1
|
Loning H, Verkade L, Griffith SC, Naguib M. The social role of song in wild zebra finches. Curr Biol 2023; 33:372-380.e3. [PMID: 36543166 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.11.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Male songbirds sing to establish territories and to attract mates.1,2 However, increasing reports of singing in non-reproductive contexts3 and by females4,5 show that song use is more diverse than previously considered. Therefore, alternative functions of song, such as social cohesion3 and synchronization of breeding, by and large, were overlooked even in such well-studied species such as the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). In these social songbirds, only the males sing, and pairs breed synchronously in loose colonies,6,7 following aseasonal rain events in their arid habitat.8,9 As males are not territorial, and pairs form long-term monogamous bonds early in life, conventional theory predicts that zebra finches should not sing much at all; however, they do and their song is the focus of hundreds of lab-based studies.10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22 We hypothesize that zebra finch song functions to maintain social cohesion and to synchronize breeding. Here, we test this idea using data from 5 years of field studies, including observational transects, focal and year-round audio recordings, and a large-scale playback experiment. We show that zebra finches frequently sing while in groups, that breeding status influences song output at the nest and at aggregations, that they sing year round, and that they predominantly sing when with their partner, suggesting that the song remains important after pair formation. Our playback reveals that song actively features in social aggregations as it attracts conspecifics. Together, these results demonstrate that birdsong has important functions beyond territoriality and mate choice, illustrating its importance in coordination and cohesion of social units within larger societies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Loning
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Laura Verkade
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Simon C Griffith
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, 205A Culloden Road Marsfield, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Marc Naguib
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wood EM, Capilla-Lasheras P, Cram DL, Walker LA, York JE, Lange A, Hamilton PB, Tyler CR, Young AJ. Social dominance and rainfall predict telomere dynamics in a cooperative arid-zone bird. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:6141-6154. [PMID: 33657651 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
In many vertebrate societies dominant individuals breed at substantially higher rates than subordinates, but whether this hastens ageing remains poorly understood. While frequent reproduction may trade off against somatic maintenance, the extraordinary fecundity and longevity of some social insect queens highlight that breeders need not always suffer more rapid somatic deterioration than their nonbreeding subordinates. Here, we used extensive longitudinal assessments of telomere dynamics to investigate the impact of dominance status on within-individual age-related changes in somatic integrity in a wild social bird, the white-browed sparrow-weaver (Plocepasser mahali). Dominant birds, who monopolise reproduction, had neither shorter telomeres nor faster telomere attrition rates over the long-term (1-5 years) than their subordinates. However, over shorter (half-year) time intervals dominants with shorter telomeres showed lower rates of telomere attrition (and evidence suggestive of telomere lengthening), while the same was not true among subordinates. Dominants may therefore invest more heavily in telomere length regulation (and/or somatic maintenance more broadly); a strategy that could mitigate the long-term costs of reproductive effort, leaving their long-term telomere dynamics comparable to those of subordinates. Consistent with the expectation that reproduction entails short-term costs to somatic integrity, telomere attrition rates were most severe for all birds during the breeding seasons of wetter years (rainfall is the key driver of reproductive activity in this arid-zone species). Our findings suggest that, even in vertebrate societies in which dominants monopolise reproduction, dominants may experience long-term somatic integrity trajectories indistinguishable from those of their nonreproductive subordinates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emma M Wood
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Pablo Capilla-Lasheras
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Dominic L Cram
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Lindsay A Walker
- Geoffrey Pope, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Jenny E York
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Anke Lange
- Geoffrey Pope, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Patrick B Hamilton
- Geoffrey Pope, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Charles R Tyler
- Geoffrey Pope, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Andrew J Young
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Smiley KO, Lipshutz SE, Kimmitt AA, DeVries MS, Cain KE, George EM, Covino KM. Beyond a biased binary: A perspective on the misconceptions, challenges, and implications of studying females in avian behavioral endocrinology. Front Physiol 2022; 13:970603. [PMID: 36213250 PMCID: PMC9532843 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.970603] [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: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
For decades, avian endocrinology has been informed by male perspectives and male-focused research, leaving significant gaps in our understanding of female birds. Male birds have been favored as research subjects because their reproductive behaviors are considered more conspicuous and their reproductive physiology is presumably less complex than female birds. However, female birds should not be ignored, as female reproductive behavior and physiology are essential for the propagation of all avian species. Endocrine research in female birds has made much progress in the last 20 years, but a substantial disparity in knowledge between male and female endocrinology persists. In this perspective piece, we provide examples of why ornithology has neglected female endocrinology, and we propose considerations for field and laboratory techniques to facilitate future studies. We highlight recent advances that showcase the importance of female avian endocrinology, and we challenge historic applications of an oversimplified, male-biased lens. We further provide examples of species for which avian behavior differs from the stereotypically described behaviors of male and female birds, warning investigators of the pitfalls in approaching endocrinology with a binary bias. We hope this piece will inspire investigators to engage in more comprehensive studies with female birds, to close the knowledge gap between the sexes, and to look beyond the binary when drawing conclusions about what is ‘male’ versus ‘female’ biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristina O. Smiley
