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Wang J, Zhou Q, Zuo T, Wang L, Ma L, Hou J. Three sympatric host nestlings eavesdrop on cuckoo nestling distress calls. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11437. [PMID: 38756686 PMCID: PMC11097003 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 04/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
In predator-prey interactions, the prey faces extreme challenges from predation, which drives the evolution of defense or anti-predator mechanisms. Compared with adult birds, nestlings are more vulnerable but not helpless. However, data on whether nestlings eavesdrop on the danger signals transmitted by other prey nestlings and the mechanisms of eavesdropping remain limited. In brood parasitism, common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) nestlings, raised by host adults who are not closely related, offer an instructive system for studying the transmission and recognition of danger signals among nestlings of different species that share special relationships. We played back the distress calls of common cuckoo nestlings to nestlings of three sympatric host species (the oriental reed warbler Acrocephalus orientalis, which is a primary host of the common cuckoo, the reed parrotbill Paradoxornis heudei, an occasional host, and the vinous-throated parrotbill Sinosuthora webbiana, which is not parasitized in the study area) to investigate whether the host nestlings reduced their begging behavior. We also quantified the degree of inhibition toward begging behavior for these nestlings. The results revealed that, in response to the distress calls, the three sympatric host species markedly suppressed their begging behavior. This response can likely be attributed to the innate response of host nestlings caused by the general characteristics of distress calls, rather than the acoustic similarity and phylogenetic relationship between host nestlings and cuckoo nestlings. Furthermore, we observed that upon hearing the distress calls of cuckoo nestlings, the oriental reed warbler nestlings exhibited the greatest reduction in the total number of calls compared to the other two host species, potentially owing to stronger predation and parasitic pressures. This study suggests that host nestlings can detect danger signals emitted by parasitic nestlings; however, further investigation is needed to determine whether they can respond to distress calls from unfamiliar nestlings in different regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaojiao Wang
- College of Life Science, Hebei UniversityBaodingChina
- Engineering Research Center of Ecological Safety and Conservation in Beijing‐Tianjin‐Hebei (Xiong’an New Area) of MOEBaodingChina
| | - Qindong Zhou
- School of Life SciencesGuizhou Normal UniversityGuiyangChina
| | - Taijun Zuo
- College of Life Science, Hebei UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Longwu Wang
- School of Life SciencesGuizhou Normal UniversityGuiyangChina
| | - Laikun Ma
- College of Life Science, Hebei UniversityBaodingChina
- Department of Biology and Food ScienceHebei Normal University for NationalitiesChengdeChina
| | - Jianhua Hou
- College of Life Science, Hebei UniversityBaodingChina
- Engineering Research Center of Ecological Safety and Conservation in Beijing‐Tianjin‐Hebei (Xiong’an New Area) of MOEBaodingChina
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2
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Ha J, Lee K, Yang E, Kim W, Song H, Hwang I, Lee-Cruz L, Park J, Song J, Park CR, Lee W, Jablonski P, Lee SI. Unlearned adaptive responses to heterospecific referential alarm calls in two bird species from separate evolutionary lineages. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20287. [PMID: 37985886 PMCID: PMC10662011 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47052-5] [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: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The interspecific responses to alarm signals may be based on unlearned mechanisms but research is often constrained by the difficulties in differentiating between unlearned and learned responses in natural situations. In a field study of two Paridae species, Parus minor and Sittiparus varius, who originated from a common ancestor 8 million years ago, we found a considerable degree of between-species overlap in acoustic properties of referential snake-alarm calls. Playback of these calls triggered unlearned adaptive fledging behavior in conspecific and heterospecific naive nestlings, suggesting a between-species overlap in the hypothetical unlearned neural templates involved in nestlings' reactions to alarm calls in both species. This suggests that similar calls and similar unlearned sensitivity might have been present in the common ancestor of the two species, and possibly in the ancestor of the whole family Paridae that originated 10-15 million years ago in Asian regions rich in snakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jungmoon Ha
- Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Keesan Lee
- Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eunjeong Yang
- Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Woojoo Kim
- Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hokyung Song
- Jeju National University, Jeju-Si, Jeju-Do, Republic of Korea
| | - Injae Hwang
- National Institute of Biological Resources, Seo-Gu, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Larisa Lee-Cruz
- INRAE, UMR TETIS, Maison de La Télédétection, 500 Rue Jean François Breton, 34090, Montpellier, France
| | - Jinseok Park
- Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jihyeon Song
- Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Chan-Ryul Park
- Urban Forests Division, National Institute of Forest Science (NIFoS), Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Wooshin Lee
- Department of Forest Sciences, CALS, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Piotr Jablonski
- Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Behavioral Ecology Group, Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Sang-Im Lee
- Laboratory of Integrative Animal Ecology, Department of New Biology, DGIST, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
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3
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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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4
