1
|
Singh P, Price TD. Evolution of species recognition when ecology and sexual selection favor signal stasis. Evolution 2024; 78:1647-1660. [PMID: 38915289 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpae099] [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: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
The process of reproductive character displacement involves divergence and/or the narrowing of variance in traits involved in species recognition, driven by interactions between taxa. However, stabilizing sexual selection may favor stasis and species similarity in these same traits if signals are optimized for transmission through the prevailing environment. Further, sexual selection may promote increased variability within species to facilitate individual recognition. Here we ask how the conflicting selection pressures of species recognition and sexual selection are resolved in a genus of Himalayan birds that sing exceptionally similar songs. We experimentally show that small differences in two traits (note shape and peak frequency) are both necessary and sufficient for species recognition. Song frequency shows remarkable clinal variation along the Himalayan elevational gradient, being most divergent where species co-occur, the classic signature of reproductive character displacement. Note shape shows no such clinal variation but varies more between individuals of an allopatric species than it does among individuals within species that co-occur. We argue that the different note shapes experience similar transmission constraints, and differences produced through species interactions spread back through the entire species range. Our results imply that reproductive character displacement is likely to be common.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pratap Singh
- Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Trevor D Price
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Veresoglou SD, Xi J, Peñuelas J. Mechanisms of coexistence: Exploring species sorting and character displacement in woody plants to alleviate belowground competition. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14489. [PMID: 39075934 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14489] [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: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Rarely do we observe competitive exclusion within plant communities, even though plants compete for a limited pool of resources. Thus, our understanding of the mechanisms sustaining plant biodiversity might be limited. In this study, we explore two common ecological strategies, species sorting and character displacement, that promote coexistence by reducing competition. We assess the degree to which woody plants may implement these two strategies to lower belowground competition for nutrients which occurs via nutritional (mostly mycorrhizal) mutualisms. First, we compile data on plant traits and the mycorrhizal association state of woody angiosperms using a global inventory of indigenous flora. Our analysis reveals that species in locations with high mycorrhizal diversity exhibit distinct mean values in leaf area and wood density based on their mycorrhizal type, indicating species sorting. Second, we reanalyse a large dataset on leaf area to demonstrate that in areas with high mycorrhizal diversity, trees maintain divergent leaf area values, showcasing character displacement. Character displacement among plants is considered rare, making our observation significant. In summary, our study uncovers a rare occurrence of character displacement and identifies a common mechanism employed by plants to alleviate competition, shedding light on the complexities of plant coexistence in diverse ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stavros D Veresoglou
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jingjing Xi
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Sebastianelli M, Lukhele SM, Secomandi S, de Souza SG, Haase B, Moysi M, Nikiforou C, Hutfluss A, Mountcastle J, Balacco J, Pelan S, Chow W, Fedrigo O, Downs CT, Monadjem A, Dingemanse NJ, Jarvis ED, Brelsford A, vonHoldt BM, Kirschel ANG. A genomic basis of vocal rhythm in birds. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3095. [PMID: 38653976 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47305-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Vocal rhythm plays a fundamental role in sexual selection and species recognition in birds, but little is known of its genetic basis due to the confounding effect of vocal learning in model systems. Uncovering its genetic basis could facilitate identifying genes potentially important in speciation. Here we investigate the genomic underpinnings of rhythm in vocal non-learning Pogoniulus tinkerbirds using 135 individual whole genomes distributed across a southern African hybrid zone. We find rhythm speed is associated with two genes that are also known to affect human speech, Neurexin-1 and Coenzyme Q8A. Models leveraging ancestry reveal these candidate loci also impact rhythmic stability, a trait linked with motor performance which is an indicator of quality. Character displacement in rhythmic stability suggests possible reinforcement against hybridization, supported by evidence of asymmetric assortative mating in the species producing faster, more stable rhythms. Because rhythm is omnipresent in animal communication, candidate genes identified here may shape vocal rhythm across birds and other vertebrates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Sebastianelli
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, PO Box 20537, Nicosia, 1678, Cyprus.
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Box 582, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Sifiso M Lukhele
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, PO Box 20537, Nicosia, 1678, Cyprus
| | - Simona Secomandi
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, PO Box 20537, Nicosia, 1678, Cyprus
| | - Stacey G de Souza
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, PO Box 20537, Nicosia, 1678, Cyprus
| | - Bettina Haase
- Vertebrate Genome Lab, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michaella Moysi
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, PO Box 20537, Nicosia, 1678, Cyprus
| | - Christos Nikiforou
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, PO Box 20537, Nicosia, 1678, Cyprus
| | - Alexander Hutfluss
- Behavioural Ecology, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich (LMU), 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | | | - Jennifer Balacco
- Vertebrate Genome Lab, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | - Olivier Fedrigo
- Vertebrate Genome Lab, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Colleen T Downs
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 3209, South Africa
| | - Ara Monadjem
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Eswatini, Kwaluseni, Eswatini
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag 20, Hatfield, 0028, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich (LMU), 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Erich D Jarvis
- Vertebrate Genome Lab, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Alan Brelsford
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Bridgett M vonHoldt
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Alexander N G Kirschel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, PO Box 20537, Nicosia, 1678, Cyprus.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Gosai KR, Zhou L, Liu Y, Braun EL, Kimball RT, Robinson SK, Jiang A, Goodale E. Investigating flock-associated mimicry: examining the evidence for, and drivers of, plumage mimicry in the greater and lesser necklaced laughingthrush. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:230976. [PMID: 38601036 PMCID: PMC11004677 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230976] [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: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Visual mimicry is less understood in birds than in other taxa. The interspecific social dominance mimicry (ISDM) hypothesis asserts that subordinate species resemble dominant ones to reduce aggression. Plumage mimicry has also been consistently noted in mixed-species flocks (MSFs), suggesting a connection to grouping behaviour, although it is unclear whether this is linked to ISDM. We studied greater necklaced laughingthrush (GNLT, Pterorhinus pectoralis) and lesser necklaced laughingthrush (LNLT, Garrulax monileger), which were recently placed in different genera. Measurements of 162 museum specimens showed LNLT converging in sympatry with GNLT in necklace colour, but diverging in necklace to body ratio, with proportionally smaller necklaces. The species were closely associated in six of seven MSF systems from Nepal to China. In a study of foraging behaviour in Nepal, aggression was rare between the species, LNLT followed GNLT and had lower foraging rates when further from GNLT. Our data suggest a link between this MSF-associated mimicry and ISDM, and that the subordinate LNLT may be the mimic and gain more from the resemblance. The species spend much time together in dense and poorly lit vegetation, where the LNLTs resemblance to GNLTs potentially allows them to forage closer to GNLTs than would be otherwise possible.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kamal Raj Gosai
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi530004, People's Republic of China
- Department of Environmental Science, Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu44600, Nepal
| | - Liping Zhou
- Kunming Natural History Museum of Zoology, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan650223, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong518107, People's Republic of China
| | - Edward L. Braun
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL32611, USA
| | | | - Scott K. Robinson
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL32611, USA
| | - Aiwu Jiang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi530004, People's Republic of China
| | - Eben Goodale
- Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, Jiangsu215123, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Leighton GM, Drury JP, Small J, Miller ET. Unfamiliarity generates costly aggression in interspecific avian dominance hierarchies. Nat Commun 2024; 15:335. [PMID: 38184603 PMCID: PMC10771497 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44613-0] [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: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Dominance hierarchies often form between species, especially at common feeding locations. Yet, relative to work focused on the factors that maintain stable dominance hierarchies within species, large-scale analyses of interspecific dominance hierarchies have been comparatively rare. Given that interspecific behavioral interference mediates access to resources, these dominance hierarchies likely play an important and understudied role in community assembly and behavioral evolution. To test alternative hypotheses about the formation and maintenance of interspecific dominance hierarchies, we employ an large, participatory science generated dataset of displacements observed at feeders in North America in the non-breeding season. Consistent with the hypothesis that agonistic interference can be an adaptive response to exploitative competition, we find that species with similar niches are more likely to engage in costly aggression over resources. Among interacting species, we find broad support for the hypothesis that familiarity (measured as fine-scale habitat overlap) predicts adherence to the structure of the dominance hierarchy and reduces aggression between species. Our findings suggest that the previously documented agonistic hierarchy in North American birds emerges from species-level adaptations and learned behaviors that result in the avoidance of costly aggression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gavin M Leighton
- Department of Biology, SUNY Buffalo State University, Buffalo, NY, 14213, USA.
