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Bell MA, Lim G, Caldwell C, Emlen DJ, Swanson BO. Rhinoceros beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomus) cuticular hydrocarbons contain information about body size and sex. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0299796. [PMID: 38483942 PMCID: PMC10939270 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Japanese rhinoceros beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomus) males have exaggerated horns that are used to compete for territories. Larger males with larger horns tend to win these competitions, giving them access to females. Agonistic interactions include what appears to be assessment and often end without escalating to physical combat. However, it is unknown what information competitors use to assess each other. In many insect species chemical signals can carry a range of information, including social position, nutritional state, morphology, and sex. Specifically, cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), which are waxes excreted on the surface of insect exoskeletons, can communicate a variety of information. Here, we asked whether CHCs in rhinoceros beetles carry information about sex, body size, and condition that could be used by males during assessment behavior. Multivariate analysis of hydrocarbon composition revealed patterns associated with both sex and body size. We suggest that Rhinoceros beetles could be communicating information through CHCs that would explain behavioral decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micah A. Bell
- Department of Biology, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, United States of America
| | - Garrett Lim
- Department of Biology, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, United States of America
| | - Chelsey Caldwell
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Douglas J. Emlen
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Brook O. Swanson
- Department of Biology, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, United States of America
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2
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Moyaho A, Salazar-Bautista JL, Beristain-Castillo E, Amira FU. Iridescent scales signal male fighting ability to access females in the jewelled splitfin Xenotoca variata. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2023; 102:794-802. [PMID: 36648014 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Jewelled splitfin males (Xenotoca variata) possess multi-colour iridescent scales (speckles) on the flanks. This study tested the hypothesis that the number of speckles could be a good proxy for predicting fighting ability in contests for access to females. The experiments consisted in observing and recording males' agonistic behaviour, courtship displays and mating attempts in mixed-sex groups. The data were analysed and presented based on a Bayesian approach, which revealed that the density (cm-2 ) of speckles was positively correlated with the increase observed in the proportional frequency of attacks. Similarly, the density of speckles was positively associated with the increase observed in the frequency of courtship behaviour and with the frequency of mating attempts. Male-male aggressions drastically diminished (by eightfold) when females were removed from the observation tanks. These results indicate that the number of speckles is a consistent predictor of successful access to females and therefore, speckled males are likely to be able to gain more mating opportunities. This finding highlights the ubiquitous role iridescent colours play in visual signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Moyaho
- Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Ciudad Universitaria, Puebla, Mexico
| | - José Luis Salazar-Bautista
- Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Ciudad Universitaria, Puebla, Mexico
| | | | - Flores-Urbina Amira
- Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Ciudad Universitaria, Puebla, Mexico
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3
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NÓBREGA RAFAELLAL, MAIA ARTURC, LIMA CARLAHELENAMDE, FELIX KAROLINAELLENS, SOUZA THAMYRYSBDE, PONTES WENDELJOSÉT. Behavioral traits and sexual recognition: multiple signaling in the reproductive behavior of Cyclocephala distincta (Melolonthidae, Cyclocephalini). AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2022; 94:e20200694. [DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202220200694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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Dutta R, Chechi TS, Yadav A, Prasad NG. Indirect selection on cuticular hydrocarbon divergence in
Drosophila melanogaster
populations evolving under different operational sex ratios. J Zool (1987) 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- R. Dutta
- Department of Biological Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali India
| | - T. S. Chechi
- Department of Biological Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali India
| | - A. Yadav
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali India
| | - N. G. Prasad
- Department of Biological Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali India
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5
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Cuticular hydrocarbons are associated with mating success and insecticide resistance in malaria vectors. Commun Biol 2021; 4:911. [PMID: 34312484 PMCID: PMC8313523 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02434-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Anopheles coluzzii females, important malaria vectors in Africa, mate only once in their lifetime. Mating occurs in aerial swarms with a high male-to-female ratio, where traits underlying male mating success are largely unknown. Here, we investigated whether cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) influence mating success in natural mating swarms in Burkina Faso. As insecticides are widely used in this area for malaria control, we also determined whether CHCs affect insecticide resistance levels. We find that mated males have higher CHC abundance than unmated controls, suggesting CHCs could be determinants of mating success. Additionally, mated males have higher insecticide resistance under pyrethroid challenge, and we show a link between resistance intensity and CHC abundance. Taken together, our results suggest that CHC abundance may be subject to sexual selection in addition to selection by insecticide pressure. This has implications for insecticide resistance management, as these traits may be sustained in the population due to their benefits in mating even in the absence of insecticides. In this study, Adams et al. investigate the effect of cuticular hydrocarbons on mating success in natural mosquito mating swarms. These hydrocarbons confer both higher mating success and increased resistance to pyrethroid, suggesting sexual selection for insecticide resistance in this population secondary to mating success.