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Jiang Y, Han J, Yang C. Anti-Predation Responses to Conspecific versus Heterospecific Alarm Calls by the Nestlings of Two Sympatric Birds. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12162156. [PMID: 36009746 PMCID: PMC9404724 DOI: 10.3390/ani12162156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Predation is generally the main cause of bird mortality. Birds can use acoustic signals to increase their predation survival. Bird response to mobbing alarm calls is a form of anti-predation behavior. We used a playback technique and acoustic analysis to study the function of mobbing alarm calls in the parent–offspring communication of two sympatric birds, the vinous throated parrotbill (Sinosuthora webbianus) and oriental reed warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis). The chicks of these two species responded to conspecific and heterospecific mobbing alarm calls by suppressing their begging behavior. The mobbing alarm calls in these two species were similar. Mobbing alarm calls play an important role in parent–offspring communication, and chicks can eavesdrop on heterospecific alarm calls to increase their own survival. Eavesdropping behavior and the similarity of alarm call acoustics suggest that the evolution of alarm calls is conservative and favors sympatric birds that have coevolved to use the same calls to reduce predation risk.
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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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Wang J, Ma L, Chen X, Yang C. Common Cuckoo Nestling Adapts Its Begging Behavior to the Alarm Signaling System of a Host. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.830441] [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
Cuckoo nestlings thrive as avian brood parasites. To acquire sufficient food from the host parents, cuckoo nestlings generally make louder begging calls than host nestlings, but this may cause them to be more likely to attract the attention of predators. Studies have shown that nestlings would respond to the alarm calls of their parents by begging less, or crouching and remaining silent as an adaptation to reduce the risk of being heard by predators. Nevertheless, research is lacking on how parasite nestlings respond to alarm calls of their host parents. We studied the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) and one of the most common cuckoo host species, the oriental reed warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis), using a playback experiment in Yongnianwa National Wetland Park during the breeding seasons from June to July, 2020–2021. The begging behaviors of either cuckoo or host nestlings were quantified by playing back the alarm calls of host adults toward common cuckoo, sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), or oriental turtle doves (Streptopelia orientalis). Meanwhile, normal begging without playback, playback of the natural singing (NS) of host adults, and background noise (BN) were included as behavioral reference, non-threatening comparison, and playback control, respectively. The results showed that the cuckoo and host nestlings produced similar levels of begging with or without playback of NS and BN; however, both types of nestlings inhibited their begging intensity after hearing the playback of alarm calls, although they did not respond differently to the various alarm call playbacks. This study therefore elucidated that coevolution has selected the common cuckoo nestlings that adapt their begging behavior to the parent–offspring communication of alarm signaling in their host, oriental reed warblers.
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Jiang Y, Han J, Zhang Z, Chen X, Yang C. Parent-offspring and inter-offspring responses to conspecific versus heterospecific distress calls in 2 sympatric birds. Curr Zool 2021; 68:700-707. [PMID: 36743226 PMCID: PMC9892787 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Distress calls, as a type of alarm call, play important roles in expressing bodily condition and conveying information concerning predation threats. In this study, we examined the communication via distress calls in parent-offspring and inter-offspring interactions. First, we used playback of chick distress calls of 2 sympatric breeders, the vinous-throated parrotbill Sinosuthora webbiana and the oriental reed warbler Acrocephalus orientalis, to the adults/chicks of these 2 species, respectively, and measured the responses of conspecifics or heterospecifics. The playback-to-chicks experiment showed that both species of chicks reduced the number of begging calls and begging duration time as a response to conspecific/heterospecific distress calls compared with natural begging and background noise controls. However, reed warbler chicks also reduced beak opening frequency in the response to conspecific distress calls compared with other playback stimuli. Second, the results of the playback-to-adults experiment showed that reed warbler adults could eavesdrop on distress calls of conspecific neighbors and sympatric heterospecifics. Furthermore, the nest-leaving behavior of reed warblers did not differ significantly when they heard the distress calls of conspecifics or parrotbills. Finally, reed warbler adults responded to heterospecific distress calls more quickly than to conspecific distress calls, and parrotbill adults presented the same response. Our results supported the warn-kin hypothesis and show that chick distress calls play an important role in conveying risk and the condition of chicks to enhance individual fitness. In addition, we also found that eavesdropping on distress calls is a congenital behavior that begins in the chick stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxin Jiang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
| | - Jingru Han
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
| | - Ziqi Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
| | - Xiangyang Chen
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
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Lawson SL, Enos JK, Gill SA, Hauber ME. Eavesdropping on Referential Yellow Warbler Alarm Calls by Red-Winged Blackbirds Is Mediated by Brood Parasitism Risk. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.706170] [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
