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Kleindorfer S, Brouwer L, Hauber ME, Teunissen N, Peters A, Louter M, Webster MS, Katsis AC, Sulloway FJ, Common LK, Austin VI, Colombelli-Négrel D. Nestling Begging Calls Resemble Maternal Vocal Signatures When Mothers Call Slowly to Embryos. Am Nat 2024; 203:267-283. [PMID: 38306283 DOI: 10.1086/728105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
AbstractVocal production learning (the capacity to learn to produce vocalizations) is a multidimensional trait that involves different learning mechanisms during different temporal and socioecological contexts. Key outstanding questions are whether vocal production learning begins during the embryonic stage and whether mothers play an active role in this through pupil-directed vocalization behaviors. We examined variation in vocal copy similarity (an indicator of learning) in eight species from the songbird family Maluridae, using comparative and experimental approaches. We found that (1) incubating females from all species vocalized inside the nest and produced call types including a signature "B element" that was structurally similar to their nestlings' begging call; (2) in a prenatal playback experiment using superb fairy wrens (Malurus cyaneus), embryos showed a stronger heart rate response to playbacks of the B element than to another call element (A); and (3) mothers that produced slower calls had offspring with greater similarity between their begging call and the mother's B element vocalization. We conclude that malurid mothers display behaviors concordant with pupil-directed vocalizations and may actively influence their offspring's early life through sound learning shaped by maternal call tempo.
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2
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Jung J, Guo M, Crovella ME, McDaniel JG, Warkentin KM. Frog embryos use multiple levels of temporal pattern in risk assessment for vibration-cued escape hatching. Anim Cogn 2022; 25:1527-1544. [PMID: 35668245 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01634-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Stereotyped signals can be a fast, effective means of communicating danger, but animals assessing predation risk must often use more variable incidental cues. Red eyed-treefrog, Agalychnis callidryas, embryos hatch prematurely to escape from egg predators, cued by vibrations in attacks, but benign rain generates vibrations with overlapping properties. Facing high false-alarm costs, embryos use multiple vibration properties to inform hatching, including temporal pattern elements such as pulse durations and inter-pulse intervals. However, measures of snake and rain vibration as simple pulse-interval patterns are a poor match to embryo behavior. We used vibration playbacks to assess if embryos use a second level of temporal pattern, long gaps within a rhythmic pattern, as indicators of risks. Long vibration-free periods are common during snake attacks but absent from hard rain. Long gaps after a few initial vibrations increase the hatching response to a subsequent vibration series. Moreover, vibration patterns as short as three pulses, separated by long periods of silence, can induce as much hatching as rhythmic pulse series with five times more vibration. Embryos can retain information that increases hatching over at least 45 s of silence. This work highlights that embryo behavior is contextually modulated in complex ways. Identical vibration pulses, pulse groups, and periods of silence can be treated as risk cues in some contexts and not in others. Embryos employ a multi-faceted decision-making process to effectively distinguish between risk cues and benign stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Jung
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
| | - Ming Guo
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Mark E Crovella
- Department of Computer Science, 111 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - J Gregory McDaniel
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, 110 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Karen M Warkentin
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado Postal 0843-03092, Panama, Republic of Panama
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3
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Singh UA, Iyengar S. The Role of the Endogenous Opioid System in the Vocal Behavior of Songbirds and Its Possible Role in Vocal Learning. Front Physiol 2022; 13:823152. [PMID: 35273519 PMCID: PMC8902293 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.823152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The opioid system in the brain is responsible for processing affective states such as pain, pleasure, and reward. It consists of three main receptors, mu- (μ-ORs), delta- (δ-ORs), and kappa- (κ-ORs), and their ligands – the endogenous opioid peptides. Despite their involvement in the reward pathway, and a signaling mechanism operating in synergy with the dopaminergic system, fewer reports focus on the role of these receptors in higher cognitive processes. Whereas research on opioids is predominated by studies on their addictive properties and role in pain pathways, recent studies suggest that these receptors may be involved in learning. Rodents deficient in δ-ORs were poor at recognizing the location of novel objects in their surroundings. Furthermore, in chicken, learning to avoid beads coated with a bitter chemical from those without the coating was modulated by δ-ORs. Similarly, μ-ORs facilitate long term potentiation in hippocampal CA3 neurons in mammals, thereby having a positive impact on spatial learning. Whereas these studies have explored the role of opioid receptors on learning using reward/punishment-based paradigms, the role of these receptors in natural learning processes, such as vocal learning, are yet unexplored. In this review, we explore studies that have established the expression pattern of these receptors in different brain regions of birds, with an emphasis on songbirds which are model systems for vocal learning. We also review the role of opioid receptors in modulating the cognitive processes associated with vocalizations in birds. Finally, we discuss the role of these receptors in regulating the motivation to vocalize, and a possible role in modulating vocal learning.
