classifying sensory stimuli and executing appropriate movements. These are common building blocks of general adaptive behaviors. Here we consider the computational challenges required for escape behaviors to be implemented, discuss possible algorithmic solutions, and review some of the underlying neural circuits and mechanisms. We outline shared neural principles that can be implemented by evolutionarily ancient neural systems to generate escape behavior, to which cortical encephalization has been added to allow for increased sophistication and flexibility in responding to threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Branco
- UCL Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, London W1T 4JG, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Redgrave
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 2LT, United Kingdom
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31
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Lowney AM, Flower TP, Thomson RL. Kalahari skinks eavesdrop on sociable weavers to manage predation by pygmy falcons and expand their realized niche. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Eavesdropping on community members has immediate and clear benefits. However, little is known regarding its importance for the organization of cross-taxa community structure. Furthermore, the possibility that eavesdropping could allow species to coexist with a predator and access risky foraging habitat, thereby expanding their realized niche, has been little considered. Kalahari tree skinks (Trachylepis spilogaster) associate with sociable weaver (Philetairus socius) colonies as do African pygmy falcons (Polihierax semitorquatus), a predator of skinks and weavers. We undertook observational and experimental tests to determine if skinks eavesdrop on sociable weavers to mitigate any increase in predation threat that associating with weaver colonies may bring. Observations reveal that skinks use information from weavers to determine when predators are nearby; skinks were more active, more likely to forage in riskier habitats, and initiated flight from predators earlier in the presence of weavers compared with when weavers were absent. Playback of weaver alarm calls caused skinks to increase vigilance and flee, confirming that skinks eavesdrop on weavers. Furthermore, skinks at sociable weaver colonies were more likely to flee than skinks at noncolony trees, suggesting that learning is mechanistically important for eavesdropping behavior. Overall, it appears that eavesdropping allows skinks at colony trees to gain an early warning signal of potential predators, expand their realized niche, and join communities, whose predators may otherwise exclude them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony M Lowney
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Tom P Flower
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
- Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
- Department of Biology, Capilano University, North Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Robert L Thomson
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turun yliopisto, Vesilinnantie , Turku, Finland
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32
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Pereira AG, Farias M, Moita MA. Thalamic, cortical, and amygdala involvement in the processing of a natural sound cue of danger. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000674. [PMID: 32396574 PMCID: PMC7217448 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals use auditory cues generated by defensive responses of others to detect impending danger. Here we identify a neural circuit in rats involved in the detection of one such auditory cue, the cessation of movement-evoked sound resulting from freezing. This circuit comprises the dorsal subnucleus of the medial geniculate body (MGD) and downstream areas, the ventral area of the auditory cortex (VA), and the lateral amygdala (LA). This study suggests a role for the auditory offset pathway in processing a natural sound cue of threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana G. Pereira
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Program at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Matheus Farias
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Program at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Marta A. Moita
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Program at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisboa, Portugal
- * E-mail:
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33
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Eastcott E, Kern JM, Morris-Drake A, Radford AN. Intrapopulation variation in the behavioral responses of dwarf mongooses to anthropogenic noise. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is an increasingly widespread pollutant, with a rapidly burgeoning literature demonstrating impacts on humans and other animals. However, most studies have simply considered if there is an effect of noise, examining the overall cohort response. Although substantial evidence exists for intraspecific variation in responses to other anthropogenic disturbances, this possibility has received relatively little experimental attention with respect to noise. Here, we used field-based playbacks with dwarf mongooses (Helogale parvula) to test how traffic noise affects vigilance behavior and to examine potential variation between individuals of different age class, sex, and dominance status. Foragers exhibited a stronger immediate reaction and increased their subsequent vigilance (both that on the ground and as a sentinel) in response to traffic-noise playback compared with ambient-sound playback. Traffic-noise playback also resulted in sentinels conducting longer bouts and being more likely to change post height or location than in ambient-sound playback. Moreover, there was evidence of variation in noise responses with respect to age class and dominance status but not sex. In traffic noise, foraging pups were more likely to flee and were slower to resume foraging than adults; they also tended to increase their vigilance more than adults. Dominants were more likely than subordinates to move post during sentinel bouts conducted in traffic-noise trials. Our findings suggest that the vigilance–foraging trade-off is affected by traffic noise but that individuals differ in how they respond. Future work should, therefore, consider intrapopulation response variation to understand fully the population-wide effects of this global pollutant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Eastcott
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Julie M Kern
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Amy Morris-Drake
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Andrew N Radford
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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34
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Anticipatory feelings: Neural correlates and linguistic markers. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 113:308-324. [PMID: 32061891 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
This review introduces anticipatory feelings (AF) as a new construct related to the process of anticipation and prediction of future events. AF, defined as the state of awareness of physiological and neurocognitive changes that occur within an oganism in the form of a process of adapting to future events, are an important component of anticipation and expectancy. They encompass bodily-related interoceptive and affective components and are influenced by intrapersonal and dispositional factors, such as optimism, hope, pessimism, or worry. In the present review, we consider evidence from animal and human research, including neuroimaging studies, to characterize the brain structures and brain networks involved in AF. The majority of studies reviewed revealed three brain regions involved in future oriented feelings: 1) the insula; 2) the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC); and 3) the amygdala. Moreover, these brain regions were confirmed by a meta-analysis, using a platform for large-scale, automated synthesis of fMRI data. Finally, by adopting a neurolinguistic and a big data approach, we illustrate how AF are expressed in language.