Referential alarm calls that denote specific types of dangers are common across diverse vertebrate lineages. Different alarm calls can indicate a variety of threats, which often require specific actions to evade. Thus, to benefit from the call, listeners of referential alarm calls must be able to decode the signaled threat and respond to it in an appropriate manner. Yellow warblers (Setophaga petechia) produce referential “seet” calls that signal to conspecifics the presence of nearby obligate brood parasitic brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater), which lay their eggs in the nests of other species, including yellow warblers. Our previous playback experiments have found that red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), a species also parasitized by brown-headed cowbirds, eavesdrop upon and respond strongly to yellow warbler seet calls during the incubation stage of breeding with aggression similar to responses to both cowbird chatters and predator calls. To assess whether red-winged blackbird responses to seet calls vary with their own risk of brood parasitism, we presented the same playbacks during the nestling stage of breeding (when the risk of brood parasitism is lower than during incubation). As predicted, we found that blackbirds mediated their aggression toward both cowbird chatter calls and the warblers’ anti-parasitic referential alarm calls in parallel with the low current risk of brood parasitism during the nestling stage. These results further support that red-winged blackbirds flexibly respond to yellow warbler antiparasitic referential calls as a frontline defense against brood parasitism at their own nests.
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Hudson EJ, Creanza N, Shizuka D. The Role of Nestling Acoustic Experience in Song Discrimination in a Sparrow. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
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10
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Lawson SL, Enos JK, Mendes NC, Gill SA, Hauber ME. Heterospecific eavesdropping on an anti-parasitic referential alarm call. Commun Biol 2020; 3:143. [PMID: 32235851 PMCID: PMC7109080 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-0875-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Referential alarm calls occur across taxa to warn of specific predator types. However, referential calls may also denote other types of dangers. Yellow warblers (Setophaga petechia) produce “seet” calls specifically to warn conspecifics of obligate brood parasitic brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater), which lay their eggs in the warblers’ and other species’ nests. Sympatric hosts of cowbirds that do not have referential alarm calls may eavesdrop on the yellow warbler’s seet call as a warning system for brood parasites. Using playback presentations, we found that red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) eavesdrop on seet calls of yellow warblers, and respond as much to seet calls as to cowbird chatters and predator calls. Red-winged blackbirds appear to eavesdrop on seets as warning system to boost frontline defenses on their territories, although they do not seem to perceive the warblers’ seets as a cue for parasitism per se, but rather for general danger to the nest. Lawson et al. study the response of the redwinged blackbirds to referential alarm calls in other bird species. They show that the blackbirds eavesdrop on heterospecific warning calls of the yellow warbler related to the nest parasites and respond by boosting their defenses to general danger on their territories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelby L Lawson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
| | - Janice K Enos
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Niko C Mendes
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Sharon A Gill
- Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
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11
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Watts ET, Johnson CN, Carver S, Butler C, Harvey AM, Cameron EZ. Maternal protectiveness in feral horses: responses to intraspecific and interspecific sources of risk. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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12
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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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Huang X, Metzner W, Zhang K, Wang Y, Luo B, Sun C, Jiang T, Feng J. Acoustic similarity elicits responses to heterospecific distress calls in bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera). Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Cavalli M, Baladrón AV, Isacch JP, Bó MS. Burrowing owls eavesdrop on southern lapwings' alarm calls to enhance their antipredatory behaviour. Behav Processes 2018; 157:199-203. [PMID: 30308234 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Revised: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Eavesdropping is a widespread behaviour among animals, providing the receiver with valuable information to assess the habitat, resources or threats. This kind of behaviour has been reported for the burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), which in its northern range lives in close association with fossorial mammals and eavesdrops on their alarm calls as indicators of risk. In their southernmost range, burrowing owls do not associate with mammals, but they are often found sharing foraging and nesting patches with the southern lapwing (Vanellus chilensis), a noisy, territorial and aggressive plover species. We designed a field experimental study aimed at determining if burrowing owls are able to use lapwing calls as indicator of potential risk. We exposed focal owls to a sequence of sounds including lapwing alarm calls, and biological and non-biological controls, and registered their response as alert or relax behaviours. Linear mixed modeling showed that owls increased their alert behaviour in response to lapwing alarm calls but not in response to control treatments. In addition, owls' response was consistent between habitats (rural and urban) and seasons (breeding and non-breeding). Our results suggest that eavesdropping is a generalized strategy of burrowing owls to acquire environmental information throughout its distribution range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matilde Cavalli
- Laboratorio de Vertebrados, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), CONICET - Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata (B7602AYJ), Argentina
| | - Alejandro V Baladrón
- Laboratorio de Vertebrados, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), CONICET - Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata (B7602AYJ), Argentina.
