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Audet JN, Couture M, Jarvis ED. Songbird species that display more-complex vocal learning are better problem-solvers and have larger brains. Science 2023; 381:1170-1175. [PMID: 37708288 DOI: 10.1126/science.adh3428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Complex vocal learning, a critical component of human spoken language, has been assumed to be associated with more-advanced cognitive abilities. Tests of this hypothesis between individuals within a species have been inconclusive and have not been done across species. In this work, we measured an array of cognitive skills-namely, problem-solving, associative and reversal learning, and self-control-across 214 individuals of 23 bird species, including 19 wild-caught songbird species, two domesticated songbird species, and two wild-caught vocal nonlearning species. We found that the greater the vocal learning abilities of a species, the better their problem-solving skills and the relatively larger their brains. These conclusions held when controlling for noncognitive variables and phylogeny. Our results support a hypothesis of shared genetic and cognitive mechanisms between vocal learning, problem-solving, and bigger brains in songbirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Nicolas Audet
- The Rockefeller University Field Research Center, Millbrook, NY, USA
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mélanie Couture
- The Rockefeller University Field Research Center, Millbrook, NY, USA
- The Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Erich D Jarvis
- The Rockefeller University Field Research Center, Millbrook, NY, USA
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- The Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
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2
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Tomasek M, Ravignani A, Boucherie PH, Van Meyel S, Dufour V. Spontaneous vocal coordination of vocalizations to water noise in rooks ( Corvus frugilegus): An exploratory study. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9791. [PMID: 36818533 PMCID: PMC9936512 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9791] [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: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to control one's vocal production is a major advantage in acoustic communication. Yet, not all species have the same level of control over their vocal output. Several bird species can interrupt their song upon hearing an external stimulus, but there is no evidence how flexible this behavior is. Most research on corvids focuses on their cognitive abilities, but few studies explore their vocal aptitudes. Recent research shows that crows can be experimentally trained to vocalize in response to a brief visual stimulus. Our study investigated vocal control abilities with a more ecologically embedded approach in rooks. We show that two rooks could spontaneously coordinate their vocalizations to a long-lasting stimulus (the sound of their small bathing pool being filled with a water hose), one of them adjusting roughly (in the second range) its vocalizations as the stimuli began and stopped. This exploratory study adds to the literature showing that corvids, a group of species capable of cognitive prowess, are indeed able to display good vocal control abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maëlan Tomasek
- Ecole Normale Supérieure de LyonLyonFrance,UMR 7247, Physiologie de la reproduction et des comportements, INRAE, CNRS, IFCEUniversité de ToursStrasbourgFrance
| | - Andrea Ravignani
- Comparative Bioacoustics GroupMax Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegenThe Netherlands,Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical MedicineAarhus University & The Royal Academy of MusicAarhus CDenmark
| | | | - Sophie Van Meyel
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR 7261, CNRSUniversity of ToursToursFrance
| | - Valérie Dufour
- UMR 7247, Physiologie de la reproduction et des comportements, INRAE, CNRS, IFCEUniversité de ToursStrasbourgFrance
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3
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Effects of anthropogenic noise on cognition, bill color, and growth in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Acta Ethol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-022-00406-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Fujii TG, Coulter A, Lawley KS, Prather JF, Okanoya K. Song Preference in Female and Juvenile Songbirds: Proximate and Ultimate Questions. Front Physiol 2022; 13:876205. [PMID: 35492616 PMCID: PMC9047784 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.876205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Birdsong has long been a subject of extensive research in the fields of ethology as well as neuroscience. Neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying song acquisition and production in male songbirds are particularly well studied, mainly because birdsong shares some important features with human speech such as critical dependence on vocal learning. However, birdsong, like human speech, primarily functions as communication signals. The mechanisms of song perception and recognition should also be investigated to attain a deeper understanding of the nature of complex vocal signals. Although relatively less attention has been paid to song receivers compared to signalers, recent studies on female songbirds have begun to reveal the neural basis of song preference. Moreover, there are other studies of song preference in juvenile birds which suggest possible functions of preference in social context including the sensory phase of song learning. Understanding the behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying the formation, maintenance, expression, and alteration of such song preference in birds will potentially give insight into the mechanisms of speech communication in humans. To pursue this line of research, however, it is necessary to understand current methodological challenges in defining and measuring song preference. In addition, consideration of ultimate questions can also be important for laboratory researchers in designing experiments and interpreting results. Here we summarize the current understanding of song preference in female and juvenile songbirds in the context of Tinbergen's four questions, incorporating results ranging from ethological field research to the latest neuroscience findings. We also discuss problems and remaining questions in this field and suggest some possible solutions and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoko G. Fujii
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Austin Coulter
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, Program in Neuroscience, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, United States
| | - Koedi S. Lawley
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Jonathan F. Prather
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, Program in Neuroscience, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, United States
| | - Kazuo Okanoya
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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5
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Fuss T. Mate Choice, Sex Roles and Sexual Cognition in Vertebrates: Mate Choice Turns Cognition or Cognition Turns Mate Choice? Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.749495] [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