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Center for Neuroendocrine Studies and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Kristina O. Smiley,
| | - Sara E. Lipshutz
- Biology Department, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Abigail A. Kimmitt
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - M. Susan DeVries
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI, United States
| | - Kristal E. Cain
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Elizabeth M. George
- Biology Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Kristen. M. Covino
- Biology Department, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Capilla-Lasheras P, Harrison X, Wood EM, Wilson AJ, Young AJ. Altruistic bet-hedging and the evolution of cooperation in a Kalahari bird. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabe8980. [PMID: 34550732 PMCID: PMC8457656 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe8980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Altruism is globally associated with unpredictable environments, but we do not understand why. New theory has highlighted that unpredictable environments could favor the evolution of altruism if altruistic acts reduce environmentally induced variance in the reproductive success of relatives (“altruistic bet-hedging”). Here, we show that altruism does indeed reduce environmentally induced reproductive variance in a wild cooperative bird. Our decade-long field study reveals that altruistic helping actually has no overall effect on the mean reproductive success of relatives but instead reduces their reproductive variance. This remarkable pattern arises because helpers improve reproductive performance in dry conditions but reduce it in wet conditions. Helpers thereby specifically reduce rainfall-induced reproductive variance, the very mechanism required for altruistic bet-hedging to explain the enigmatic global association between avian altruism and unpredictable rainfall.
Collapse
|
5
|
York JE, Wells KJ, Young AJ. Dominance-related contributions to collective territory defence are adjusted according to the threat. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
|
6
|
Henderson LJ, Brazeal KR, Hahn TP. Plumage coloration and social context influence male investment in song. Biol Lett 2019; 14:rsbl.2018.0300. [PMID: 30021863 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals use multiple signals to attract mates, including elaborate song, brightly coloured ornaments and physical displays. Female birds often prefer both elaborate male song and intense carotenoid-based plumage coloration. This could lead less visually ornamented males to increase song production to maximize their attractiveness to females. We tested this possibility in the highly social and non-territorial house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), in which females discriminate among males based on both song and on the intensity of red carotenoid-based plumage coloration. We manipulated male plumage coloration through carotenoid supplementation during moult, so that males were either red or yellow. Males were then housed under three social environments: (i) all red birds, (ii) all yellow birds or (iii) a mixture of red/yellow birds. We recorded song after presentation of a female. Red males produced more song than yellow males. But when yellow males were housed with red conspecifics, they produced more song relative to yellow males housed with equally unattractive yellow males. This study provides novel evidence that a male's plumage coloration and the plumage colour of his social competitors influence investment in song.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- L J Henderson
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA .,Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Newcastle University, Henry Wellcome Building, Framlington Place, Newcastle NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Kathleen R Brazeal
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA
| | - Thomas P Hahn
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Frankl-Vilches C, Gahr M. Androgen and estrogen sensitivity of bird song: a comparative view on gene regulatory levels. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2018; 204:113-126. [PMID: 29209770 PMCID: PMC5790841 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1236-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Singing of songbirds is sensitive to testosterone and its androgenic and estrogenic metabolites in a species-specific way. The hormonal effects on song pattern are likely mediated by androgen receptors (AR) and estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), ligand activated transcription factors that are expressed in neurons of various areas of the songbirds' vocal control circuit. The distribution of AR in this circuit is rather similar between species while that of ERα is species variant and concerns a key vocal control area, the HVC (proper name). We discuss the regulation of the expression of the cognate AR and ERα and putative splice variants. In particular, we suggest that transcription factor binding sites in the promoter of these receptors differ between bird species. Further, we suggest that AR- and ERα-dependent gene regulation in vocal areas differs between species due to species-specific DNA binding sites of putative target genes that are required for the transcriptional activity of the receptors. We suggest that species differences in the distribution of AR and ERα in vocal areas and in the genomic sensitivity to these receptors contribute to species-specific hormonal regulation of the song.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Frankl-Vilches
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82319, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Manfred Gahr
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82319, Seewiesen, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|