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4
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Mezrai N, Houdelier C, Bertin A, Calandreau L, Arnould C, Darmaillacq AS, Dickel L, Lumineau S. Impact of natural and artificial prenatal stimulations on the behavioural profile of Japanese quail. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274521. [PMID: 35213895 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
As the sensory systems of vertebrates develop prenatally, embryos perceive many environmental stimuli that can influence the ontogeny of their behaviour. Whether the nature and intensity of prenatal stimuli affect differently this ontogeny remains to be investigated. In this context, this study aimed to analyse the effects of prenatal auditory stimulations (natural stimulations "NS": predator vocalisations, or artificial stimulations "AS": metallic sounds) on the subsequent behaviour of young Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). For that, behavioural variables recorded during ethological tests evaluating emotional and social reactivity were analysed using a principal component analysis. This analysis revealed significant differences between the behavioural profile of stimulated chicks and that of non-exposed chicks. Indeed, chicks exposed to NS expressed more intense emotional responses in fearful situations, but less neophobia in the presence of a novel environment or object, whereas chicks exposed to AS appeared more sensitive to social isolation. Our original results show that the acoustic environment of embryos can influence the way young birds subsequently interact with their social and physical environment after hatching, and face challenges in changing living conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawel Mezrai
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine) - UMR 6552, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Cécilia Houdelier
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine) - UMR 6552, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Aline Bertin
- INRAE, UMR 85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, CNRS, UMR 7247, IFCE, Université F. Rabelais, Nouzilly, France
| | - Ludovic Calandreau
- INRAE, UMR 85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, CNRS, UMR 7247, IFCE, Université F. Rabelais, Nouzilly, France
| | - Cécile Arnould
- INRAE, UMR 85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, CNRS, UMR 7247, IFCE, Université F. Rabelais, Nouzilly, France
| | - Anne-Sophie Darmaillacq
- Normandie Univ, Unicaen, CNRS, EthoS, 14000 Caen, France.,Univ Rennes, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine) - UMR 6552, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Ludovic Dickel
- Normandie Univ, Unicaen, CNRS, EthoS, 14000 Caen, France.,Univ Rennes, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine) - UMR 6552, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Sophie Lumineau
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine) - UMR 6552, F-35000 Rennes, France
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5
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McClelland SC, Reynolds M, Cordall M, Hauber ME, Goymann W, McClean LA, Hamama S, Lund J, Dixit T, Louder MIM, Safari I, Honza M, Spottiswoode CN, Portugal SJ. Embryo movement is more frequent in avian brood parasites than birds with parental reproductive strategies. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211137. [PMID: 34702076 PMCID: PMC8548802 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Movement of the embryo is essential for musculoskeletal development in vertebrates, yet little is known about whether, and why, species vary. Avian brood parasites exhibit feats of strength in early life as adaptations to exploit the hosts that rear them. We hypothesized that an increase in embryonic movement could allow brood parasites to develop the required musculature for these demands. We measured embryo movement across incubation for multiple brood-parasitic and non-parasitic bird species. Using a phylogenetically controlled analysis, we found that brood parasites exhibited significantly increased muscular movement during incubation compared to non-parasites. This suggests that increased embryo movement may facilitate the development of the stronger musculoskeletal system required for the demanding tasks undertaken by young brood parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie C. McClelland
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Miranda Reynolds
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Molly Cordall
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Mark E. Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA
- American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Wolfgang Goymann
- Max-Planck-Institut für Ornithologie, Abteilung für Verhaltensneurobiologie, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 6a, D-82319 Seewiesen, Germany
