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Moussaoui B, Ulmer K, Araya-Salas M, Wright TF. Persistent vocal learning in an aging open-ended learner reflected in neural FoxP2 expression. BMC Neurosci 2024; 25:31. [PMID: 38965498 PMCID: PMC11225193 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-024-00879-8] [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: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most vocal learning species exhibit an early critical period during which their vocal control neural circuitry facilitates the acquisition of new vocalizations. Some taxa, most notably humans and parrots, retain some degree of neurobehavioral plasticity throughout adulthood, but both the extent of this plasticity and the neurogenetic mechanisms underlying it remain unclear. Differential expression of the transcription factor FoxP2 in both songbird and parrot vocal control nuclei has been identified previously as a key pattern facilitating vocal learning. We hypothesize that the resilience of vocal learning to cognitive decline in open-ended learners will be reflected in an absence of age-related changes in neural FoxP2 expression. We tested this hypothesis in the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus), a small gregarious parrot in which adults converge on shared call types in response to shifts in group membership. We formed novel flocks of 4 previously unfamiliar males belonging to the same age class, either "young adult" (6 mo - 1 year) or "older adult" (≥ 3 year), and then collected audio-recordings over a 20-day learning period to assess vocal learning ability. Following behavioral recording, immunohistochemistry was performed on collected neural tissue to measure FoxP2 protein expression in a parrot vocal learning center, the magnocellular nucleus of the medial striatum (MMSt), and its adjacent striatum. RESULTS Although older adults show lower vocal diversity (i.e. repertoire size) and higher absolute levels of FoxP2 in the MMSt than young adults, we find similarly persistent downregulation of FoxP2 and equivalent vocal plasticity and vocal convergence in the two age cohorts. No relationship between individual variation in vocal learning measures and FoxP2 expression was detected. CONCLUSIONS We find neural evidence to support persistent vocal learning in the budgerigar, suggesting resilience to aging in the open-ended learning program of this species. The lack of a significant relationship between FoxP2 expression and individual variability in vocal learning performance suggests that other neurogenetic mechanisms could also regulate this complex behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bushra Moussaoui
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003, USA
| | - Kennedy Ulmer
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003, USA
| | - Marcelo Araya-Salas
- Centro de Investigación en Neurociencias & Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Timothy F Wright
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003, USA.
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2
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Liu Y, Du X, Li G, Liu Y, Li S. Life-History and Ecological Correlates of Egg and Clutch Mass Variation in Sympatric Bird Species at High Altitude. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1303. [PMID: 37887013 PMCID: PMC10604263 DOI: 10.3390/biology12101303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
The variation in egg and clutch mass in sympatric species at high altitudes is poorly understood, and the potential causes of variation are rarely investigated. This study aimed to describe the interspecific variation in avian egg and clutch mass among 22 sympatric bird species at an altitude of 3430 m. Our objective was to reduce potential confounding effects of biotic/abiotic factors and investigated hypotheses concerning allometry, clutch size, parental care, nest predation, and lifespan as possible correlates and explanations for the observed variation. Our findings indicated that both egg and clutch mass evolve with body mass across species. We found that egg mass variation was not explained by clutch size when controlling for allometric effects, which contrasts the "egg mass vs. clutch size trade-off" hypothesis. Additionally, we found that clutch mass was positively associated with parental care (reflected by development period) but negatively associated with predation rate. By substituting egg mass and clutch size into the models, we found that clutch size was significantly correlated with parental care, predation rate, and lifespan, while egg mass was only significantly associated with development period. Overall, these findings support life-history theories suggesting that reduced clutch size or mass is associated with a higher risk of predation, reduced parental care, but longer adult lifespan. Interestingly, our results indicate that clutch size has a greater influence on these factors compared to egg mass. This could be attributed to the fact that smaller clutch sizes result in a more notable decrease in energetic allocation, as they require a reduced effort in terms of offspring production, incubation, and feeding, as opposed to solely reducing egg size. These findings contribute to the growing evidence that life-history and ecological traits correlate with egg and clutch mass variation in sympatric species. However, further research is needed to explore the potential evolutionary causes underlying these patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Yingbao Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, China
| | - Shaobin Li
- College of Life Sciences, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, China
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Dickinson E, Young MW, Tanis D, Granatosky MC. Patterns and Factors Influencing Parrot (Order: Psittaciformes) Success in Establishing Thriving Naturalized Populations within the Contiguous United States. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2101. [PMID: 37443899 DOI: 10.3390/ani13132101] [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: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Parrots (Order: Psittaciformes) represent one of the most striking and ecomorphologically diverse avian clades, spanning more than two orders of magnitude in body size with populations occupying six continents. The worldwide diaspora of parrots is largely due to the pet trade, driven by human desire for bright, colorful, and intelligent animals as companions. Some introduced species have aptly inserted themselves into the local ecosystem and established successful breeding colonies all around the globe. Notably, the United States is home to several thriving populations of introduced species including red-masked parakeets (Psittacara erythrogenys), monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus), nanday conures (Aratinga nenday), and red-crowned amazons (Amazona viridigenalis). Their incredible success globally begs the question as to how these birds adapt so readily to novel environments. In this commentary, we trace parrots through evolutionary history, contextualize existent naturalized parrot populations within the contiguous United States, and provide a phylogenetic regression analysis of body mass and brain size based on success in establishing breeding populations. The propensity for a parrot species to become established appears to be phylogenetically driven. Notably, parrots in the family Cacatuidae and Neotropical Pyrrhua appear to be poor at establishing themselves in the United States once released. Although brain size among Psittaciformes did not show a significant impact on successful breeding in the continental United States, we propose that the success of parrots can be attributed to their charismatic nature, significant intelligence relative to other avian lineages, and behavioral flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Dickinson