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35
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Keen SC, Cole EF, Sheehan MJ, Sheldon BC. Social learning of acoustic anti-predator cues occurs between wild bird species. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192513. [PMID: 32075532 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In many species, individuals gather information about their environment both through direct experience and through information obtained from others. Social learning, or the acquisition of information from others, can occur both within and between species and may facilitate the rapid spread of antipredator behaviour. Within birds, acoustic signals are frequently used to alert others to the presence of predators, and individuals can quickly learn to associate novel acoustic cues with predation risk. However, few studies have addressed whether such learning occurs only though direct experience or whether it has a social component, nor whether such learning can occur between species. We investigate these questions in two sympatric species of Parids: blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and great tits (Parus major). Using playbacks of unfamiliar bird vocalizations paired with a predator model in a controlled aviary setting, we find that blue tits can learn to associate a novel sound with predation risk via direct experience, and that antipredator response to the sound can be socially transmitted to heterospecific observers, despite lack of first-hand experience. Our results suggest that social learning of acoustic cues can occur between species. Such interspecific social information transmission may help to mediate the formation of mixed-species aggregations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara C Keen
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA.,Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Ella F Cole
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Michael J Sheehan
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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Farrow LF, Barati A, McDonald PG. Cooperative bird discriminates between individuals based purely on their aerial alarm calls. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractFrom an evolutionary perspective, the ability to recognize individuals provides great selective advantages, such as avoiding inbreeding depression during breeding. Whilst the capacity to recognize individuals for these types of benefits is well established in social contexts, why this recognition might arise in a potentially deadly alarm-calling context following predator encounters is less obvious. For example, in most avian systems, alarm signals directed toward aerial predators represent higher predation risk and vulnerability than when individuals vocalize toward a terrestrial-based predator. Although selection should favor simple, more effective alarm calls to these dangerous aerial predators, the potential of these signals to nonetheless encode additional information such as caller identity has not received a great deal of attention. We tested for individual discrimination capacity in the aerial alarm vocalizations of the noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala), a highly social honeyeater that has been previously shown to be able to discriminate between the terrestrial alarm signals of individuals. Utilizing habituation–discrimination paradigm testing, we found conclusive evidence of individual discrimination in the aerial alarm calls of noisy miners, which was surprisingly of similar efficiency to their ability to discriminate between less urgent terrestrial alarm signals. Although the mechanism(s) driving this behavior is currently unclear, it most likely occurs as a result of selection favoring individualism among other social calls in the repertoire of this cooperative species. This raises the intriguing possibility that individualistic signatures in vocalizations of social animals might be more widespread than currently appreciated, opening new areas of bioacoustics research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy F Farrow
- Behavioural and Physiological Ecology Research Centre, Department of Zoology, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ahmad Barati
- Behavioural and Physiological Ecology Research Centre, Department of Zoology, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Paul G McDonald
- Behavioural and Physiological Ecology Research Centre, Department of Zoology, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
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Abstract
A variety of animals eavesdrop and learn to use other species' alarm calls to avoid predators. Superb fairy-wrens, when hearing unfamiliar calls together with known alarm calls, can learn to associate these new calls with danger.