The idea of “smart is sexy,” meaning superior cognition provides competitive benefits in mate choice and, therefore, evolutionary advantages in terms of reproductive fitness, is both exciting and captivating. Cognitively flexible individuals perceive and adapt more dynamically to (unpredictable) environmental changes. The sex roles that females and males adopt within their populations can vary greatly in response to the prevalent mating system. Based on how cognition determines these grossly divergent sex roles, different selection pressures could possibly shape the (progressive) evolution of cognitive abilities, suggesting the potential to induce sexual dimorphisms in superior cognitive abilities. Associations between an individual’s mating success, sexual traits and its cognitive abilities have been found consistently across vertebrate species and taxa, providing evidence that sexual selection may well shape the supporting cognitive prerequisites. Yet, while superior cognitive abilities provide benefits such as higher feeding success, improved antipredator behavior, or more favorable mate choice, they also claim costs such as higher energy levels and metabolic rates, which in turn may reduce fecundity, growth, or immune response. There is compelling evidence in a variety of vertebrate taxa that females appear to prefer skilled problem-solver males, i.e., they prefer those that appear to have better cognitive abilities. Consequently, cognition is also likely to have substantial effects on sexual selection processes. How the choosing sex assesses the cognitive abilities of potential mates has not been explored conclusively yet. Do cognitive skills guide an individual’s mate choice and does learning change an individual’s mate choice decisions? How and to which extent do individuals use their own cognitive skills to assess those of their conspecifics when choosing a mate? How does an individual’s role within a mating system influence the choice of the choosing sex in this context? Drawing on several examples from the vertebrate world, this review aims to elucidate various aspects associated with cognitive sex differences, the different roles of males and females in social and sexual interactions, and the potential influence of cognition on mate choice decisions. Finally, future perspectives aim to identify ways to answer the central question of how the triad of sex, cognition, and mate choice interacts.
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Long-term effects of prenatal sound experience on songbird behavior and their relation to song learning. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02939-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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Sikora JG, Moyer MJ, Omland KE, Rose EM. Large female song repertoires and within‐pair song type sharing in a temperate breeding songbird. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan G. Sikora
- Department of Biological Sciences University of MarylandBaltimore County Baltimore MD USA
| | - Michelle J. Moyer
- Department of Biological Sciences University of MarylandBaltimore County Baltimore MD USA
| | - Kevin E. Omland
- Department of Biological Sciences University of MarylandBaltimore County Baltimore MD USA
| | - Evangeline M. Rose
- Department of Biological Sciences University of MarylandBaltimore County Baltimore MD USA
- Department of Psychology University of Maryland, College Park College Park MD USA
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Howell C, Anderson R, Derryberry EP. Female zebra finches prefer the songs of males who quickly solve a novel foraging task to the songs of males unable to solve the task. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:10281-10291. [PMID: 33005382 PMCID: PMC7520207 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Correlative evidence suggests that high problem-solving and foraging abilities in a mate are associated with direct fitness advantages, so it would benefit females to prefer problem-solving males. Recent work has also shown that females of several bird species who directly observe males prefer those that can solve a novel foraging task over those that cannot. In addition to or instead of direct observation of cognitive skills, many species utilize assessment signals when choosing a mate. Here, we test whether females can select a problem-solving male over a non-solving male when presented only with a signal known to be used in mate assessment: song. Using an operant conditioning assay, we compared female zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) preference for the songs of males that could quickly solve a novel foraging task to the songs of males that could not solve the task. Females were never housed with the test subject males whose song they heard, and the only information provided about the males was their song. We found that females elicited more songs of problem-solving males than of non-solvers, indicating that song may contain information about a male's ability to solve a novel foraging task and that naïve females prefer the songs of problem-solving males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Howell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyTulane UniversityNew OrleansLAUSA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of TennesseeKnoxvilleTNUSA
| | - Rindy Anderson
- Department of Biological SciencesFlorida Atlantic UniversityDavieFLUSA
| | - Elizabeth P. Derryberry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyTulane UniversityNew OrleansLAUSA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of TennesseeKnoxvilleTNUSA
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10
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Soha JA, Peters S, Anderson RC, Searcy WA, Nowicki S. Performance on tests of cognitive ability is not repeatable across years in a songbird. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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11
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Howell C, Anderson R, Derryberry EP. Female cognitive performance and mass are correlated with different aspects of mate choice in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Anim Cogn 2019; 22:1085-1094. [PMID: 31401761 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01299-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A female's cognitive ability may influence her mate preferences through various mechanisms. These mechanisms include the direct effect of cognitive ability on the information-processing skills used during mate choice, and the indirect effect of cognitive ability on quality when females mate assortatively. Here, we examined whether the ability to learn a novel foraging task, a cognitive skill which has been associated with reproductive success in other capacities, was correlated with song preferences in female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Female preferences were measured in an operant testing chamber where hops on a perch triggered song playback. Females were given the choice of (1) conspecific vs. heterospecific song and (2) high-quality male vs. low-quality male conspecific song. We found that female performance on the novel foraging task was positively correlated with preference for conspecific song, but not with preference for high-quality male song. Instead, female mass was positively correlated with preference for high-quality male song, potentially signifying that female mass is a stronger predictor of female quality in assortative mating than female cognitive performance. Female mass and cognitive performance were unrelated. Our results suggest that the particular traits of a female that affect conspecific preference do not necessarily affect preference for high-quality males.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Howell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA. .,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