| | - Jonathan P Drury
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Jay Small
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Eliot T Miller
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Retracted: Tarsier islands: Exploring patterns of variation in tarsier duets from offshore islands of North Sulawesi. Am J Primatol 2023; 85:e23410. [PMID: 35757846 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Retraction: Clink, D. J., Comella, I. A., Tasirin, J. S., & Klinck, H. (2022). Tarsier islands: Exploring patterns of variation in tarsier duets from offshore islands of North Sulawesi. American Journal of Primatology, (https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23410). The above article, published online on 27 June 2022 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor in Chief, Karen Bales, and Wiley Periodicals LLC. The retraction has been agreed due to the fact that the article included data for which there was no data sharing agreement in place.
Collapse
|
7
|
Staniewicz A, Sokołowska E, Muszyńska A, Budka M. Competition for acoustic space in a temperate-forest bird community. Behav Ecol 2023; 34:1043-1054. [PMID: 37969554 PMCID: PMC10636732 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arad075] [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: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals that communicate by acoustic signaling share a common acoustic environment. Birds are particularly vocal examples, using a wide repertoire of broadcast signals for mate attraction and territorial defense. However, interference caused by sounds that overlap in frequency and time can disrupt signal detection and reduce reproductive success. Here, we investigated competition avoidance mechanisms used by the bird community inhabiting a primeval lowland temperate forest in Białowieża, Eastern Poland. We recorded the dawn chorus at 84 locations in early and late spring and calculated dissimilarity indices of the broadcast signals to examine how species with greater song similarities use spatial and temporal partitioning to avoid competition for acoustic space throughout the breeding season. The bird community changed its use of acoustic space throughout the day and season. Birds did not use spatial partitioning of signal space when we looked at recording locations over the whole study period, but they did in a seasonal context, with species more acoustically different than expected by chance recorded at the same point in the same part of the season. Our results also indicate that daily temporal niche partitioning may only occur at certain times before sunrise, with no evidence of large-scale temporal partitioning between species vocalizing during the same 1-min recordings in daytime. These results contribute toward our understanding of the evolution of bird communication and highlight the strategies employed by different species to improve their signal transmission.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Agata Staniewicz
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Emilia Sokołowska
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Adrianna Muszyńska
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Michał Budka
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Barske J, Fuxjager MJ, Ciofi C, Natali C, Schlinger BA, Billo T, Fusani L. Beyond plumage: acrobatic courtship displays show intermediate patterns in manakin hybrids. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
|
9
|
Alcocer I, Lima H, Sugai LSM, Llusia D. Acoustic indices as proxies for biodiversity: a meta-analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:2209-2236. [PMID: 35978471 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
As biodiversity decreases worldwide, the development of effective techniques to track changes in ecological communities becomes an urgent challenge. Together with other emerging methods in ecology, acoustic indices are increasingly being used as novel tools for rapid biodiversity assessment. These indices are based on mathematical formulae that summarise the acoustic features of audio samples, with the aim of extracting meaningful ecological information from soundscapes. However, the application of this automated method has revealed conflicting results across the literature, with conceptual and empirical controversies regarding its primary assumption: a correlation between acoustic and biological diversity. After more than a decade of research, we still lack a statistically informed synthesis of the power of acoustic indices that elucidates whether they effectively function as proxies for biological diversity. Here, we reviewed studies testing the relationship between diversity metrics (species abundance, species richness, species diversity, abundance of sounds, and diversity of sounds) and the 11 most commonly used acoustic indices. From 34 studies, we extracted 364 effect sizes that quantified the magnitude of the direct link between acoustic and biological estimates and conducted a meta-analysis. Overall, acoustic indices had a moderate positive relationship with the diversity metrics (r = 0.33, CI [0.23, 0.43]), and showed an inconsistent performance, with highly variable effect sizes both within and among studies. Over time, studies have been increasingly disregarding the validation of the acoustic estimates and those examining this link have been progressively reporting smaller effect sizes. Some of the studied indices [acoustic entropy index (H), normalised difference soundscape index (NDSI), and acoustic complexity index (ACI)] performed better in retrieving biological information, with abundance of sounds (number of sounds from identified or unidentified species) being the best estimated diversity facet of local communities. We found no effect of the type of monitored environment (terrestrial versus aquatic) and the procedure for extracting biological information (acoustic versus non-acoustic) on the performance of acoustic indices, suggesting certain potential to generalise their application across research contexts. We also identified common statistical issues and knowledge gaps that remain to be addressed in future research, such as a high rate of pseudoreplication and multiple unexplored combinations of metrics, taxa, and regions. Our findings confirm the limitations of acoustic indices to efficiently quantify alpha biodiversity and highlight that caution is necessary when using them as surrogates of diversity metrics, especially if employed as single predictors. Although these tools are able partially to capture changes in diversity metrics, endorsing to some extent the rationale behind acoustic indices and suggesting them as promising bases for future developments, they are far from being direct proxies for biodiversity. To guide more efficient use and future research, we review their principal theoretical and practical shortcomings, as well as prospects and challenges of acoustic indices in biodiversity assessment. Altogether, we provide the first comprehensive and statistically based overview on the relation between acoustic indices and biodiversity and pave the way for a more standardised and informed application for biodiversity monitoring.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Alcocer
- Terrestrial Ecology Group, Departamento de Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin, 2, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, Facultad de Ciencias, Edificio de Biología, 28049, Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 2, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Herlander Lima
- Department of Life Sciences, GloCEE Global Change Ecology and Evolution Research Group, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, 28805, Madrid, Spain
| | - Larissa Sayuri Moreira Sugai
- Terrestrial Ecology Group, Departamento de Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin, 2, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, Facultad de Ciencias, Edificio de Biología, 28049, Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 2, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain.,K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Diego Llusia
- Terrestrial Ecology Group, Departamento de Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin, 2, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, Facultad de Ciencias, Edificio de Biología, 28049, Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 2, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain.,Laboratório de Herpetologia e Comportamento Animal, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Campus Samambaia, CEP 74001-970, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Sebastianelli M, Lukhele SM, Nwankwo EC, Hadjioannou L, Kirschel ANG. Continent-wide patterns of song variation predicted by classical rules of biogeography. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:2448-2462. [PMID: 36124660 PMCID: PMC9826498 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14102] [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: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Physiological constraints related to atmospheric temperature pose a limit to body and appendage size in endothermic animals. This relationship has been summarised by two classical principles of biogeography: Bergmann's and Allen's rules. Body size may also constrain other phenotypic traits important in ecology, evolution and behaviour, and such effects have seldom been investigated at a continental scale. Through a multilevel-modelling approach, we demonstrate that continent-wide morphology of related African barbets follows predictions of Bergmann's rule, and that body size mirrors variation in song pitch, an acoustic trait important in species recognition and sexual selection. Specifically, effects on song frequency in accordance with Bergmann's rule dwarf those of acoustic adaptation at a continental scale. Our findings suggest that macroecological patterns of body size can influence phenotypic traits important in ecology and evolution, and provide a baseline for further studies on the effects of environmental change on bird song.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Alexander N. G. Kirschel