- Coucal Project, PO Box 26, Chimala, Tanzania
| | - Luke A. McClean
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Silky Hamama
- c/o Musumanene Farm, PO Box 630038, Choma, Zambia
| | - Jess Lund
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Tanmay Dixit
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Matthew I. M. Louder
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | - Ignas Safari
- Max-Planck-Institut für Ornithologie, Abteilung für Verhaltensneurobiologie, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 6a, D-82319 Seewiesen, Germany
- Coucal Project, PO Box 26, Chimala, Tanzania
- Department of Biology, University of Dodoma, PO Box 338, Dodoma, Tanzania
| | - Marcel Honza
- The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Květná 8, 603 65 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Claire N. Spottiswoode
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Steven J. Portugal
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
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6
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Colombelli-Négrel D, Hauber ME, Evans C, Katsis AC, Brouwer L, Adreani NM, Kleindorfer S. Prenatal auditory learning in avian vocal learners and non-learners. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200247. [PMID: 34482722 PMCID: PMC8419567 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding when learning begins is critical for identifying the factors that shape both the developmental course and the function of information acquisition. Until recently, sufficient development of the neural substrates for any sort of vocal learning to begin in songbirds was thought to be reached well after hatching. New research shows that embryonic gene activation and the outcome of vocal learning can be modulated by sound exposure in ovo. We tested whether avian embryos across lineages differ in their auditory response strength and sound learning in ovo, which we studied in vocal learning (Maluridae, Geospizidae) and vocal non-learning (Phasianidae, Spheniscidae) taxa. While measuring heart rate in ovo, we exposed embryos to (i) conspecific or heterospecific vocalizations, to determine their response strength, and (ii) conspecific vocalizations repeatedly, to quantify cardiac habituation, a form of non-associative learning. Response strength towards conspecific vocalizations was greater in two species with vocal production learning compared to two species without. Response patterns consistent with non-associative auditory learning occurred in all species. Our results demonstrate a capacity to perceive and learn to recognize sounds in ovo, as evidenced by habituation, even in species that were previously assumed to have little, if any, vocal production learning. This article is part of the theme issue 'Vocal learning in animals and humans'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Christine Evans
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide 5001, Australia
| | - Andrew C Katsis
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide 5001, Australia
| | - Lyanne Brouwer
- Department of Animal Ecology & Physiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | | | - Sonia Kleindorfer
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide 5001, Australia
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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7
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Schroeder KM, Remage-Healey L. Adult-like neural representation of species-specific songs in the auditory forebrain of zebra finch nestlings. Dev Neurobiol 2021; 81:123-138. [PMID: 33369121 PMCID: PMC7969438 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Encoding of conspecific signals during development can reinforce species barriers as well as set the stage for learning and production of species-typical vocalizations. In altricial songbirds, the development of the auditory system is not complete at hatching, so it is unknown the degree to which recently hatched young can process auditory signals like birdsong. We measured in vivo extracellular responses to song stimuli in a zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) secondary auditory forebrain region, the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM). We recorded from three age groups between 13 days post-hatch and adult to identify possible shifts in stimulus encoding that occur before the opening of the sensitive period of song motor learning. We did not find differences in putative cell type composition, firing rate, response strength, and selectivity across ages. Across ages narrow-spiking units had higher firing rates, response strength, accuracy, and trial-by-trial reliability along with lower selectivity than broad-spiking units. In addition, we showed that stimulus-specific adaptation, a characteristic of adult NCM, was also present in nestlings and fledglings. These results indicate that most features of secondary auditory processing are already adult-like shortly after hatching. Furthermore, we showed that selectivity for species-specific stimuli is similar across all ages, with the greatest fidelity in temporal coding in response to conspecific song and domesticated Bengalese finch song, and reduced fidelity in response to owl finch song, a more ecologically relevant heterospecific, and white noise. Our study provides the first evidence that the electrophysiological properties of higher-order auditory neurons are already mature in nestling songbirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie M. Schroeder