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Silvestri A, Morgan K, Ridley AR. The association between evidence of a predator threat and responsiveness to alarm calls in Western Australian magpies ( Cracticus tibicen dorsalis). PeerJ 2019; 7:e7572. [PMID: 31523516 PMCID: PMC6714966 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Alarm calls are a widespread form of antipredator defence and being alerted to the presence of predators by the alarm calls of conspecifics is considered one of the benefits of group living. However, while social information can allow an individual to gain additional information, it can also at times be inaccurate or irrelevant. Such variation in the accuracy of social information is predicted to select for receivers to discriminate between sources of social information. In this study, we used playback experiments to determine whether Western Australian magpies (Cracticus tibicen dorsalis) respond to the predator information associated with alarm calls. Magpies were exposed to the alarm calls of two group members that differed in the threat associated with the alarm call: one call was played in the presence of a predator model while the other was not—in order to establish differences in the predator information provided by each caller. We then played back the alarm calls of the same group members in the absence of the predator model to determine whether magpies responded differently to signallers in response to the previous association between the alarm call and a predator threat. We found that receivers showed significantly greater levels of responsiveness to signallers that previously gave alarm calls in the appropriate context. Thus, the accuracy of threat-based information influenced subsequent receiver response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annabel Silvestri
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Kate Morgan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Amanda R Ridley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
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Dutour M, Léna JP, Dumet A, Gardette V, Mondy N, Lengagne T. The role of associative learning process on the response of fledgling great tits (Parus major) to mobbing calls. Anim Cogn 2019; 22:1095-1103. [PMID: 31422482 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01301-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
When they detect a predator, many species emit anti-predator vocalizations. In some cases, they emit mobbing calls, which are associated with the caller approaching and harassing the predator while attracting others to join it. Surprisingly, although mobbing has been widely reported in adults of numerous species, there has been no test of the role of learning in mobbing call recognition, especially during ontogeny. Here, we exposed wild great tit (Parus major) nestlings to playbacks of an unthreatening novel sound either associated with conspecific mobbing calls (experimental treatment) or with another unthreatening novel sound (control treatment). We then tested them as nestlings and fledglings to see how they respond to the novel sound compared to conspecific mobbing calls. Results revealed that fledglings in the experimental treatment behaved similarly to conspecific mobbing calls and the novel sound associated with conspecific mobbing calls. Because mobbing efficiency is often linked to interspecific communication, associative learning should be used by heterospecifics as mobbing calls recognition mechanism. Regardless of treatment during the nestling phase, fledglings always were sensitive to the playback of conspecific mobbing calls. However, fledglings from the control group were more likely to approach the loudspeaker than those from the experimental group when mobbing calls were played suggesting that overexposure during the nestling phase altered mobbing learning. Overall, these results suggest that learning could play a role in the recognition of calls, like heterospecific mobbing calls, when paired with conspecific mobbing, and that mobbing is perceived as a threatening stimulus from a very young age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mylène Dutour
- Université de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, 6 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622, Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Jean-Paul Léna
- Université de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, 6 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Adeline Dumet
- Université de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, 6 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Vanessa Gardette
- Université de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, 6 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Nathalie Mondy
- Université de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, 6 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Thierry Lengagne
- Université de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, 6 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
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Dezecache G, Crockford C, Zuberbühler K. The development of communication in alarm contexts in wild chimpanzees. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019; 73:104. [PMID: 31346303 PMCID: PMC6612320 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2716-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Animals have evolved a range of communicative behaviours in the presence of danger. Although the mechanisms and functions of some of these behaviours have been relatively well researched, comparatively little is known about their ontogeny, including how animals learn to inform social partners about impending danger. In adult chimpanzees, behaviours in response to dangers involve several channels, particularly alarm calls and simultaneous gaze alternations with nearby recipients. Gaze alternations may allow inexperienced individuals to learn from more experienced ones by assessing their reactions to unfamiliar objects or events, but they may also provide the basis for more advanced social referencing. Here, we were interested in the development of these two common behaviours, alarm calling and gaze alternations, in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) confronted with a threat. Using a cross-sectional design, we investigated those in 8 infant and 8 juveniles by experimentally exposing them to an unfamiliar but potentially dangerous object, a large, remotely controlled, moving spider model. For alarm calling, we found a positive relation with age, starting at around 28 months, although alarm calls were not consistently emitted until after 80 months. For gaze alternations, we found no age effect, with some of the youngest infants already showing the behaviour. Although its function remains unclear in infant and juvenile chimpanzees, gaze alternations emerge early in chimpanzee development. Alarm calling may require more advanced developmental stages, such as greater perceptual abilities, categorical capacities or more sophisticated social cognition, i.e. an understanding that danger is a collective experience that requires communication. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Alarm calling and other anti-predatory behaviours have been the topic of much research but their ontogenies are still poorly described and understood. Recent studies on the behaviour of wild chimpanzees in threatening contexts have suggested sophisticated social cognitive abilities in adults. How do these behaviours develop in ontogeny? We addressed this question using a field experiment with 8 infants and 8 juveniles exposed to a novel and potentially threatening object in their natural habitat. We found that gaze alternations are present in some of the youngest individuals, potentially revealing early social awareness in chimpanzees. Age did not have an effect on the presence of gaze alternation. We also found that alarm calling was more common in older individuals, suggesting that call production and context of usage must be learnt. We discuss our results in light of developmental theories of social cognition and the role of social learning in the primate lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Dezecache
- Institut Jean Nicod, Département d’études cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Catherine Crockford
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- Institute of Biology, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, UK
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41
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42
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Zhou Y, Radford AN, Magrath RD. Why does noise reduce response to alarm calls? Experimental assessment of masking, distraction and greater vigilance in wild birds. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- You Zhou
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | | | - Robert D. Magrath
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
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43
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Evans DA, Stempel AV, Vale R, Branco T. Cognitive Control of Escape Behaviour. Trends Cogn Sci 2019; 23:334-348. [PMID: 30852123 PMCID: PMC6438863 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2019.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
When faced with potential predators, animals instinctively decide whether there is a threat they should escape from, and also when, how, and where to take evasive action. While escape is often viewed in classical ethology as an action that is released upon presentation of specific stimuli, successful and adaptive escape behaviour relies on integrating information from sensory systems, stored knowledge, and internal states. From a neuroscience perspective, escape is an incredibly rich model that provides opportunities for investigating processes such as perceptual and value-based decision-making, or action selection, in an ethological setting. We review recent research from laboratory and field studies that explore, at the behavioural and mechanistic levels, how elements from multiple information streams are integrated to generate flexible escape behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic A Evans
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, UCL, London, UK; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - A Vanessa Stempel
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, UCL, London, UK; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Ruben Vale
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, UCL, London, UK; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Tiago Branco
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, UCL, London, UK.
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Lind J, Ghirlanda S, Enquist M. Social learning through associative processes: a computational theory. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:181777. [PMID: 31032033 PMCID: PMC6458397 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Social transmission of information is a key phenomenon in the evolution of behaviour and in the establishment of traditions and culture. The diversity of social learning phenomena has engendered a diverse terminology and numerous ideas about underlying learning mechanisms, at the same time that some researchers have called for a unitary analysis of social learning in terms of associative processes. Leveraging previous attempts and a recent computational formulation of associative learning, we analyse the following learning scenarios in some generality: learning responses to social stimuli, including learning to imitate; learning responses to non-social stimuli; learning sequences of actions; learning to avoid danger. We conceptualize social learning as situations in which stimuli that arise from other individuals have an important role in learning. This role is supported by genetic predispositions that either cause responses to social stimuli or enable social stimuli to reinforce specific responses. Simulations were performed using a new learning simulator program. The simulator is publicly available and can be used for further theoretical investigations and to guide empirical research of learning and behaviour. Our explorations show that, when guided by genetic predispositions, associative processes can give rise to a wide variety of social learning phenomena, such as stimulus and local enhancement, contextual imitation and simple production imitation, observational conditioning, and social and response facilitation. In addition, we clarify how associative mechanisms can result in transfer of information and behaviour from experienced to naive individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Lind
- Centre for the Study of Cultural Evolution and Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Stefano Ghirlanda
- Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College of CUNY, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Magnus Enquist
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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45