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of CyprusNicosiaCyprus,University of California Los AngelesDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA,Edward Grey Institute, Department of ZoologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Sierro J, de Kort SR, Riebel K, Hartley IR. Female blue tits sing frequently: a sex comparison of occurrence, context, and structure of song. Behav Ecol 2022; 33:912-925. [PMID: 36382229 PMCID: PMC9639586 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In species with mutual mate choice, we should expect adaptive signaling in both sexes. However, the role of female sexual signals is generally understudied. A case in point is female birdsong that has received considerably less attention than male song. This holds even for well-studied species such as the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus), an important model in evolutionary ecology. Although there have been anecdotal reports of female song from three populations, there are no quantitative studies on female song in this species. Here, we report systematic sampling from a population of individually marked blue tits over 3 years, revealing that females sang frequently throughout the sampling period. Notably, daytime singing of females occurred in functionally similar contexts as in males (agonistic, solo song, and alarm contexts) but females had lower song output than males and were not observed singing dawn song, while males showed long singing displays at dawn before copulations take place. Female and male song overlapped substantially in acoustic structure (i.e., same song types or peak frequency) but females had smaller individual song-type repertoires, shorter trills, and lower vocal consistency. Differential selection pressures related to functional differences in male and female song might explain the observed variation in acoustic structure. With the first quantitative study of female song in such a well-studied species, we hope to stimulate further investigations into the functions of female singing, especially in the Northern temperate zones where female song may have been overlooked, not only in this but perhaps in other monomorphic species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Javier Sierro
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, LEC Building, Lancaster, UK
| | - Selvino R de Kort
- Ecology and Environment Research Centre, Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, E437 John Dalton Building, Manchester Campus, Manchester, UK
| | - Katharina Riebel
- Institute of Biology (IBL), Leiden University, Room number 7.4.17, Sylvius Building, Sylviusweg 72, Leiden 2333 BE, The Netherlands
| | - Ian R Hartley
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, LEC Building, Lancaster, UK
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
|
13
|
Robert A, Melo M, Lengagne T, Julien S, Gomez D, Doutrelant C. Patterns of bird song evolution on islands support the character release hypothesis in tropical but not in temperate latitudes. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:1580-1591. [PMID: 34510616 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The character release hypothesis-which predicts that a decline in interspecific competition leads to the expansion of trait expression-remains to be tested for communication signals. Taking advantage of the fact that oceanic islands host fewer species than the mainland, we tested whether island birds show an increase in frequency bandwidth of acoustic signals compared with mainland birds. Given the higher animal diversity and more saturated acoustic space in the tropics, we expected acoustic character release, if any, to be stronger in the tropics than in the temperate zone. We field recorded 22 bird species (11 pairs consisting of an endemic island species and its closest mainland relative) breeding at similar latitudes and in similar habitats: six tropical pairs (São Tomé Island/Mount Cameroon) and five temperate pairs (Madeira Island/southern France). For each species, we measured the degree of acoustic interference experienced when vocalizing and the spectral characteristics of its song (minimum and maximum frequencies, bandwidth). As expected, island species spent more time vocalizing alone, and any overlap in vocalizations involved fewer species. The vocalizations of island species spanned broader frequency bandwidths than their mainland counterparts in the tropics (true for all six pairs), but this pattern was less evident in the temperate region (2/5 pairs with no marked differences and 1/5 with opposite pattern). Overall, the character release of communication signals only occurred where the differential in number of species was large (tropics). We discuss latitude differences and the potential factors driving the observed differences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aloïs Robert
- CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS - Univ. Montpellier - EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | - Martim Melo
- CIBIO Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBio Laboratório Associado, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal.,MHNC-UP Museu de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Thierry Lengagne
- UMR 5023 Université de Lyon, Écologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Université, ENTPE, CNRS, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Sacha Julien
- CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS - Univ. Montpellier - EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | - Doris Gomez
- CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS - Univ. Montpellier - EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Chhaya V, Lahiri S, Jagan MA, Mohan R, Pathaw NA, Krishnan A. Community Bioacoustics: Studying Acoustic Community Structure for Ecological and Conservation Insights. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.706445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The diversity of animal acoustic signals has evolved due to multiple ecological processes, both biotic and abiotic. At the level of communities of signaling animals, these processes may lead to diverse outcomes, including partitioning of acoustic signals along multiple axes (divergent signal parameters, signaling locations, and timing). Acoustic data provides information on the organization, diversity and dynamics of an acoustic community, and thus enables study of ecological change and turnover in a non-intrusive way. In this review, we lay out how community bioacoustics (the study of acoustic community structure and dynamics), has value in ecological monitoring and conservation of diverse landscapes and taxa. First, we review the concepts of signal space, signal partitioning and their effects on the structure of acoustic communities. Next, we highlight how spatiotemporal ecological change is reflected in acoustic community structure, and the potential this presents in monitoring and conservation. As passive acoustic monitoring gains popularity worldwide, we propose that the analytical framework of community bioacoustics has promise in studying the response of entire suites of species (from insects to large whales) to rapid anthropogenic change.
Collapse
|
15
|
Evidence for vocal diversity during physical interference at the perch in sympatric Carollia species (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae): a key to social organization and species coexistence? Zool J Linn Soc 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Vocal diversity might reflect the social organization and sustain the coexistence of cryptic species in sympatry. To test the extent to which vocal behaviour separates sympatric, cryptic species of a bat radiation, we compared vocalizations of genetically confirmed Carollia castanea, Carollia sowelli and Carollia perspicillata emitted by intraspecific dyads of identified individuals during corresponding physical interference interactions at the perch. Video analysis revealed a similar behaviour and interaction time across species. A sonagram-based visual classification of vocalization syllables of uninterrupted frequency–time contour discriminated 21 syllable classes. Class usage and distribution of the four shared classes differed across species. Carollia sowelli emitted the lowest number of classes in total and per interaction across species and displayed a limited number of syllable compositions in bouts. Discriminant analyses of syllables of a common, shared class provided evidence for species distinctiveness and individual-specific signatures. In general, sex did not account for data variability. The present vocalizations combine syllables reported from aggressive and submissive contexts in C. perspicillata and might express experienced ambivalence during interference at the perch. The diversity of vocal behaviour across congeners is discussed as arising from different ecological pressures during allopatric speciation and as an indicator of differences in species social organization.