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Luke Remage-Healey
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
- Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
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8
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Long-term effects of prenatal sound experience on songbird behavior and their relation to song learning. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02939-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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9
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Desmedt L, George I, Mohamed Benkada A, Hervé M, Aubin T, Derégnaucourt S, Lumineau S. Maternal presence influences vocal development in the Japanese quail (
Coturnix c. japonica
). Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Desmedt
- Univ Rennes CNRS Normandie Univ EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine) ‐ UMR 6552 Rennes France
| | - Isabelle George
- Univ Rennes CNRS Normandie Univ EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine) ‐ UMR 6552 Rennes France
| | - Aïcha Mohamed Benkada
- Univ Rennes CNRS Normandie Univ EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine) ‐ UMR 6552 Rennes France
| | - Maxime Hervé
- Univ Rennes, INRA Institut de Génétique, Environnement et Protection des Plantes (IGEPP) Rennes France
| | - Thierry Aubin
- Univ Paris Sud Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay (NeuroPSI) Orsay France
| | - Sébastien Derégnaucourt
- Univ Paris Lumière, Univ Paris NanterreLaboratoire Ethologie Cognition Developpement (LECD) Nanterre France
- Institut Universitaire de France Paris France
| | - Sophie Lumineau
- Univ Rennes CNRS Normandie Univ EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine) ‐ UMR 6552 Rennes France
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10
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Hudson EJ, Creanza N, Shizuka D. The Role of Nestling Acoustic Experience in Song Discrimination in a Sparrow. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
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11
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Awareness of danger inside the egg: Evidence of innate and learned predator recognition in cuttlefish embryos. Learn Behav 2020; 48:401-410. [PMID: 32221844 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-020-00424-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Predation can be a very strong selective pressure on prey. Many studies have shown the existence of innate anti-predator responses, mostly in the early developmental stages of juvenile vertebrates. Learning to recognize predators is another possible defensive resource, but such a method involves a high death risk. There is evidence that prenatal learning exists in animals but few studies have explicitly tested for embryonic learning. The aim of this study was to test innate and learned predator recognition in cuttlefish embryos. For this, naïve embryos were exposed to chemical and visual cues emanating from predators, non-predators, and ink. Their response was assessed by measuring their ventilation rate (VR). We first show that VR decreased in response to both visual and chemical predatory cues and ink but not to non-predatory cues. Second, we show that when non-predatory cues (visual or chemical) are paired with predatory cues or ink for several days, embryonic VR significantly decreased. Such a response is likely adaptive, especially in a translucent egg, since it results in reduced movement and hence may lower the risk of detection by visual predators. This freezing-like behavior may also reduce the bioelectric field, thus lessening the predation risk by non-visual foragers. Our results report that cuttlefish embryos had an innate capacity to differentiate between harmless and harmful chemical and visual cues. They were also capable of learning to respond to harmless cues when they were paired with danger (predator or ink) based on conditioning. The combination of these behavioral mechanisms is an example of the early adaptability of cephalopods. Such behavioral plasticity may give the newly hatched cuttlefish a selective advantage when dealing with either known or unfamiliar threats. Nevertheless, more experiments are needed to test the efficiency of the embryos' response faced with known or new predators.