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Melody W Young
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Daniel Tanis
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Michael C Granatosky
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
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4
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Domínguez-de-Barros A, Sifaoui I, Borecka Z, Dorta-Guerra R, Lorenzo-Morales J, Castro-Fuentes R, Córdoba-Lanús E. An approach to the effects of longevity, sexual maturity, and reproduction on telomere length and oxidative stress in different Psittacidae species. Front Genet 2023; 14:1156730. [PMID: 37021005 PMCID: PMC10067728 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1156730] [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: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Aging is a multifactorial process that includes molecular changes such as telomere shortening. Telomeres shorten progressively with age in vertebrates, and their shortening rate has a significant role in determining the lifespan of a species. However, DNA loss can be enhanced by oxidative stress. The need for novel animal models has recently emerged as a tool to gather more information about the human aging process. Birds live longer than other mammals of the same size, and Psittacidae species are the most persevering of them, due to special key traits. Methods: We aimed to determine telomere length by qPCR, and oxidative stress status using colorimetric and fluorescence methods in different species of the order Psittaciformes with different lifespans. Results: We found that telomeres shorten with age for both long- and short-lived birds (p < 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively), with long-lived birds presenting longer telomeres than short-lived ones (p = 0.001). In addition, short-lived birds accumulated more oxidative stress products than long-lived birds (p = 0.013), who showed a better antioxidant capacity (p < 0.001). Breeding was found related to telomere shortening in all species (p < 0.001 and p = 0.003 for long- and short-lived birds). Short-lived birds, especially breeding females, increased their oxidative stress products when breeding (p = 0.021), whereas long-lived birds showed greater resistance and even increased their antioxidant capacity (p = 0.002). Conclusion: In conclusion, the relationship between age and telomere length in Psittacidae was verified. The influence of breeding increased cumulative oxidative damage in short-lived species, while long-lived species may counteract this damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angélica Domínguez-de-Barros
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUETSPC), Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Inés Sifaoui
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUETSPC), Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Zuzanna Borecka
- Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Roberto Dorta-Guerra
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUETSPC), Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
- Departamento de Matemáticas, Estadística e Investigación Operativa, Facultad de Ciencias Sección de Matemáticas, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Jacob Lorenzo-Morales
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUETSPC), Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
- Departamento de Obstetricia y Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Sección Medicina, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael Castro-Fuentes
- Departamento de Ciencias Médicas Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud-Sección Medicina, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Elizabeth Córdoba-Lanús
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUETSPC), Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- *Correspondence: Elizabeth Córdoba-Lanús,
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Rössler T, Auersperg AM. Recent developments in parrot cognition: a quadrennial update. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:199-228. [PMID: 36547738 PMCID: PMC9877086 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01733-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Psittacines, along with corvids, are commonly referred to as 'feathered apes' due to their advanced cognitive abilities. Until rather recently, the research effort on parrot cognition was lagging behind that on corvids, however current developments show that the number of parrot studies is steadily increasing. In 2018, M. L. Lambert et al. provided a comprehensive review on the status of the most important work done so far in parrot and corvid cognition. Nevertheless, only a little more than 4 years after this publication, more than 50 new parrot studies have been published, some of them chartering completely new territory. On the 25th anniversary of Animal Cognition we think this warrants a detailed review of parrot cognition research over the last 4 years. We aim to capture recent developments and current trends in this rapidly expanding and diversifying field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Rössler
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria ,grid.10420.370000 0001 2286 1424Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alice M. Auersperg