Collapse
|
16
|
Bennett KFP, Lim HC, Braun MJ. Sexual selection and introgression in avian hybrid zones: Spotlight on Manacus. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:1291-1309. [PMID: 34128981 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Hybrid zones offer a window into the processes and outcomes of evolution, from species formation or fusion to genomic underpinnings of specific traits and isolating mechanisms. Sexual selection is believed to be an important factor in speciation processes, and hybrid zones present special opportunities to probe its impact. The manakins (Aves, Pipridae) are a promising group in which to study the interplay of sexual selection and natural hybridization: they show substantial variation across the family in the strength of sexual selection they experience, they readily hybridize within and between genera, and they appear to have formed hybrid species, a rare event in birds. A hybrid zone between two manakins in the genus Manacus is unusual in that plumage and behavioral traits of one species have introgressed asymmetrically into populations of the second species through positive sexual selection, then apparently stalled at a river barrier. This is one of a handful of documented examples of asymmetric sexual trait introgression with a known selective mechanism. It offers opportunities to examine reproductive isolation, introgression, plumage color evolution, and natural factors enhancing or constraining the effects of sexual selection in real time. Here, we review previous work in this system, propose new hypotheses for observed patterns, and recommend approaches to test them.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin F P Bennett
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.,Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Haw Chuan Lim
- Department of Biology, George Mason University, Manassas, VA, USA.,Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Michael J Braun
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.,Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Tamura N, Boonkhaw P, Prayoon U, Phan QT, Yu P, Liu X, Hayashi F. Geographical variation in squirrel mating calls and their recognition limits in the widely distributed species complex. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03022-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
18
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Love J, Goller F. Processes underlying complex patterns of song trait evolution in a Setophaga hybrid zone. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:7264-7277. [PMID: 34188811 PMCID: PMC8216987 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7559] [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: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
During secondary contact between two species when hybrids are less fit than parents, mating signals are expected to diverge, while aggressive signals are expected to converge. If a single signal trait is used in both mating and aggression, then the dynamics between these two forces could influence the evolutionary trajectory of that trait. We studied such a situation in an avian hybrid zone between two Setophaga species, where birdsong is used in both mate attraction and territory defense. We hypothesized that song modules of the two species will show separate and distinct geographic patterns due to the influence of selective pressures for effective territorial aggression and for effective mate attraction. We conducted geographic cline analyses and playback experiments across this hybrid zone. We found an unexpected geographic pattern of asymmetric introgression of song rhythm, which may be explained by results of the playback experiments that suggest that differences in song rhythm serve a greater role in mate attraction than in territory defense. In contrast, differences in syllable morphology show little evidence of importance in mate attraction or territorial defense. Song features converge in the hybrid zone, yet patterns of trait change suggest that the song production modules may vary in their modes of development and inheritance. Syringeal motor gesturing, which gives rise to syllable morphology, shows a nonclinal mosaic pattern, suggesting that this trait may be predominantly learned. In contrast, respiratory patterning, which forms song rhythm, shows a clinal geographic transition, suggesting that this trait could be more innate. The results indicate that opposing forces act independently on song via distinct modules of the song production mechanism, driving complex patterns of song trait evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jay Love
- University of UtahSalt Lake CityUTUSA
| | - Franz Goller
- University of UtahSalt Lake CityUTUSA
- University of MünsterMünsterGermany
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Prates I, D'Angiolella AB, Rodrigues MT, Melo-Sampaio PR, de Queiroz K, Bell RC. Evolutionary drivers of sexual signal variation in Amazon Slender Anoles. Evolution 2021; 75:1361-1376. [PMID: 33860933 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic variation among populations, as seen in the signaling traits of many species, provides an opportunity to test whether similar factors generate repeated phenotypic patterns in different parts of a species' range. We investigated whether genetic divergence, abiotic gradients, and sympatry with closely related species explain variation in the dewlap colors of Amazon Slender Anoles, Anolis fuscoauratus. To this aim, we characterized dewlap diversity in the field with respect to population genetic structure and evolutionary relationships, assessed whether dewlap phenotypes are associated with climate or landscape variables, and tested for nonrandom associations in the distributions of A. fuscoauratus phenotypes and sympatric Anolis species. We found that dewlap colors vary among but not within sites in A. fuscoauratus. Regional genetic clusters included multiple phenotypes, while populations with similar dewlaps were often distantly related. Phenotypes did not segregate in environmental space, providing no support for optimized signal transmission at a local scale. Instead, we found a negative association between certain phenotypes and sympatric Anolis species with similar dewlap color attributes, suggesting that interactions with closely related species promoted dewlap divergence among A. fuscoauratus populations. Amazon Slender Anoles emerge as a promising system to address questions about parallel trait evolution and the contribution of signaling traits to speciation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Prates
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, 20560.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109
| | | | - Miguel T Rodrigues
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Paulo R Melo-Sampaio
- Departamento de Vertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Kevin de Queiroz
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, 20560
| | - Rayna C Bell
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, 20560.,Herpetology Department, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, 94118
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Hsiao YW, Tseng HY, Nguyen HN, Lin SM. Asymmetric acoustic signal recognition led to asymmetric gene flow between two parapatric frogs. Zool J Linn Soc 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Correct discrimination between courtship signals could help to maintain genetic integrity between closely related species. However, asymmetric usage of signals might cause asymmetric gene flow across the contact zone. Buergeria choui and B. otai are sibling-species with a parapatric distribution pattern in Taiwan, having two narrow contact zones on the east and west sides of the island. Combining behavioural experiments with genome-wide RAD-seq analyses, we test whether the ability of signal recognition influences genetic introgression across their species boundary. The playback experiments show that all B. choui populations respond strongest to their own ‘cricket’ trills, while the western population of B. otai have evolved a strong level of reproductive character displacement by showing the inclusive usage of the unique ‘chicken’ signals. In contrast, the eastern B. otai population uses both ‘chicken’ and ‘cricket’ trills, and has a stronger preference for the latter. The weak reproductive character displacement in the eastern population has led to asymmetry genetic introgression from B. choui toward B. otai. Our results support the prediction that a more specialized signal-user, compared to its sibling, generalized signal-user, might have a higher probability of maintaining their genetic integrity in the secondary contact region.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Wei Hsiao
- School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
| | - Hui-Yun Tseng
- Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
| | - Hung Ngoc Nguyen
- School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
- Department of Zoology, Southern Institute of Ecology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Si-Min Lin
- School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Bat echolocation plasticity in allopatry: a call for caution in acoustic identification of Pipistrellus sp. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03002-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Animals modify their behaviours and interactions in response to changing environments. In bats, environmental adaptations are reflected in echolocation signalling that is used for navigation, foraging and communication. However, the extent and drivers of echolocation plasticity are not fully understood, hindering our identification of bat species with ultrasonic detectors, particularly for cryptic species with similar echolocation calls. We used a combination of DNA barcoding, intensive trapping, roost and emergence surveys and acoustic recording to study a widespread European cryptic species complex (Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus pygmaeus) to investigate whether sibling bat species could exhibit extreme echolocation plasticity in response to certain environmental conditions or behaviours. We found that P. pygmaeus occupied the acoustic niche of their absent congeneric species, producing calls with P. pipistrellus’ characteristic structure and peak frequencies and resulting in false positive acoustic records of that species. Echolocation frequency was significantly affected by the density of bats and by maternity rearing stage, with lower frequency calls emitted when there was a high density of flying bats, and by mothers while juveniles were non-volant. During roost emergence, 29% of calls had peak frequencies typical of P. pipistrellus, with calls as low as 44 kHz, lower than ever documented. We show that automatic and manual call classifiers fail to account for echolocation plasticity, misidentifying P. pygmaeus as P. pipistrellus. Our study raises a vital limitation of using only acoustic sampling in areas with high densities of a single species of a cryptic species pair, with important implications for bat monitoring.
Significance statement
Ultrasonic acoustic detectors are widely used in bat research to establish species inventories and monitor species activity through identification of echolocation calls, enabling new methods to study and understand this elusive understudied group of nocturnal mammals. However, echolocation call signalling in bats is intrinsically different to that of other taxa, serving a main function of navigation and foraging. This study demonstrates an extreme level of plasticity, showing large variation in call frequency and structure in different situations. We showcase the difficulty and limitation in using acoustic sampling alone for bat monitoring and the complications of setting parameters for species identification for manual and automatic call classifiers. Our observations of call frequency variation correlated with density and absence of congenerics provide novel insights of behavioural echolocation plasticity in bats.