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Evans JC, Dall SRX, Kight CR. Effects of ambient noise on zebra finch vigilance and foraging efficiency. PLoS One 2019; 13:e0209471. [PMID: 30596692 PMCID: PMC6312262 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ambient noise can affect the availability of acoustic information to animals, altering both foraging and vigilance behaviour. Using captive zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata, we examined the effect of ambient broadband noise on foraging decisions. Birds were given a choice between foraging in a quiet area where conspecific calls could be heard or a noisy area where these calls would be masked. Birds foraging in noisy areas spent a significantly more time vigilant than those in quiet areas, resulting in less efficient foraging. Despite this there was no significant difference in the amount of time spent in the two noise regimes. However there did appear a preference for initially choosing quiet patches during individuals’ second trial. These results emphasise how masking noise can influence the foraging and anti-predation behaviour of animals, which is particularly relevant as anthropogenic noise becomes increasingly prevalent in the natural world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian C. Evans
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Sasha R. X. Dall
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, United Kingdom
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46
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Dawson Pell FS, Potvin DA, Ratnayake CP, Fernández-Juricic E, Magrath RD, Radford AN. Birds orient their heads appropriately in response to functionally referential alarm calls of heterospecifics. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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47
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Kowalski K, Sawościanik O, Rychlik L. Do Bufonids Employ Different Anti-Predator Behaviors Than Ranids? Comparison among Three European Anurans. COPEIA 2018. [DOI: 10.1643/ce-16-567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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48
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Couchoux C, Clermont J, Garant D, Réale D. Signaler and receiver boldness influence response to alarm calls in eastern chipmunks. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Charline Couchoux
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Jeanne Clermont
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Dany Garant
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
| | - Denis Réale
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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49
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Kern JM, Radford AN. Social-bond strength influences vocally mediated recruitment to mobbing. Biol Lett 2017; 12:rsbl.2016.0648. [PMID: 27903776 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Strong social bonds form between individuals in many group-living species, and these relationships can have important fitness benefits. When responding to vocalizations produced by groupmates, receivers are expected to adjust their behaviour depending on the nature of the bond they share with the signaller. Here we investigate whether the strength of the signaller-receiver social bond affects response to calls that attract others to help mob a predator. Using field-based playback experiments on a habituated population of wild dwarf mongooses (Helogale parvula), we first demonstrate that a particular vocalization given on detecting predatory snakes does act as a recruitment call; receivers were more likely to look, approach and engage in mobbing behaviour than in response to control close calls. We then show that individuals respond more strongly to these recruitment calls if they are from groupmates with whom they are more strongly bonded (those with whom they preferentially groom and forage). Our study, therefore, provides novel evidence about the anti-predator benefits of close bonds within social groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie M Kern
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Andrew N Radford
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
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50
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Caselli CB, Gestich CC, Nagy-Reis MB. Sleeping above the enemy: Sleeping site choice by black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons). Am J Primatol 2017; 79. [PMID: 28763579 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2017] [Revised: 07/15/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The costs imposed by predation may result in behavioral adaptations to reduce mortality risk, including the choice and use of sleeping sites. The threat of predation, however, is rarely the sole force shaping sleeping site choice, which is likely to reflect other factors such as foraging needs as well. Here we describe the use of sleeping sites by three groups of small Neotropical monkeys, the black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons), and evaluate the role of predation pressure and foraging optimization in their choice of sleeping sites. We monitored each group for 9-20 months at two Atlantic Forest sites in southeastern Brazil. The titi monkeys used taller and larger trees to sleep than the average trees at each study site and chose branches with high vegetation coverage and located in higher forest strata than those used during diurnal activity. Sleeping sites were randomly distributed within each group's home range, and the groups avoided using the same site on consecutive nights. The characteristics of the sleeping sites and the behavior of the titi monkeys suggest that predation avoidance, especially of scansorial carnivores, is an important factor driving sleeping site choice. We conclude that titi monkeys' strategy to avoid predation while sleeping depends on the presence of a heterogeneous forest stratum with large emergent trees and liana tangles, which offer a physical barrier against predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christini B Caselli
- Laboratório de Etologia Teórica e Aplicada, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Carla C Gestich
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mariana B Nagy-Reis
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
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