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Torres Ortiz S, Smeele SQ, Champenois J, von Bayern AMP. Memory for own actions in parrots. Sci Rep 2022; 12:20561. [PMID: 36446997 PMCID: PMC9709151 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25199-x] [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: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to recall one's past actions is a crucial prerequisite for mental self-representation and episodic memory. We studied whether blue-throated macaws, a social macaw species, can remember their previous actions. The parrots were trained to repeat four previously learned actions upon command. Test sessions included repeat trials, double repeat trials and trials without repeat intermixed to test if the parrots repeated correctly, only when requested and not relying on a representation of the last behavioral command. Following their success, the parrots also received sessions with increasing time delays preceding the repeat command and successfully mastered 12-15 s delays. The parrots successfully transferred the repeat command spontaneously at first trial to three newly trained behaviors they had never repeated before, and also succeeded in a second trial intermixed with already trained actions (untrained repeat tests). This corroborates that successful repeating is not just an artifact of intense training but that blue-throated macaws can transfer the abstract "repeat rule" to untrained action. It also implies that an important aspect of self-representation has evolved in this avian group and might be adaptive, which is consistent with the complex socio-ecological environment of parrots and previous demonstrations of their complex cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Torres Ortiz
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, in Foundation, Seewiesen Eberhard-Gwinner-Strasse, 82319 Starnberg, Germany ,Max-Planck Comparative Cognition Research Station, Loro Parque Fundación, Av. Loro Parque, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife Spain
| | - Simeon Q. Smeele
- grid.507516.00000 0004 7661 536XMax Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell Am Bodensee, Germany ,grid.419518.00000 0001 2159 1813Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany ,grid.9811.10000 0001 0658 7699Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Juliette Champenois
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, in Foundation, Seewiesen Eberhard-Gwinner-Strasse, 82319 Starnberg, Germany ,Max-Planck Comparative Cognition Research Station, Loro Parque Fundación, Av. Loro Parque, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife Spain
| | - Auguste M. P. von Bayern
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, in Foundation, Seewiesen Eberhard-Gwinner-Strasse, 82319 Starnberg, Germany ,Max-Planck Comparative Cognition Research Station, Loro Parque Fundación, Av. Loro Parque, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife Spain
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7
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Smeele SQ. Using relative brain size as predictor variable: Serious pitfalls and solutions. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9273. [PMID: 36188504 PMCID: PMC9489487 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a long‐standing interest in the effect of relative brain size on other life history variables in a comparative context. Historically, residuals have been used to calculate these effects, but more recently it has been recognized that regression on residuals is not good practice. Instead, absolute brain size and body size are included in a multiple regression, with the idea that this controls for allometry. I use a simple simulation to illustrate how a case in which brain size is a response variable differs from a case in which relative brain size is a predictor variable. I use the simulated data to test which modeling approach can estimate the underlying causal effects for each case. The results show that a multiple regression model with both body size and another variable as predictor variable and brain size as response variable work well. However, if relative brain size is a predictor variable, a multiple regression fails to correctly estimate the effect of body size. I propose the use of structural equation models to simultaneously estimate relative brain size and its effect on the third variable and discuss other potential methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simeon Q. Smeele
- Cognitive & Cultural Ecology Research Group Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Constance Germany
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8
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Smeele SQ, Conde DA, Baudisch A, Bruslund S, Iwaniuk A, Staerk J, Wright TF, Young AM, McElreath MB, Aplin L. Coevolution of relative brain size and life expectancy in parrots. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212397. [PMID: 35317667 PMCID: PMC8941425 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated a correlation between longevity and brain size in a variety of taxa. Little research has been devoted to understanding this link in parrots; yet parrots are well-known for both their exceptionally long lives and cognitive complexity. We employed a large-scale comparative analysis that investigated the influence of brain size and life-history variables on longevity in parrots. Specifically, we addressed two hypotheses for evolutionary drivers of longevity: the cognitivebuffer hypothesis, which proposes that increased cognitive abilities enable longer lifespans, and the expensive brain hypothesis, which holds that increases in lifespan are caused by prolonged developmental time of, and increased parental investment in, large-brained offspring. We estimated life expectancy from detailed zoo records for 133 818 individuals across 244 parrot species. Using a principled Bayesian approach that addresses data uncertainty and imputation of missing values, we found a consistent correlation between relative brain size and life expectancy in parrots. This correlation was best explained by a direct effect of relative brain size. Notably, we found no effects of developmental time, clutch size or age at first reproduction. Our results suggest that selection for enhanced cognitive abilities in parrots has in turn promoted longer lifespans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simeon Q Smeele
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Dalia A Conde
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Species360 Conservation Science Alliance, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Annette Baudisch
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Simon Bruslund
- Vogelpark Marlow gGmbH, Marlow, Germany.,Parrot Taxon Advisory Group, European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew Iwaniuk
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada
| | - Johanna Staerk
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Species360 Conservation Science Alliance, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Timothy F Wright
- Biology Department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA
| | - Anna M Young
- The Living Desert Zoo and GardensPalm Desert, Palm Desert, CA, USA
| | - Mary Brooke McElreath
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lucy Aplin
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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