Collapse
|
23
|
Sebastianelli M, Blumstein DT, Kirschel ANG. Higher-pitched bird song towards the coast supports a role for selection in ocean noise avoidance. BIOACOUSTICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2021.1879680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Alexander N. G. Kirschel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Kirschel ANG, Nwankwo EC, Pierce DK, Lukhele SM, Moysi M, Ogolowa BO, Hayes SC, Monadjem A, Brelsford A. CYP2J19 mediates carotenoid colour introgression across a natural avian hybrid zone. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:4970-4984. [PMID: 33058329 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
It has long been of interest to identify the phenotypic traits that mediate reproductive isolation between related species, and more recently, the genes that underpin them. Much work has focused on identifying genes associated with animal colour, with the candidate gene CYP2J19 identified in laboratory studies as the ketolase converting yellow dietary carotenoids to red ketocarotenoids in birds with red pigments. However, evidence that CYP2J19 explains variation between red and yellow feather coloration in wild populations of birds is lacking. Hybrid zones provide the opportunity to identify genes associated with specific traits. Here we investigate genomic regions associated with colour in red-fronted and yellow-fronted tinkerbirds across a hybrid zone in southern Africa. We sampled 85 individuals, measuring spectral reflectance of forecrown feathers and scoring colours from photographs, while testing for carotenoid presence with Raman spectroscopy. We performed a genome-wide association study to identify associations with carotenoid-based coloration, using double-digest RAD sequencing aligned to a short-read whole genome of a Pogoniulus tinkerbird. Admixture mapping using 104,933 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified a region of chromosome 8 that includes CYP2J19 as the only locus with more than two SNPs significantly associated with both crown hue and crown score, while Raman spectra provided evidence of ketocarotenoids in red feathers. Asymmetric backcrossing in the hybrid zone suggests that yellow-fronted females mate more often with red-fronted males than vice versa. Female red-fronted tinkerbirds mating assortatively with red-crowned males is consistent with the hypothesis that converted carotenoids are an honest signal of quality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Emmanuel C Nwankwo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Daniel K Pierce
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Sifiso M Lukhele
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Michaella Moysi
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Bridget O Ogolowa
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Sophia C Hayes
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Ara Monadjem
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Eswatini, Kwaluseni, Eswatini.,Department of Zoology & Entomology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
| | - Alan Brelsford
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Weaver SJ, Callaghan CT, Rowley JJL. Anuran accents: Continental-scale citizen science data reveal spatial and temporal patterns of call variability. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:12115-12128. [PMID: 33209274 PMCID: PMC7663080 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals rely on vocal communication for mating advertisement, territorial displays, and warning calls. Advertisement calls are species-specific, serve as a premating isolation mechanism, and reinforce species boundaries. Nevertheless, there is a great deal of interspecific variability of advertisement calls. Quantifying the variability of calls among individuals within a species and across species is critical to understand call evolution and species boundaries, and may build a foundation for further research in animal communication. However, collecting a large volume of advertisement call recordings across a large geographic area has traditionally posed a logistical barrier. We used data from the continental-scale citizen science project FrogID to investigate the spatial and temporal patterns of call characteristics in six Australian frog species. We found intraspecific call variability in both call duration and peak frequency across species. Using resampling methods, we show that variability in call duration and peak frequency was related to the number of individuals recorded, the geographic area encompassed by those individuals, and the intra-annual time difference between those recordings. We conclude that in order to accurately understand frog advertisement call variation, or "anuran accents," the number of individuals in a sample must be numerous (N ≥ 20), encompass a large geographic area relative to a species' range, and be collected throughout a species' calling season.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Savannah J. Weaver
- Australian Museum Research InstituteAustralian MuseumSydneyNSWAustralia
- Department of BiologyBucknell UniversityLewisburgPAUSA
- Centre for Ecosystem ScienceSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUNSW SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
| | - Corey T. Callaghan
- Centre for Ecosystem ScienceSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUNSW SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
- Ecology & Evolution Research CentreSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUNSW SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
| | - Jodi J. L. Rowley
- Australian Museum Research InstituteAustralian MuseumSydneyNSWAustralia
- Centre for Ecosystem ScienceSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUNSW SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Garcia M, Theunissen F, Sèbe F, Clavel J, Ravignani A, Marin-Cudraz T, Fuchs J, Mathevon N. Evolution of communication signals and information during species radiation. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4970. [PMID: 33009414 PMCID: PMC7532446 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18772-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Communicating species identity is a key component of many animal signals. However, whether selection for species recognition systematically increases signal diversity during clade radiation remains debated. Here we show that in woodpecker drumming, a rhythmic signal used during mating and territorial defense, the amount of species identity information encoded remained stable during woodpeckers' radiation. Acoustic analyses and evolutionary reconstructions show interchange among six main drumming types despite strong phylogenetic contingencies, suggesting evolutionary tinkering of drumming structure within a constrained acoustic space. Playback experiments and quantification of species discriminability demonstrate sufficient signal differentiation to support species recognition in local communities. Finally, we only find character displacement in the rare cases where sympatric species are also closely related. Overall, our results illustrate how historical contingencies and ecological interactions can promote conservatism in signals during a clade radiation without impairing the effectiveness of information transfer relevant to inter-specific discrimination.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Garcia
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle ENES/CRNL, CNRS, INSERM, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Étienne, France.
- Animal Behaviour, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Frédéric Theunissen
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, USA
- Department of Psychology and Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Frédéric Sèbe
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle ENES/CRNL, CNRS, INSERM, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Étienne, France
| | - Julien Clavel
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, École Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, Paris, France
- University of Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Andrea Ravignani
- Comparative Bioacoustics Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, 6525 XD, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Thibaut Marin-Cudraz
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle ENES/CRNL, CNRS, INSERM, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Étienne, France
| | - Jérôme Fuchs
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité ISYEB, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Mathevon
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle ENES/CRNL, CNRS, INSERM, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Étienne, France.
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Kirschel AN, Zanti Z, Harlow ZT, Vallejo EE, Cody ML, Taylor CE. Females don't always sing in response to male song, but when they do, they sing to males with higher-pitched songs. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
|
28
|
Fu Q, Lu G, Fu Y, Wang Y. Genetic differentiation between two varieties of Oreocharis benthamii (Gesneriaceae) in sympatric and allopatric regions. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:7792-7805. [PMID: 32760565 PMCID: PMC7391312 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The pattern of genetic differentiation between diverging species receives much attention as one of the key observable features of speciation. It has often been suggested that introgression between closely related species occurs commonly where their distributions overlap, leading to their becoming more morphologically and genetically similar, but there are a few opposite results. However, most of these studies have been carried out with animals and separate species; few have looked at intraspecific cases, especially in plants. Here, we conduct a comparative study on patterns of genetic differentiation among populations of two varieties of Oreocharis benthamii in allopatry and sympatry based on ISSR data for 754 individuals from 26 populations, in order to understand the processes leading to speciation. Contrary to expectations, the facultative xenogamy (mixed mating) species O. benthamii has a relatively low genetic diversity within populations (H = 0.1014, I = 0.1528) and high genetic differentiation among populations (G ST = 0.5867, ФST = 0.659), as is typically found for selfing species. Genetic variance between the two varieties in sympatric populations (44%, ФST = 0.444) is significantly more than that in allopatric populations (14%, ФST = 0.138). Consistent with the taxonomical delimitation of the two varieties, all sampled individuals of O. benthamii clustered into two genetic groups. Moreover, the genetic structures of populations of both varieties are correlated with their different geographical origins. Our studies show that significant divergence between sympatric populations of the two varieties could be attributed primarily to reinforcement by genetic divergent selection in sympatry where secondary contact had occurred. The major proportion of the genetic variation in outcrossing and mixed mating plants may exist among populations when the populations are distributed in fragmented habitats, due to the paucity of suitable habitat combined with inefficient seed dispersal mechanism and limited pollinator foraging area that may limit the gene flow.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiong Fu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant DevelopmentSchool of Life SciencesSouth China Normal UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Guo‐Hui Lu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant DevelopmentSchool of Life SciencesSouth China Normal UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Yu‐Hui Fu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant DevelopmentSchool of Life SciencesSouth China Normal UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Ying‐Qiang Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant DevelopmentSchool of Life SciencesSouth China Normal UniversityGuangzhouChina
