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Sierro J, de Kort SR, Hartley IR. A limit to sustained performance constrains trill length in birdsong. iScience 2023; 26:108206. [PMID: 37953962 PMCID: PMC10637923 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
In birds, song performance determines the outcome of contests over crucial resources. We hypothesized that 1) sustained performance is limited within song, resulting in a performance decline towards the end and 2) the impact of song length is compromised if performance declines. To test these hypotheses, we analyzed the songs of 597 bird species (26 families) and conducted a playback experiment on blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). Our multi-species analysis showed that song performance declines after sustained singing, supporting our hypothesis. If the performance decline is determined by individual attributes (i.e., physical condition), our results explain how trill length can honestly signal quality. Our experiment showed that longer trills of high performance elicited a stronger response during territorial interactions. However, long trills that declined in performance elicited a weaker response than short, high-performance trills. A trade-off between the duration and performance quality of a motor display can be an important aspect in communication across taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Sierro
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Selvino R. de Kort
- Ecology and Environment Research Centre, Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BH, UK
| | - Ian R. Hartley
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
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Logue DM, Bonnell TR. Skewed performance distributions as evidence of motor constraint in sports and animal displays. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230692. [PMID: 38026035 PMCID: PMC10645065 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Animal displays (i.e. movement-based signals) often involve extreme behaviours that seem to push signallers to the limits of their abilities. If motor constraints limit display performance, signal evolution will be constrained, and displays can function as honest signals of quality. Existing approaches for measuring constraint, however, require multiple kinds of behavioural data. A method that requires only one kind could open up new research directions. We propose a conceptual model of performance under constraint, which predicts that the distribution of constrained performance will skew away from the constraint. We tested this prediction with sports data, because we know a priori that athletic performance is constrained and that athletes attempt to maximize performance. Performance consistently skewed in the predicted direction in a variety of sports. We then used statistical models based on the skew normal distribution to estimate the constraints on athletes and displaying animals while controlling for potential confounds and clustered data. We concluded that motor constraints tend to generate skewed behaviour and that skew normal models are useful tools to estimate constraints from a single axis of behavioural data. This study expands the toolkit for identifying, characterizing, and comparing performance constraints for applications in animal behaviour, physiology and sports.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M. Logue
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
| | - Tyler R. Bonnell
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
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Sierro J, de Kort SR, Hartley IR. Sound properties affect measurement of vocal consistency in birdsong: Validation of the spectrogram cross correlation method (SPCC). THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 154:699-708. [PMID: 37550240 DOI: 10.1121/10.0020543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
In songbirds, singing with precision (vocal consistency) has been proposed to reflect whole-organism performance. Vocal consistency is measured using spectrogram cross correlation (SPCC) to assess the acoustic similarity between subsequent renditions of the same note. To quantify how SPCC is sensitive to the acoustic discrepancies found in birdsong, we created a set of 40 000 synthetic sounds that were designed based on the songs of 345 species. This set included 10 000 reference sounds and 30 000 inexact variants with quantified differences in frequency, bandwidth, or duration with respect to the reference sounds. We found that SPCC is sensitive to acoustic discrepancies within the natural range of vocal consistency, supporting the use of this method as a tool to assess vocal consistency in songbirds. Importantly, the sensitivity of SPCC was significantly affected by the bandwidth of sounds. The predictions derived from the analysis of synthetic sounds were then validated using 954 song recordings from 345 species (20 families). Based on psychoacoustic studies from birds and humans, we propose that the sensitivity of SPCC to acoustic discrepancies mirrors a perceptual bias in sound discrimination. Nevertheless, we suggest the tool be used with care, since sound bandwidth varies considerably between singing styles and therefore, SPCC scores may not be comparable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Sierro
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
| | - Selvino R de Kort
- Ecology and Environment Research Centre, Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, M15 6BH, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Ian R Hartley
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
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Sierro J, de Kort SR, Hartley IR. Sexual selection for both diversity and repetition in birdsong. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3600. [PMID: 37328501 PMCID: PMC10275917 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39308-5] [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: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023] Open
Abstract
From fiddler crabs to humans, animals perform repetitive displays showing neuromotor skill and vigour. Consistent repetition of identical notes (vocal consistency) facilitates the assessment of neuromotor skills and is important in communication in birds. Most birdsong research has focused on song diversity as a signal of individual quality, which seems contradictory as repetition is extremely common in most species. Here we show that consistent repetition within songs is positively correlated with reproductive success in male blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). A playback experiment shows that females are sexually aroused by male songs with high levels of vocal consistency, which also peaks seasonally during the fertile period of the female, supporting the role of vocal consistency in mate choice. Male vocal consistency also increases with subsequent repetitions of the same song type (a warm-up effect) which conflicts with the fact that females habituate to repeated song, showing decreased arousal. Importantly, we find that switching song types elicits significant dishabituation within the playback, supporting the habituation hypothesis as an evolutionary mechanism driving song diversity in birds. An optimal balance between repetition and diversity may explain the singing style of many bird species and displays of other animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Sierro
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK.
| | - Selvino R de Kort
- Ecology and Environment Research Centre, Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK.
| | - Ian R Hartley
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK.