| | - Juan P Isacch
- Laboratorio de Vertebrados, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), CONICET - Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata (B7602AYJ), Argentina
| | - María S Bó
- Laboratorio de Vertebrados, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), CONICET - Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata (B7602AYJ), Argentina
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Johnson AE, Masco C, Pruett-Jones S. Song recognition and heterospecific associations between 2 fairy-wren species (Maluridae). Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Allison E Johnson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Christina Masco
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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16
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Stynoski JL, Stynoski PB, Noble VR. Empirical evidence for multiple costs of begging in poison frog tadpoles. ZOOL ANZ 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2018.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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17
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Barati A, McDonald PG. Nestlings reduce their predation risk by attending to predator-information encoded within conspecific alarm calls. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11736. [PMID: 28916776 PMCID: PMC5601946 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11528-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Predation is one of the main threats to altricial nestlings, with predators often locating nests via eavesdropping on begging signals. Nestlings may be able to adjust their begging based on the current level of risk by monitoring both intra- and interspecific alarm calls near the nest. We show that noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala) nestlings can differentiate between terrestrial and aerial alarm calls of their own species, as they suppressed begging behaviour for longer in response to terrestrial rather than aerial alarm calls. This differential response is potentially due to greater danger that terrestrial calls encode. In contrast, nestlings ignored alarm calls of the sympatric grey butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus) and continued to beg but reduced begging intensity in response to the non-alarm calls of a sympatric eastern rosella (Platycercus eximius), suggesting nestlings were likely responding based upon similarity to a known signal as opposed to expressing a learnt behaviour. Results show that nestlings respond adaptively to two different intraspecific alarm signals but have not learnt to respond to the alarm calls of sympatric species. These suggest that nestlings are able to take advantage of the complex vocal repertoire that adults produce, although discernment is an issue when filtering out irrelevant stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Barati
- Avian Behavioural Ecology Laboratory, Zoology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.
- Department of Environment, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran.
| | - Paul G McDonald
- Avian Behavioural Ecology Laboratory, Zoology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
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Moks K, Tilgar V, Thomson RL, Calhim S, Järvistö PE, Schuett W, Velmala W, Laaksonen T. Predator encounters have spatially extensive impacts on parental behaviour in a breeding bird community. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20160020. [PMID: 27030411 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Predation risk has negative indirect effects on prey fitness, partly mediated through changes in behaviour. Evidence that individuals gather social information from other members of the population suggests that events in a community may impact the behaviour of distant individuals. However, spatially wide-ranging impacts on individual behaviour caused by a predator encounter elsewhere in a community have not been documented before. We investigated the effect of a predator encounter (hawk model presented at a focal nest) on the parental behaviour of pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca), both at the focal nest and at nearby nests different distances from the predator encounter. We show that nest visitation of both focal pairs and nearby pairs were affected, up to 3 h and 1 h, respectively. Parents also appeared to compensate initial disrupted feeding by later increasing nest visitation rates. This is the first evidence showing that the behaviour of nearby pairs was affected away from an immediate source of risk. Our results indicate that the impacts of short-term predator encounters may immediately extend spatially to the broader community, affecting the behaviour of distant individuals. Information about predators is probably quickly spread by cues such as intra- and heterospecific alarm calls, in communities of different taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kadri Moks
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu 51014, Estonia
| | - Vallo Tilgar
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu 51014, Estonia
| | - Robert L Thomson
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Sara Calhim
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
| | - Pauliina E Järvistö
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland
| | - Wiebke Schuett
- Zoological Institute, Biocenter Grindel, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, Hamburg 20146, Germany
| | - William Velmala
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland
| | - Toni Laaksonen
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland
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Wheatcroft D. Repetition rate of calls used in multiple contexts communicates presence of predators to nestlings and adult birds. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Dalziell AH, Welbergen JA, Igic B, Magrath RD. Avian vocal mimicry: a unified conceptual framework. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2014; 90:643-68. [PMID: 25079896 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2013] [Revised: 06/10/2014] [Accepted: 06/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Mimicry is a classical example of adaptive signal design. Here, we review the current state of research into vocal mimicry in birds. Avian vocal mimicry is a conspicuous and often spectacular form of animal communication, occurring in many distantly related species. However, the proximate and ultimate causes of vocal mimicry are poorly understood. In the first part of this review, we argue that progress has been impeded by conceptual confusion over what constitutes vocal mimicry. We propose a modified version of Vane-Wright's (1980) widely used definition of mimicry. According to our definition, a vocalisation is mimetic if the behaviour of the receiver changes after perceiving the acoustic resemblance between the mimic and the model, and the behavioural change confers a selective advantage on the mimic. Mimicry is therefore specifically a functional concept where the resemblance between heterospecific sounds is a target of selection. It is distinct from other forms of vocal resemblance including those that are the result of chance or common ancestry, and those that have emerged as a by-product of other processes such as ecological convergence and selection for large song-type repertoires. Thus, our definition provides a general and functionally coherent framework for determining what constitutes vocal mimicry, and takes account of the diversity of vocalisations that incorporate heterospecific sounds. In the second part we assess and revise hypotheses for the evolution of avian vocal mimicry in the light of our new definition. Most of the current evidence is anecdotal, but the diverse contexts and acoustic structures of putative vocal mimicry suggest that mimicry has multiple functions across and within species. There is strong experimental evidence that vocal mimicry can be deceptive, and can facilitate parasitic interactions. There is also increasing support for the use of vocal mimicry in predator defence, although the mechanisms are unclear. Less progress has been made in explaining why many birds incorporate heterospecific sounds into their sexual displays, and in determining whether these vocalisations are functionally mimetic or by-products of sexual selection for other traits such as repertoire size. Overall, this discussion reveals a more central role for vocal mimicry in the behavioural ecology of birds than has previously been appreciated. The final part of this review identifies important areas for future research. Detailed empirical data are needed on individual species, including on the structure of mimetic signals, the contexts in which mimicry is produced, how mimicry is acquired, and the ecological relationships between mimic, model and receiver. At present, there is little information and no consensus about the various costs of vocal mimicry for the protagonists in the mimicry complex. The diversity and complexity of vocal mimicry in birds raises important questions for the study of animal communication and challenges our view of the nature of mimicry itself. Therefore, a better understanding of avian vocal mimicry is essential if we are to account fully for the diversity of animal signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia H Dalziell
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia
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Magrath RD, Haff TM, Fallow PM, Radford AN. Eavesdropping on heterospecific alarm calls: from mechanisms to consequences. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2014; 90:560-86. [PMID: 24917385 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 211] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2013] [Revised: 05/05/2014] [Accepted: 05/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Animals often gather information from other species by eavesdropping on signals intended for others. We review the extent, benefits, mechanisms, and ecological and evolutionary consequences of eavesdropping on other species' alarm calls. Eavesdropping has been shown experimentally in about 70 vertebrate species, and can entail closely or distantly related species. The benefits of eavesdropping include prompting immediate anti-predator responses, indirect enhancement of foraging or changed habitat use, and learning about predators. Eavesdropping on heterospecifics can provide more eyes looking for danger, complementary information to that from conspecifics, and potentially information at reduced cost. The response to heterospecific calls can be unlearned or learned. Unlearned responses occur when heterospecific calls have acoustic features similar to that used to recognize conspecific calls, or acoustic properties such as harsh sounds that prompt attention and may allow recognition or facilitate learning. Learning to recognize heterospecific alarm calls is probably essential to allow recognition of the diversity of alarm calls, but the evidence is largely indirect. The value of eavesdropping on different species is affected by problems of signal interception and the relevance of heterospecific alarm calls to the listener. These constraints on eavesdropping will affect how information flows among species and thus affect community function. Some species are 'keystone' information producers, while others largely seek information, and these differences probably affect the formation and function of mixed-species groups. Eavesdroppers might also integrate alarm calls from multiple species to extract relevant and reliable information. Eavesdropping appears to set the stage for the evolution of interspecific deception and communication, and potentially affects communication within species. Overall, we now know that eavesdropping on heterospecific alarm calls is an important source of information for many species across the globe, and there are ample opportunities for research on mechanisms, fitness consequences and implications for community function and signalling evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert D Magrath
- Division of Evolution, Ecology & Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia
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Haff TM, Magrath RD. Eavesdropping on the neighbours: fledglings learn to respond to heterospecific alarm calls. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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