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and BiomonitoringSchool of Life SciencesSouth China Normal UniversityGuangzhouChina
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Keesey IW, Grabe V, Knaden M, Hansson BS. Divergent sensory investment mirrors potential speciation via niche partitioning across Drosophila. eLife 2020; 9:e57008. [PMID: 32602834 PMCID: PMC7402680 DOI: 10.7554/elife.57008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The examination of phylogenetic and phenotypic characteristics of the nervous system, such as behavior and neuroanatomy, can be utilized as a means to assess speciation. Recent studies have proposed a fundamental tradeoff between two sensory organs, the eye and the antenna. However, the identification of ecological mechanisms for this observed tradeoff have not been firmly established. Our current study examines several monophyletic species within the obscura group, and asserts that despite their close relatedness and overlapping ecology, they deviate strongly in both visual and olfactory investment. We contend that both courtship and microhabitat preferences support the observed inverse variation in these sensory traits. Here, this variation in visual and olfactory investment seems to provide relaxed competition, a process by which similar species can use a shared environment differently and in ways that help them coexist. Moreover, that behavioral separation according to light gradients occurs first, and subsequently, courtship deviations arise.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ian W Keesey
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology (MPICE), Department of Evolutionary NeuroethologyJenaGermany
| | - Veit Grabe
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology (MPICE), Department of Evolutionary NeuroethologyJenaGermany
| | - Markus Knaden
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology (MPICE), Department of Evolutionary NeuroethologyJenaGermany
| | - Bill S Hansson
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology (MPICE), Department of Evolutionary NeuroethologyJenaGermany
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Kirschel ANG, Seddon N, Tobias JA. Range-wide spatial mapping reveals convergent character displacement of bird song. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20190443. [PMID: 31039717 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A long-held view in evolutionary biology is that character displacement generates divergent phenotypes in closely related coexisting species to avoid the costs of hybridization or ecological competition, whereas an alternative possibility is that signals of dominance or aggression may instead converge to facilitate coexistence among ecological competitors. Although this counterintuitive process-termed convergent agonistic character displacement-is supported by recent theoretical and empirical studies, the extent to which it drives spatial patterns of trait evolution at continental scales remains unclear. By modelling the variation in song structure of two ecologically similar species of Hypocnemis antbird across western Amazonia, we show that their territorial signals converge such that trait similarity peaks in the sympatric zone, where intense interspecific territoriality between these taxa has previously been demonstrated. We also use remote sensing data to show that signal convergence is not explained by environmental gradients and is thus unlikely to evolve by sensory drive (i.e. acoustic adaptation to the sound transmission properties of habitats). Our results suggest that agonistic character displacement driven by interspecific competition can generate spatial patterns opposite to those predicted by classic character displacement theory, and highlight the potential role of social selection in shaping geographical variation in signal phenotypes of ecological competitors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander N G Kirschel
- 1 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus , PO Box 20537, Nicosia 1678 , Cyprus.,2 Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford , South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS , UK
| | - Nathalie Seddon
- 2 Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford , South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS , UK
| | - Joseph A Tobias
- 2 Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford , South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS , UK.,3 Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London , Silwood Park, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY , UK
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Sendell-Price AT, Ruegg KC, Clegg SM. Rapid morphological divergence following a human-mediated introduction: the role of drift and directional selection. Heredity (Edinb) 2020; 124:535-549. [PMID: 32080374 PMCID: PMC7080774 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-020-0298-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Theory predicts that when populations are established by few individuals, random founder effects can facilitate rapid phenotypic divergence even in the absence of selective processes. However, empirical evidence from historically documented colonisations suggest that, in most cases, drift alone is not sufficient to explain the rate of morphological divergence. Here, using the human-mediated introduction of the silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) to French Polynesia, which represents a potentially extreme example of population founding, we reassess the potential for morphological shifts to arise via drift alone. Despite only 80 years of separation from their New Zealand ancestors, French Polynesian silvereyes displayed significant changes in body and bill size and shape, most of which could be accounted for by drift, without the need to invoke selection. However, signatures of selection at genes previously identified as candidates for bill size and body shape differences in a range of bird species, also suggests a role for selective processes in driving morphological shifts within this population. Twenty-four SNPs in our RAD-Seq dataset were also found to be strongly associated with phenotypic variation. Hence, even under population founding extremes, when it is difficult to reject drift as the sole mechanism based on rate tests of phenotypic shifts, the additional role of divergent natural selection in novel environments can be revealed at the level of the genome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashley T Sendell-Price
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.
| | - Kristen C Ruegg
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sonya M Clegg
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Queensland, 4111, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Ord TJ, Garcia-Porta J, Querejeta M, Collar DC. Gliding Dragons and Flying Squirrels: Diversifying versus Stabilizing Selection on Morphology following the Evolution of an Innovation. Am Nat 2020; 195:E51-E66. [DOI: 10.1086/706305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
33
|
Lara C, Curiel‐Durán HA, Castillo‐Guevara C. Coexistence among morphologically similar hummingbird species is promoted via density compensation in a Mexican temperate forest. Ecol Res 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Lara
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Km. 10.5 Autopista Tlaxcala‐San Martín Texmelucan, San Felipe Ixtacuixtla Tlaxcala Mexico
| | - Hugo Antonio Curiel‐Durán
- Maestría en Biotecnología y Manejo de Recursos Naturales. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Km 10.5 Autopista Tlaxcala‐San Martín Texmelucan, San Felipe Ixtacuixtla Tlaxcala Mexico
| | - Citlalli Castillo‐Guevara
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Km. 10.5 Autopista Tlaxcala‐San Martín Texmelucan, San Felipe Ixtacuixtla Tlaxcala Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Newman E, Anderson B. Character displacement drives floral variation in Pelargonium (Geraniaceae) communities. Evolution 2020; 74:283-296. [PMID: 31883274 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Interactions between plant community members are an underexplored driver of angiosperm floral variation. We investigate character displacement as a potential contributor to floral variation in Pelargonium communities. Pelargoniums all place pollen on the ventral sides of their pollinators, potentially leading to interspecific pollen transfer (IPT) in sympatry. We show that the positions of pollen placement and receipt are determined by anther and style exsertion lengths. Using field experiments, we demonstrate that heterospecific species experience higher IPT if they have similar style lengths than when they have greater style length differences. Using crosses, we show that IPT has negative consequences on seed set. In combination, these results suggest that character displacement in style length is likely to reduce IPT and increase female fitness in sympatry. Patterns of style length variation across 29 different Pelargonium communities suggest that character displacement has occurred in multiple communities. Furthermore, analyses using a wide-ranging species pair show that style lengths are more different between sympatric populations than they are between allopatric populations. In addition to pollinators as agents of floral divergence, this study suggests that variation in Pelargonium community structure has driven style length variation through character displacement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ethan Newman
- Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, 7602, South Africa
| | - Bruce Anderson
- Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, 7602, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Kirschel ANG, Nwankwo EC, Seal N, Grether GF. Time spent together and time spent apart affect song, feather colour and range overlap in tinkerbirds. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Most studies on the processes driving evolutionary diversification highlight the importance of genetic drift in geographical isolation and natural selection across ecological gradients. Direct interactions among related species have received much less attention, but they can lead to character displacement, with recent research identifying patterns of displacement attributed to either ecological or reproductive processes. Together, these processes could explain complex, trait-specific patterns of diversification. Few studies, however, have examined the possible effects of these processes together or compared the divergence in multiple traits between interacting species among contact zones. Here, we show how traits of two Pogoniulus tinkerbird species vary among regions across sub-Saharan Africa. However, in addition to variation between regions consistent with divergence in refugial isolation, both song and morphology diverge between the species where they coexist. In West Africa, where the species are more similar in plumage, there is possible competitive or reproductive exclusion. In Central and East Africa, patterns of variation are consistent with agonistic character displacement. Molecular analyses support the hypothesis that differences in the age of interaction among regions can explain why species have evolved phenotypic differences and coexist in some regions but not others. Our findings suggest that competitive interactions between species and the time spent interacting, in addition to the time spent in refugial isolation, play important roles in explaining patterns of species diversification.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander N G Kirschel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Emmanuel C Nwankwo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Nadya Seal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Gregory F Grether