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Dudouit C, Maury C, Bosca J, Bakker A, Gahr M, Aubin T, Rybak F, Geberzahn N. Vocal performance during spontaneous song is equal in male and female European robins. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Opaev A. Vocal performance and the usage of song types in Pale-legged leaf-warbler Phylloscopus tenellipes: a contradictory study. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2021.1949752] [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]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Opaev
- Laboratory of Comparative Ethology and Biocommunication, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071, Russian Federation(E-mail: )
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Lewis RN, Soma M, de Kort SR, Gilman RT. Like Father Like Son: Cultural and Genetic Contributions to Song Inheritance in an Estrildid Finch. Front Psychol 2021; 12:654198. [PMID: 34149539 PMCID: PMC8213215 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.654198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Social learning of vocalizations is integral to song inheritance in oscine passerines. However, other factors, such as genetic inheritance and the developmental environment, can also influence song phenotype. The relative contributions of these factors can have a strong influence on song evolution and may affect important evolutionary processes such as speciation. However, relative contributions are well-described only for a few species and are likely to vary with taxonomy. Using archived song data, we examined patterns of song inheritance in a domestic population of Java sparrows (Lonchura oryzivora), some of which had been cross-fostered. Six-hundred and seventy-six songs from 73 birds were segmented and classified into notes and note subtypes (N = 22,972), for which a range of acoustic features were measured. Overall, we found strong evidence for cultural inheritance of song structure and of the acoustic characteristics of notes; sons’ song syntax and note composition were similar to that of their social fathers and were not influenced by genetic relatedness. For vocal consistency of note subtypes, a measure of vocal performance, there was no apparent evidence of social or genetic inheritance, but both age and developmental environment influenced consistency. These findings suggest that high learning fidelity of song material, i.e., song structure and note characteristics, could allow novel variants to be preserved and accumulate over generations, with implications for evolution and conservation. However, differences in vocal performance do not show strong links to cultural inheritance, instead potentially serving as condition dependent signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca N Lewis
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,Chester Zoo, Chester, United Kingdom
| | - Masayo Soma
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Selvino R de Kort
- Department of Natural Sciences, Ecology and Environment Research Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - R Tucker Gilman
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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Cardoso GC, Abreu JM, Archer J, Crottini A, Mota PG. Independent evolution of song diversity and song motor performance in canaries, goldfinches and allies indicates clade-specific trade-offs in birdsong. Evolution 2020; 74:1170-1185. [PMID: 32352570 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The diversity and the motor performance of birdsongs can both be sexually selected. In wood warblers, most species with high motor performance sing a greater proportion of trills, presumably to advertise performance, and thus have lower syllable diversity. We tested if this trade-off between motor performance and syllable diversity extends to canaries, goldfinches and allies, a clade with much longer and more varied songs. We assembled a molecular phylogeny and inferred song motor performance based on the speed of frequency modulation either in trills or in within-song intervals. The two metrics of performance were positively, but only mildly, related across species. While performance evaluated in intervals had high phylogenetic signal, performance evaluated in trills changed independently of phylogeny and was constrained by body size. Species in densely vegetated habitats sang fewer trills, but did not differ in motor performance. Contrary to wood warblers, song motor performance did not predict the proportion of trilled syllables nor within-song syllable diversity, perhaps because large differences in the song duration of canaries, goldfinches and allies prevent trills from severely compromising syllable diversity. Opposed results in wood warblers and in these finches indicate the existence of clade-specific trade-offs in the evolution of birdsong.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonçalo C Cardoso
- CIBIO/InBIO-Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal.,Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark
| | - João M Abreu
- CIBIO/InBIO-Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal
| | - John Archer
- CIBIO/InBIO-Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal
| | - Angelica Crottini
- CIBIO/InBIO-Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal
| | - Paulo G Mota
- CIBIO/InBIO-Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal.,Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, 3004-517, Portugal
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Logue DM, Sheppard JA, Walton B, Brinkman BE, Medina OJ. An analysis of avian vocal performance at the note and song levels. BIOACOUSTICS 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2019.1674693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David M. Logue
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, PR, USA
| | - Jacob A. Sheppard
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Bailey Walton
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Benjamin E. Brinkman
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Orlando J. Medina
- United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge, Cabo Rojo, PR, USA
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Cardoso GC. Double quantile regression accurately assesses distance to boundary trade‐offs. Methods Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gonçalo C. Cardoso
- CIBIO/InBIO Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos Universidade do Porto Vairão Portugal
- Behavioural Ecology Group Department of Biology University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Ø Denmark
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Cardoso GC, Atwell JW. Birdsong performance studies: correcting a commentary on Cardoso and Atwell (2016). Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.12.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Phillips JN, Derryberry EP. Equivalent effects of bandwidth and trill rate: support for a performance constraint as a competitive signal. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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