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12
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Wein A, Schwing R, Yanagida T, Huber L. Vocal development in nestling kea parrots ( Nestor notabilis). BIOACOUSTICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2019.1705184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amelia Wein
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Raoul Schwing
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Takuya Yanagida
- Department of Applied Psychology: Work, Education, and Economy, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ludwig Huber
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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13
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Sakata JT, Woolley SC. Scaling the Levels of Birdsong Analysis. THE NEUROETHOLOGY OF BIRDSONG 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-34683-6_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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14
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Turatto M, Dissegna A, Chiandetti C. Context learning before birth: evidence from the chick embryo. Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190104. [PMID: 31266419 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning contextual information to form associative memories with stimuli of interest is an important brain function in both human and non-human animals. Intuitively, one would expect that such a sophisticated cognitive skill develops postnatally, as the organism starts exploring the surrounding environment to search for significant contingencies among stimuli. Here we show, instead, that even before hatching, domestic chicks are capable of forming associative memories between discrete alerting sounds and the surrounding context, as attested by the fact that habituation of the freezing response to the sounds is affected by the context of stimulation. This finding indicates that, while in the egg, chicks recognize and learn the context in which they are stimulated. Hence, context learning in chicks is an innate brain function already active before birth, which can provide an immediate survival advantage to the newborns of this precocial avian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Turatto
- 1 CIMeC - Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento , Italy
| | - Andrea Dissegna
- 2 Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste , Via Licio Giorgieri 5, I-34127 Trieste , Italy
| | - Cinzia Chiandetti
- 2 Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste , Via Licio Giorgieri 5, I-34127 Trieste , Italy
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15
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Fresneau N, Müller W. Flexible communication within bird families-The consequences of behavioral plasticity for parent-offspring coadaptation. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:693-702. [PMID: 30680149 PMCID: PMC6342095 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Offspring are selected to demand more resources than what is optimal for their parents to provide, which results in a complex and dynamic interplay during parental care. Parent-offspring communication often involves conspicuous begging by the offspring which triggers a parental response, typically the transfer of food. So begging and parental provisioning reciprocally influence each other and are therefore expected to coevolve. There is indeed empirical evidence for covariation of offspring begging and parental provisioning at the phenotypic level. However, whether this reflects genetic correlations of mean levels of behaviors or a covariation of the slopes of offspring demand and parental supply functions (= behavioral plasticity) is not known. The latter has gone rather unnoticed-despite the obvious dynamics of parent-offspring communication. In this study, we measured parental provisioning and begging behavior at two different hunger levels using canaries (Serinus canaria) as a model species. This enabled us to simultaneously study the plastic responses of the parents and the offspring to changes in offspring need. We first tested whether parent and offspring behaviors covary phenotypically. Then, using a covariance partitioning approach, we estimated whether the covariance predominantly occurred at a between-nest level (i.e., indicating a fixed strategy) or at a within-nest level (i.e., reflecting a flexible strategy). We found positive phenotypic covariation of offspring begging and parental provisioning, confirming previous evidence. Yet, this phenotypic covariation was mainly driven by a covariance at the within-nest level. That is parental and offspring behaviors covary because of a plastic behavioral coadjustment, indicating that behavioral plasticity could be a main driver of parent-offspring coadaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nolwenn Fresneau
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Research GroupUniversity of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
| | - Wendt Müller
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Research GroupUniversity of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
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16
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Hudson EJ, Hahn M, Shizuka D. Nestling and adult sparrows respond differently to conspecific dialects. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Emily Jane Hudson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Matthew Hahn
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Daizaburo Shizuka
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
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17
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Kleindorfer S, Evans C, Hauber ME, Colombelli-Négrel D. Could prenatal sound discrimination predict vocal complexity later in life? BMC ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1186/s40850-018-0038-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Sheldon EL, Griffith SC. Embryonic heart rate predicts prenatal development rate, but is not related to post‐natal growth rate or activity level in the zebra finch (
Taeniopygia guttata
). Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth L. Sheldon
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Simon C. Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University Sydney New South Wales Australia
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
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19