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Demko AD, Sosa-López JR, Mennill DJ. Subspecies discrimination on the basis of acoustic signals: a playback experiment in a Neotropical songbird. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.08.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
|
37
|
Rampant introgressive hybridization in Pogoniulus tinkerbirds (Piciformes: Lybiidae) despite millions of years of divergence. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
|
38
|
Luzuriaga-Aveiga VE, Weir JT. Elevational differentiation accelerates trait evolution but not speciation rates in Amazonian birds. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:624-633. [PMID: 30714311 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Revised: 09/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The importance of ecologically mediated divergent selection in accelerating trait evolution has been poorly studied in the most species-rich biome of the planet, the continental Neotropics. We performed macroevolutionary analyses of trait divergence and diversification rates across closely related pairs of Andean and Amazonian passerine birds, to assess whether the difference in elevational range separating species pairs - a proxy for the degree of ecological divergence - influences the speed of trait evolution and diversification rates. We found that elevational differentiation is associated with faster divergence of song frequency, a trait important for pre-mating isolation, and several morphological traits, which may contribute to extrinsic post-mating isolation. However, elevational differentiation did not increase recent speciation rates, possibly due to early bursts of diversification during the uplift of the eastern Andes followed by a slow-down in speciation rate. Our results suggest that ecological differentiation may speed up trait evolution, but not diversification of Neotropical birds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa E Luzuriaga-Aveiga
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Jason T Weir
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada.,Department of Ornithology, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, ON, M5S 2C6, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
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]
|
40
|
Uy JAC, Irwin DE, Webster MS. Behavioral Isolation and Incipient Speciation in Birds. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2018. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110617-062646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral changes, such as those involved in mating, foraging, and migration, can generate reproductive barriers between populations. Birds, in particular, are known for their great diversity in these behaviors, and so behavioral isolation is often proposed to be the major driver of speciation. Here, we review empirical evidence to evaluate the importance of behavioral isolation in the early stages of avian speciation. Experimentally measured mating preferences indicate that changes in mating behavior can result in premating barriers, with their strength depending on the extent of divergence in mating signals. Differences in migratory and foraging behavior also can play important roles in generating reproductive barriers in the early stages of speciation. However, because premating behavioral isolation is imperfect, extrinsic postzygotic barriers, in the form of selection against hybrids having intermediate phenotypes, also play an important role in avian diversification, especially in completing the speciation process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J. Albert C. Uy
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, USA
| | - Darren E. Irwin
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Michael S. Webster
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Wijesundara CS, Freed LA. Divergence of morphological characters in two white-eye species (Passeriformes: Zosteropidae) in sympatry. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Chaminda S. Wijesundara
- Department of Zoology; Faculty of Science; University of Peradeniya; Peradeniya 20400 Sri Lanka
| | - Leonard A. Freed
- Department of Biology; University of Hawaii at Manoa; 2538 McCarthy Mall, Edmondson 216 Honolulu Hawaii 96822 USA
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Pearse WD, Morales-Castilla I, James LS, Farrell M, Boivin F, Davies TJ. Global macroevolution and macroecology of passerine song. Evolution 2018; 72:944-960. [PMID: 29441527 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2016] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Studying the macroevolution of the songs of Passeriformes (perching birds) has proved challenging. The complexity of the task stems not just from the macroevolutionary and macroecological challenge of modeling so many species, but also from the difficulty in collecting and quantifying birdsong itself. Using machine learning techniques, we extracted songs from a large citizen science dataset, and then analyzed the evolution, and biotic and abiotic predictors of variation in birdsong across 578 passerine species. Contrary to expectations, we found few links between life-history traits (monogamy and sexual dimorphism) and the evolution of song pitch (peak frequency) or song complexity (standard deviation of frequency). However, we found significant support for morphological constraints on birdsong, as reflected in a negative correlation between bird size and song pitch. We also found that broad-scale biogeographical and climate factors such as net primary productivity, temperature, and regional species richness were significantly associated with both the evolution and present-day distribution of bird song features. Our analysis integrates comparative and spatial modeling with newly developed data cleaning and curation tools, and suggests that evolutionary history, morphology, and present-day ecological processes shape the distribution of song diversity in these charismatic and important birds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William D Pearse
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada.,Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada.,Department of Biology and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322
| | - Ignacio Morales-Castilla
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada.,Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada.,Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.,Department of Life Sciences, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares 28805, Spain
| | - Logan S James
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
| | - Maxwell Farrell
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
| | - Frédéric Boivin
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
| | - T Jonathan Davies
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Wilkins MR, Scordato ESC, Semenov GA, Karaardiç H, Shizuka D, Rubtsov A, Pap PL, Shen SF, Safran RJ. Global song divergence in barn swallows (Hirundo rustica): exploring the roles of genetic, geographical and climatic distance in sympatry and allopatry. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Wilkins
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Center for Science Outreach, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Elizabeth S C Scordato
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- Biological Sciences Department, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA, USA
| | - Georgy A Semenov
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Hakan Karaardiç
- Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Education Faculty, Math and Science, Alanya, Turkey
| | - Daizaburo Shizuka
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | | | - Peter L Pap
- Department of Taxonomy and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Sheng-Feng Shen
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Rebecca J Safran
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Lipshutz SE. Interspecific competition, hybridization, and reproductive isolation in secondary contact: missing perspectives on males and females. Curr Zool 2018; 64:75-88. [PMID: 29492041 PMCID: PMC5809030 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zox060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on sexual selection and hybridization has focused on female mate choice and male-male competition. While the evolutionary outcomes of interspecific female preference have been well explored, we are now gaining a better understanding of the processes by which male-male competition between species in secondary contact promotes reproductive isolation versus hybridization. What is relatively unexplored is the interaction between female choice and male competition, as they can oppose one another or align with similar outcomes for reproductive isolation. The role of female-female competition in hybridization is also not well understood, but could operate similarly to male-male competition in polyandrous and other systems where costs to heterospecific mating are low for females. Reproductive competition between either sex of sympatric species can cause the divergence and/or convergence of sexual signals and recognition, which in turn influences the likelihood for interspecific mating. Future work on species interactions in secondary contact should test the relative influences of both mate choice and competition for mates on hybridization outcomes, and should not ignore the possibilities that females can compete over mating resources, and males can exercise mate choice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara E Lipshutz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Division of Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Derryberry EP, Seddon N, Derryberry GE, Claramunt S, Seeholzer GF, Brumfield RT, Tobias JA. Ecological drivers of song evolution in birds: Disentangling the effects of habitat and morphology. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:1890-1905. [PMID: 29435262 PMCID: PMC5792612 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Revised: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental differences influence the evolutionary divergence of mating signals through selection acting either directly on signal transmission ("sensory drive") or because morphological adaptation to different foraging niches causes divergence in "magic traits" associated with signal production, thus indirectly driving signal evolution. Sensory drive and magic traits both contribute to variation in signal structure, yet we have limited understanding of the relative role of these direct and indirect processes during signal evolution. Using phylogenetic analyses across 276 species of ovenbirds (Aves: Furnariidae), we compared the extent to which song evolution was related to the direct influence of habitat characteristics and the indirect effect of body size and beak size, two potential magic traits in birds. We find that indirect ecological selection, via diversification in putative magic traits, explains variation in temporal, spectral, and performance features of song. Body size influences song frequency, whereas beak size limits temporal and performance components of song. In comparison, direct ecological selection has weaker and more limited effects on song structure. Our results illustrate the importance of considering multiple deterministic processes in the evolution of mating signals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Perrault Derryberry
- Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological SciencesLouisiana State UniversityBaton RougeLAUSA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyTulane UniversityNew OrleansLAUSA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of TennesseeKnoxvilleTNUSA
| | - Nathalie Seddon
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Graham Earnest Derryberry
- Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological SciencesLouisiana State UniversityBaton RougeLAUSA
| | - Santiago Claramunt
- Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological SciencesLouisiana State UniversityBaton RougeLAUSA
- Department of Natural HistoryRoyal Ontario MuseumTorontoONCanada
| | - Glenn Fairbanks Seeholzer
- Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological SciencesLouisiana State UniversityBaton RougeLAUSA
- Department of OrnithologyAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
| | - Robb Thomas Brumfield
- Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological SciencesLouisiana State UniversityBaton RougeLAUSA
| | - Joseph Andrew Tobias
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Department of Life SciencesImperial College LondonLondonUK
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Nwankwo EC, Pallari CT, Hadjioannou L, Ioannou A, Mulwa RK, Kirschel ANG. Rapid song divergence leads to discordance between genetic distance and phenotypic characters important in reproductive isolation. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:716-731. [PMID: 29321908 PMCID: PMC5756877 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The criteria for species delimitation in birds have long been debated, and several recent studies have proposed new methods for such delimitation. On one side, there is a large consensus of investigators who believe that the only evidence that can be used to delimit species is molecular phylogenetics, and with increasing numbers of markers to gain better support, whereas on the other, there are investigators adopting alternative approaches based largely on phenotypic differences, including in morphology and communication signals. Yet, these methods have little to say about rapid differentiation in specific traits shown to be important in reproductive isolation. Here, we examine variation in phenotypic (morphology, plumage, and song) and genotypic (mitochondrial and nuclear DNA) traits among populations of yellow-rumped tinkerbird Pogoniulus bilineatus in East Africa. Strikingly, song divergence between the P. b. fischeri subspecies from Kenya and Zanzibar and P. b. bilineatus from Tanzania is discordant with genetic distance, having occurred over a short time frame, and playback experiments show that adjacent populations of P. b. bilineatus and P. b. fischeri do not recognize one another's songs. While such rapid divergence might suggest a founder effect following invasion of Zanzibar, molecular evidence suggests otherwise, with insular P. b. fischeri nested within mainland P. b. fischeri. Populations from the Eastern Arc Mountains are genetically more distant, yet share the same song with P. b. bilineatus from Coastal Tanzania and Southern Africa, suggesting they would interbreed. We believe investigators ought to examine potentially rapid divergence in traits important in species recognition and sexual selection when delimiting species, rather than relying entirely on arbitrary quantitative characters or molecular markers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Andreas Ioannou
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of CyprusNicosiaCyprus
| | - Ronald K. Mulwa
- Ornithology Section, Zoology DepartmentNational Museums of KenyaNairobiKenya
| | - Alexander N. G. Kirschel
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of CyprusNicosiaCyprus
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Kitchen DM, Bergman TJ, Dias PAD, Ho L, Canales-Espinosa D, Cortés-Ortiz L. Temporal but Not Acoustic Plasticity in Hybrid Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata × A. pigra) Loud Calls. INT J PRIMATOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-017-0004-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
48
|
Zhen Y, Harrigan RJ, Ruegg KC, Anderson EC, Ng TC, Lao S, Lohmueller KE, Smith TB. Genomic divergence across ecological gradients in the Central African rainforest songbird (Andropadus virens). Mol Ecol 2017; 26:4966-4977. [PMID: 28752944 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The little greenbul, a common rainforest passerine from sub-Saharan Africa, has been the subject of long-term evolutionary studies to understand the mechanisms leading to rainforest speciation. Previous research found morphological and behavioural divergence across rainforest-savannah transition zones (ecotones), and a pattern of divergence with gene flow suggesting divergent natural selection has contributed to adaptive divergence and ecotones could be important areas for rainforests speciation. Recent advances in genomics and environmental modelling make it possible to examine patterns of genetic divergence in a more comprehensive fashion. To assess the extent to which natural selection may drive patterns of differentiation, here we investigate patterns of genomic differentiation among populations across environmental gradients and regions. We find compelling evidence that individuals form discrete genetic clusters corresponding to distinctive environmental characteristics and habitat types. Pairwise FST between populations in different habitats is significantly higher than within habitats, and this differentiation is greater than what is expected from geographic distance alone. Moreover, we identified 140 SNPs that showed extreme differentiation among populations through a genomewide selection scan. These outliers were significantly enriched in exonic and coding regions, suggesting their functional importance. Environmental association analysis of SNP variation indicates that several environmental variables, including temperature and elevation, play important roles in driving the pattern of genomic diversification. Results lend important new genomic evidence for environmental gradients being important in population differentiation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Center for Tropical Research, Institute of Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ryan J Harrigan
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kristen C Ruegg
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Eric C Anderson
- Fisheries Ecology Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Thomas C Ng
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Sirena Lao
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kirk E Lohmueller
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Thomas B Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Center for Tropical Research, Institute of Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Symes LB, Rodríguez RL, Höbel G. Beyond temperature coupling: Effects of temperature on ectotherm signaling and mate choice and the implications for communication in multispecies assemblages. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:5992-6002. [PMID: 28811890 PMCID: PMC5552914 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Revised: 01/15/2017] [Accepted: 01/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Many organisms share communication channels, generating complex signaling environments that increase the risk of signal interference. Variation in abiotic conditions, such as temperature, may further exacerbate signal interference, particularly in ectotherms. We tested the effects of temperature on the pulse rate of male signals in a community of Oecanthus tree crickets, and for one focal species we also assessed its effect on female pulse rate preferences and motivation to seek mates. We confirm prior findings of temperature-dependent signals that result in increasing signal similarity at lower temperatures. Temperature also affected several aspects of female preferences: The preferred pulse rate value was temperature dependent, and nearly perfectly coupled with signal pulse rate; the range of pulse rate values that females found attractive also increased with temperature. By contrast, the motivation of females to perform phonotaxis was unaffected by temperature. Thus, at lower temperatures the signals of closely related species were more similar and females more discriminating. However, because signal similarity increased more strongly than female discrimination, signal interference and the likelihood of mismating may increase as temperatures drop. We suggest that a community approach will be useful for understanding the role of environmental variability in the evolution of communication systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laurel B. Symes
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of WisconsinMilwaukeeWIUSA
- Department of Biological SciencesDartmouth CollegeHanoverNHUSA
| | | | - Gerlinde Höbel
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of WisconsinMilwaukeeWIUSA
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Purushotham CB, Robin VV. Sky island bird populations isolated by ancient genetic barriers are characterized by different song traits than those isolated by recent deforestation. Ecol Evol 2017; 6:7334-7343. [PMID: 28725401 PMCID: PMC5513277 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 08/19/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Various mechanisms of isolation can structure populations and result in cultural and genetic differentiation. Similar to genetic markers, for songbirds, culturally transmitted sexual signals such as breeding song can be used as a measure of differentiation as songs can also be impacted by geographic isolation resulting in population‐level differences in song structure. Several studies have found differences in song structure either across ancient geographic barriers or across contemporary habitat barriers owing to deforestation. However, very few studies have examined the effect of both ancient barriers and recent deforestation in the same system. In this study, we examined the geographic variation in song structure across six populations of the White‐bellied Shortwing, a threatened and endemic songbird species complex found on isolated mountaintops or “sky islands” of the Western Ghats. While some sky islands in the system are isolated by ancient valleys, others are separated by deforestation. We examined 14 frequency and temporal spectral traits and two syntax traits from 835 songs of 38 individuals across the six populations. We identified three major song clusters based on a discriminant model of spectral traits, degree of similarity of syntax features, as well as responses of birds to opportunistic playback. However, some traits like complex vocal mechanisms (CVM), relating to the use of syrinxes, clearly differentiated both ancient and recently fragmented populations. We suggest that CVMs may have a cultural basis and can be used to identify culturally isolated populations that cannot be differentiated using genetic markers or commonly used frequency‐based song traits. Our results demonstrate the use of bird songs to reconstruct phylogenetic groups and impacts of habitat fragmentation even in complex scenarios of historic and contemporary isolation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chetana B Purushotham
- National Institute of Advanced Studies Indian Institute of Science Campus Bangalore India
| | - V V Robin
- National Institute of Advanced Studies Indian Institute of Science Campus Bangalore India.,Present address: V. V. Robin, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Tirupati Tirupati India
| |
Collapse
|