| | - R Anderson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Davie, FL, 33314, USA
| | - E P Derryberry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
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12
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MacKinlay RD, Shaw RC. Male New Zealand robin (Petroica longipes) song repertoire size does not correlate with cognitive performance in the wild. INTELLIGENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2018.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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13
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14
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McClelland SC, Durães Ribeiro R, Mielke HW, Finkelstein ME, Gonzales CR, Jones JA, Komdeur J, Derryberry E, Saltzberg EB, Karubian J. Sub-lethal exposure to lead is associated with heightened aggression in an urban songbird. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 654:593-603. [PMID: 30447598 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Revised: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Many urban areas have elevated soil lead concentrations due to prior large-scale use of lead in products such as paint and automobile gasoline. This presents a potential problem for the growing numbers of wildlife living in urbanized areas as lead exposure is known to affect multiple physiological systems, including the nervous system, in vertebrate species. In humans and laboratory animals, low-level lead exposure is associated with neurological impairment, but less is known about how lead may affect the behavior of urban wildlife. We focused on the Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos, a common, omnivorous North American songbird, to gain insights into how lead may affect the physiology and behavior of urban wildlife. We predicted that birds living in neighborhoods with high soil lead concentrations would (a) exhibit elevated lead concentrations in their blood and feathers, (b) exhibit lower body condition, (c) exhibit less diverse and consistent vocal repertoires, and (d) behave more aggressively during simulated conspecific territorial intrusions compared to birds living in neighborhoods with lower soil lead concentrations. Controlling for other habitat differences, we found that birds from areas of high soil lead had elevated lead concentrations in blood and feathers, but found no differences in body condition or vocal repertoires. However, birds from high lead areas responded more aggressively during simulated intrusions. These findings indicate that sub-lethal lead exposure may be common among wildlife living in urban areas, and that this exposure is associated with increased aggression. Better understanding of the extent of the relationship between lead exposure and aggression and the consequences this could have for survival and reproduction of wild animals are clear priorities for future work in this and other urban ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie C McClelland
- Behavioural Ecology and Physiology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands; School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK.
| | - Renata Durães Ribeiro
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Howard W Mielke
- Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Myra E Finkelstein
- Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | | | - John Anthony Jones
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Behavioural Ecology and Physiology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Elizabeth Derryberry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Emma B Saltzberg
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Jordan Karubian
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
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Kriengwatana BP. Learning strategies and the social brain: Missing elements in the link between developmental stress, song and cognition? Integr Zool 2019; 14:158-171. [PMID: 30688022 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Bird songs may advertise aspects of cognition because song learning and learning speed in cognitive tasks are both affected by early-life environments. However, such relationships remain ambiguous in the literature. Here, I discuss 2 lines of research that may help to demystify links between song learning and cognition. First, learning strategies should be considered when assessing performance to ensure that individual differences in learning ability are not masked by individual differences in learning strategies. Second, song characteristics should be associated with social behavior because songs have a social purpose and, consequently, should be strongly related at functional and neural levels. Finally, if song learning and cognitive abilities are correlated because they develop concurrently and/or share or compete for the same resources, I discuss ways glucocorticoids may link early-life stress, song learning and cognitive ability, focusing particularly on oxidative stress as a potential mechanism.
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van Horik JO, Langley EJG, Whiteside MA, Laker PR, Madden JR. Intra-individual variation in performance on novel variants of similar tasks influences single factor explanations of general cognitive processes. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:171919. [PMID: 30109047 PMCID: PMC6083680 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.171919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Intra-individual variation in performance within and across cognitive domains may confound interpretations of both domain-general and domain-specific abilities. Such variation is rarely considered in animal test batteries. We investigate individual consistency in performance by presenting pheasant chicks (n = 31), raised under standardized conditions, with nine different cognitive tasks. Among these tasks were two replicated novel variants of colour learning and colour reversal problems, tests of positional learning and memory, as well as two different tasks that captured multiple putative measures of inhibitory control and motor-related performance. These task variants were also used to compare subjects' performance on alternative test batteries comprised of different task combinations. Subjects' performance improved with experience, yet we found relatively little consistency in their performance, both within similar tasks using different paradigms and across different tasks. Parallel analysis revealed non-significant factors when all nine tasks were included in a principal axis factor analysis. However, when different combinations of six of the nine tasks were included in principal axis factoring, 14 of 84 combinations revealed significant main factors, explaining between 28 and 35% of the variance in task performance. While comparable findings have been suggested to reflect domain-general intelligence in other species, we found no evidence to suggest that a single factor encompassed a diverse range of cognitive abilities in pheasants. Instead, we reveal how single factor explanations of cognitive processes can be influenced by test battery composition and intra-individual variation in performance across tasks. Our findings highlight the importance of conducting multiple tests within specific domains to ensure robust cognitive measures are obtained.
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