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Katsis AC, Davies MH, Buchanan KL, Kleindorfer S, Hauber ME, Mariette MM. Prenatal exposure to incubation calls affects song learning in the zebra finch. Sci Rep 2018; 8:15232. [PMID: 30323211 PMCID: PMC6189107 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33301-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Songbirds are important models for understanding the mechanisms and fitness consequences of imitative vocal learning. Although the effects of early-life environmental and social conditions on song learning are well-established, the impact of early sound exposure has received surprisingly little attention. Yet recent evidence hints at auditory sensitivity in songbird embryos, including in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), a classic model species for song learning. Here, we tested whether prenatal exposure to incubation calls-highly rhythmic parental vocalisations produced on the nest-affected song learning in zebra finches. Embryos were exposed in the egg to either incubation (treatment) or contact (control) calls, and after hatching were reared in a large colony. The playback treatment did not affect song complexity nor the accuracy of song copying from the social father, but instead increased learning of non-paternal song syllables. This, in turn, improved males' mounting success in mating trials. These effects may be attributable to changes in juvenile social behaviours, as playback also influenced male behaviour during mating trials. Our study provides the first experimental evidence that prenatal acoustic environment affects song learning and courtship behaviour in songbirds, thereby raising interesting questions on the role of innate versus acquired biases for vocal learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Katsis
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
| | - Mzuri H Davies
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Katherine L Buchanan
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Sonia Kleindorfer
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, 5001, Australia
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Mylene M Mariette
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
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20
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21
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Colombelli-Négrel D, Kleindorfer S. Prenatal environment affects embryonic response to song. Biol Lett 2017; 13:20170302. [PMID: 28814575 PMCID: PMC5582109 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Early environmental enrichment improves postnatal cognition in animals and humans. Here, we examined the effects of the prenatal acoustic environment (parental song rate) on prenatal attention in superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) embryos, the only songbird species with evidence of prenatal discrimination of maternal calls and in ovo call learning. Because both adults also sing throughout the incubation phase, we broadcast songs to embryos and measured their heart rate response in relation to parental song rate and tutor identity (familiarity, sex). Embryos from acoustically active families (high parental song rate) had the strongest response to songs. Embryos responded (i) strongest to male songs irrespective of familiarity with the singer, and (ii) strongest if their father had a high song rate during incubation. This is the first evidence for a prenatal physiological response to particular songs (potential tutors) in the egg, in relation to the prenatal acoustic environment, and before the sensitive period for song learning.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sonia Kleindorfer
- School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, Australia
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22
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Darmaillacq AS, Mezrai N, O'Brien CE, Dickel L. Visual Ecology and the Development of Visually Guided Behavior in the Cuttlefish. Front Physiol 2017; 8:402. [PMID: 28659822 PMCID: PMC5469150 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 05/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cuttlefish are highly visual animals, a fact reflected in the large size of their eyes and visual-processing centers of their brain. Adults detect their prey visually, navigate using visual cues such as landmarks or the e-vector of polarized light and display intense visual patterns during mating and agonistic encounters. Although much is known about the visual system in adult cuttlefish, few studies have investigated its development and that of visually-guided behavior in juveniles. This review summarizes the results of studies of visual development in embryos and young juveniles. The visual system is the last to develop, as in vertebrates, and is functional before hatching. Indeed, embryonic exposure to prey, shelters or complex background alters postembryonic behavior. Visual acuity and lateralization, and polarization sensitivity improve throughout the first months after hatching. The production of body patterning in juveniles is not the simple stimulus-response process commonly presented in the literature. Rather, it likely requires the complex integration of visual information, and is subject to inter-individual differences. Though the focus of this review is vision in cuttlefish, it is important to note that other senses, particularly sensitivity to vibration and to waterborne chemical signals, also play a role in behavior. Considering the multimodal sensory dimensions of natural stimuli and their integration and processing by individuals offer new exciting avenues of future inquiry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Sophie Darmaillacq
- UMR Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Université de Caen-Université de Rennes 1, Normandie Université, Université de Caen Normandie, Team NECCCaen, France
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23
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Wheatcroft D, Qvarnström A. Genetic divergence of early song discrimination between two young songbird species. Nat Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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24
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Superb fairy-wrens respond more to alarm calls from mate and kin compared to unrelated individuals. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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25
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Abstract
Female song is an ancestral trait in songbirds, yet extant females generally sing less than males. Here, we examine sex differences in the predation cost of singing behaviour. The superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) is a Southern Hemisphere songbird; males and females provision the brood and produce solo song year-round. Both sexes had higher song rate during the fertile period and lower song rate during incubation and chick feeding. Females were more likely than males to sing close to or inside the nest. For this reason, female but not male song rate predicted egg and nestling predation. This study identifies a high fitness cost of song when a parent bird attends offspring inside a nest and explains gender differences in singing when there are gender differences in parental care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Kleindorfer
