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Luo AR, Lipshutz S, Phillips J, Brumfield RT, Derryberry EP. Song and genetic divergence within a subspecies of white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli). PLoS One 2024; 19:e0304348. [PMID: 38809922 PMCID: PMC11135742 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304348] [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: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Animal culture evolves alongside genomes, and the two modes of inheritance-culture and genes-interact in myriad ways. For example, stable geographic variation in culture can act as a reproductive barrier, thereby facilitating genetic divergence between "cultural populations." White-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys) are a well-established model species for bird song learning and cultural evolution, as they have distinct, geographically discrete, and culturally transmitted song types (i.e., song dialects). In this study, we tested the hypothesis that divergence between culturally transmitted songs drives genetic divergence within Nuttall's white-crowned sparrows (Z. l. nuttalli). In accordance with sexual selection theory, we hypothesized that cultural divergence between mating signals both preceded and generated genetic divergence. We characterized the population structure and song variation in the subspecies and found two genetically differentiated populations whose boundary coincides with a major song boundary at Monterey Bay, California. We then conducted a song playback experiment that demonstrated males discriminate between songs based on their degree of divergence from their local dialect. These results support the idea that discrimination against non-local songs is driving genetic divergence between the northern and southern populations. Altogether, this study provides evidence that culturally transmitted bird songs can act as the foundation for speciation by sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Rongyan Luo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States of America
| | - Sara Lipshutz
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Phillips
- School of the Environment, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States of America
| | - Robb T. Brumfield
- Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
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Niśkiewicz M, Szymański P, Budka M, Osiejuk TS. Response of forest Turtur doves to conspecific and congeneric songs in sympatry and allopatry. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15948. [PMID: 37743404 PMCID: PMC10518307 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43035-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Birds have a diverse acoustic communication system, and the ability to recognise their own species' song from a distance facilitates complex behaviours related to mate attraction and rival deterrence. However, certain species, including doves, do not learn songs and their vocal repertoires are much simpler than those of better-studied songbirds. In these so-called non-learning birds, relatively little is known about the role that bird song plays in intra- and interspecific interactions, and how such behaviours might be acquired (inherited or learned from experience). To investigate this question, we focused on two species of African wood doves whose long-range songs are used in a territorial context. Specifically, we examined the responses of sympatric and allopatric populations of male blue-headed wood-doves (Turtur brehmeri) and tambourine doves (Turtur tympanistria) to different types of simulated territorial intrusions, i.e. playback of conspecific, congeneric, and control songs. We aimed to assess (i) whether these species, which have similar songs, respond only to their own species' song or exhibit interspecific territoriality, and (ii) if the response pattern is affected by the presence or absence of congeners in the general area. We found that both species responded strongly to playback of their own species in both sympatric and allopatric populations. In allopatry, though, male tambourine doves misdirected their response and also approached the playback of congeneric songs. Our results indicate that, in areas where the studied Turtur doves live in sympatry, they do not exhibit consistent interspecific territoriality. However, we cannot exclude the possibility that the smaller tambourine dove avoids its larger congener during the process of territory establishment. The difference in tambourine doves' response toward the song of present (sympatric) or absent (allopatric) congeners suggests that the ability to discriminate between songs of similarly singing potential competitors is acquired through earlier interactions and learning. This plasticity in response supports the misdirected aggression hypothesis, which argues that interspecific territorialism emerges as a maladaptive by-product of signal similarity. However, on an evolutionary timescale, such an ability could be considered an adaptive cognitive tool useful for resolving competing interests with congeners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Małgorzata Niśkiewicz
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614, Poznań, Poland.
| | - Paweł Szymański
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Michał Budka
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Tomasz S Osiejuk
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614, Poznań, Poland.
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Hamao S. Effect of sympatry on discrimination of heterospecific song by varied tits. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Jäckel D, Mortega KG, Sturm U, Brockmeyer U, Khorramshahi O, Voigt-Heucke SL. Opportunities and limitations: A comparative analysis of citizen science and expert recordings for bioacoustic research. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0253763. [PMID: 34181671 PMCID: PMC8238189 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Citizen science is an approach that has become increasingly popular in recent years. Despite this growing popularity, there still is widespread scepticism in the academic world about the validity and quality of data from citizen science projects. And although there might be great potential, citizen science is a rarely used approach in the field of bioacoustics. To better understand the possibilities, but also the limitations, we here evaluated data generated in a citizen science project on nightingale song as a case study. We analysed the quantity and quality of song recordings made in a non-standardized way with a smartphone app by citizen scientists and the standardized recordings made with professional equipment by academic researchers. We made comparisons between the recordings of the two approaches and among the user types of the app to gain insights into the temporal recording patterns, the quantity and quality of the data. To compare the deviation of the acoustic parameters in the recordings with smartphones and professional devices from the original song recordings, we conducted a playback test. Our results showed that depending on the user group, citizen scientists produced many to a lot of recordings of valid quality for further bioacoustic research. Differences between the recordings provided by the citizen and the expert group were mainly caused by the technical quality of the devices used—and to a lesser extent by the citizen scientists themselves. Especially when differences in spectral parameters are to be investigated, our results demonstrate that the use of the same high-quality recording devices and calibrated external microphones would most likely improve data quality. We conclude that many bioacoustic research questions may be carried out with the recordings of citizen scientists. We want to encourage academic researchers to get more involved in participatory projects to harness the potential of citizen science—and to share scientific curiosity and discoveries more directly with society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Jäckel
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
- Life Sciences Faculty, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kim G Mortega
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulrike Sturm
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulrich Brockmeyer
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
| | - Omid Khorramshahi
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
| | - Silke L Voigt-Heucke
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
- Animal Behaviour, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Fernández-Gómez RA, Morales-Mávil JE, Hernández-Salazar LT, Sosa-López JR. Asymmetric behavioural responses to divergent vocal signals in allopatric Neotropical sparrows. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Subspecies status and methods explain strength of response to local versus foreign song by oscine birds in meta-analysis. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Slender AL, Louter M, Gardner MG, Kleindorfer S. Thick-billed grasswren (Amytornis modestus) songs differ across subspecies and elicit different subspecific behavioural responses. T ROY SOC SOUTH AUST 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/03721426.2018.1483185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amy L. Slender
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Marina Louter
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Michael G. Gardner
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- Evolutionary Biology Unit, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Sonia Kleindorfer
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
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Subspecies-specific song preferences and diverged heterospecific discrimination in females of the bush-cricket Isophya kraussii (Orthoptera: Phaneropterinae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blx094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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Parra M, Dalisio AC, Jensen WE, Parker TH. Male territorial aggression does not drive conformity to local vocal culture in a passerine bird. Ethology 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Anthony C. Dalisio
- Circumpolar Studies Sterling College Craftsbury Common VT USA
- Department of Biological Sciences Emporia State University Emporia KS USA
| | - William E. Jensen
- Department of Biological Sciences Emporia State University Emporia KS USA
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