- School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, Australia
| | - Christine Evans
- School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, Australia
| | - Katharina Mahr
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine, Savoyenstrasse 1a, Vienna 1160, Austria
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26
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Grim T. Host Defences Against Brood Parasite Nestlings: Theoretical Expectations and Empirical Evidence. AVIAN BROOD PARASITISM 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-73138-4_29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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27
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Seiter M, Schausberger P. Constitutive and Operational Variation of Learning in Foraging Predatory Mites. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0166334. [PMID: 27814380 PMCID: PMC5096697 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 10/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Learning is widely documented across animal taxa but studies stringently scrutinizing the causes of constitutive or operational variation of learning among populations and individuals are scarce. The ability to learn is genetically determined and subject to constitutive variation while the performance in learning depends on the immediate circumstances and is subject to operational variation. We assessed variation in learning ability and performance of plant-inhabiting predatory mites, Amblyseius swirskii, caused by population origin, rearing diet, and type of experience. Using an early learning foraging paradigm, we determined that homogeneous single prey environments did not select for reduced learning ability, as compared to natural prey-diverse environments, whereas a multi-generational pollen diet resulted in loss of learning, as compared to a diet of live prey. Associative learning produced stronger effects than non-associative learning but both types of experience produced persistent memory. Our study represents a key example of environmentally caused variation in learning ability and performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Seiter
- Group of Arthropod Ecology and Behavior, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Schausberger
- Group of Arthropod Ecology and Behavior, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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28
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O'Brien CE, Mezrai N, Darmaillacq AS, Dickel L. Behavioral development in embryonic and early juvenile cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis). Dev Psychobiol 2016; 59:145-160. [PMID: 27714785 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Accepted: 09/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Though a mollusc, the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis possesses a sophisticated brain, advanced sensory systems, and a large behavioral repertoire. Cuttlefish provide a unique perspective on animal behavior due to their phylogenic distance from more traditional (vertebrate) models. S. officinalis is well-suited to addressing questions of behavioral ontogeny. As embryos, they can perceive and learn from their environment and experience no direct parental care. A marked progression in learning and behavior is observed during late embryonic and early juvenile development. This improvement is concomitant with expansion and maturation of the vertical lobe, the cephalopod analog of the mammalian hippocampus. This review synthesizes existing knowledge regarding embryonic and juvenile development in this species in an effort to better understand cuttlefish behavior and animal behavior in general. It will serve as a guide to future researchers and encourage greater awareness of the utility of this species to behavioral science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin E O'Brien
- Groupe Mémoire et Plasticité Comportementale (GMPc EA 4259), Université de Caen-Normandie, Caen, France
| | - Nawel Mezrai
- Groupe Mémoire et Plasticité Comportementale (GMPc EA 4259), Université de Caen-Normandie, Caen, France
| | - Anne-Sophie Darmaillacq
- Groupe Mémoire et Plasticité Comportementale (GMPc EA 4259), Université de Caen-Normandie, Caen, France
| | - Ludovic Dickel
- Groupe Mémoire et Plasticité Comportementale (GMPc EA 4259), Université de Caen-Normandie, Caen, France
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29
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Pollard AS, Pitsillides AA, Portugal SJ. Validating a Noninvasive Technique for Monitoring Embryo Movement In Ovo. Physiol Biochem Zool 2016; 89:331-9. [PMID: 27327183 DOI: 10.1086/687228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Avian embryos are a commonly used model system for developmental studies, but monitoring of physiological parameters such as heart rate (HR) and movement in ovo poses a challenge to researchers. These are also increasingly common research objectives for ecological and embryo behavior studies in oviparous species. We therefore explored the validity of a new digital egg-monitoring system for the noninvasive monitoring of these parameters. We tested the relationship between frequency-of-movement values gathered by digital monitoring and those gathered by the current standard method, which is comparatively invasive and requires egg windowing, and demonstrated that the digital monitoring method effectively distinguishes individual movements but cannot reliably monitor HR in actively motile embryos. We therefore provide recommendations for the appropriate use of this technique for avian physiologists. We also applied the digital monitoring method to reveal how frequency of movement varies throughout prenatal ontogeny in the chicken and showed that commonly used protocols in developmental studies can themselves alter motility; egg windowing and application of light modulate frequency of movement. Recent work has revealed the importance of embryo motility in regulating gene expression and cellular activity during developmental processes. Together with our data, this highlights the value of noninvasive monitoring methods and the importance of controlling for altered embryo motility/behavior in developmental studies.
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30
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Dowling JL, Colombelli-Négrel D, Webster MS. Kin Signatures Learned in the Egg? Red-Backed Fairy-Wren Songs Are Similar to Their Mother's In-Nest Calls and Songs. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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31
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Effects of nest predation risk on female incubation behavior and offspring growth in great tits. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-1910-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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