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Pham HT, McNamara KB, Elgar MA. Age-dependent chemical signalling and its consequences for mate attraction in the gumleaf skeletonizer moth, Uraba lugens. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.12.010] [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]
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7
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Berson JD, Zuk M, Simmons LW. Natural and sexual selection on cuticular hydrocarbons: a quantitative genetic analysis. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20190677. [PMID: 31064302 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
While the reproductive benefits of sexual displays have been widely studied, we have relatively limited evidence of the fitness costs associated with most display traits. Insect cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles are sexually selected traits that also protect against desiccation. These two functions are thought to oppose each other, with investment in particular compounds believed to increase attractiveness at the expense of compounds that protect against water loss. We investigated this potential trade-off in a quantitative genetic framework using the Australian field cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus. Several compounds were significantly genetically correlated with either attractiveness or desiccation resistance. Of these compounds, one was negatively genetically correlated with attractiveness but positively genetically correlated with desiccation resistance. Furthermore, scoring each individual's overall CHC profile for its level of attractiveness and desiccation resistance indicated a negative genetic correlation between these multivariate phenotypes. Together, our results provide evidence for a genetic trade-off between sexually and naturally selected functions of the CHC profile. We suggest that the production of an attractive CHC profile may be costly for males, but highlight the need for further work to support this finding experimentally. Genetic covariation between the CHC profile and attractiveness suggests that females can gain attractive sons through female choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob D Berson
- 1 Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia , Crawley, Western Australia 6009 , Australia
| | - Marlene Zuk
- 2 Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, and Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Minnesota , Twin Cities, St Paul, MN 55108 , USA
| | - Leigh W Simmons
- 1 Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia , Crawley, Western Australia 6009 , Australia
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Berson JD, Garcia-Gonzalez F, Simmons LW. Experimental evidence for the role of sexual selection in the evolution of cuticular hydrocarbons in the dung beetle, Onthophagus taurus. J Evol Biol 2019; 32:1186-1193. [PMID: 31420906 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A role for sexual selection in the evolution of insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) is suggested by observations of selection acting on male CHCs during female mate choice. However, evidence that CHCs evolve in response to sexual selection is generally lacking, and there is a need to extend our understanding beyond well-studied taxa. Experimental evolution offers a powerful approach to investigate the effect of sexual selection on the evolution of insect CHCs. We conducted such an experiment using the dung beetle, Onthophagus taurus. After six, 12 and 21 generations of experimental evolution, we measured the CHCs of beetles from three populations subject to sexual selection and three populations within which sexual selection had been removed via enforced monogamy. We found that the male CHC profile responded to the experimental removal of sexual selection. Conversely, the CHC profile of females responded to the presence of sexual selection but not to its removal. These results show that sexual selection can be an important mechanism affecting the evolution of insect CHCs and that male and female CHCs can evolve independently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob D Berson
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Francisco Garcia-Gonzalez
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.,Doñana Biological Station, Spanish Research Council CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Leigh W Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
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Qureshi A, Aldersley A, Hollis B, Ponlawat A, Cator LJ. Male competition and the evolution of mating and life-history traits in experimental populations of Aedes aegypti. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190591. [PMID: 31185872 PMCID: PMC6571471 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Aedes aegypti is an important disease vector and a major target of reproductive control efforts. We manipulated the opportunity for sexual selection in populations of Ae. aegypti by controlling the number of males competing for a single female. Populations exposed to higher levels of male competition rapidly evolved higher male competitive mating success relative to populations evolved in the absence of competition, with an evolutionary response visible after only five generations. We also detected correlated evolution in other important mating and life-history traits, such as acoustic signalling, fecundity and body size. Our results indicate that there is ample segregating variation for determinants of male mating competitiveness in wild populations and that increased male mating success trades-off with other important life-history traits. The mating conditions imposed on laboratory-reared mosquitoes are likely a significant determinant of male mating success in populations destined for release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alima Qureshi
- 1 Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London , Silwood Park, Ascot SL5 7PY , UK
| | - Andrew Aldersley
- 1 Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London , Silwood Park, Ascot SL5 7PY , UK
| | - Brian Hollis
- 2 School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , Lausanne , Switzerland
| | - Alongkot Ponlawat
- 3 Department of Entomology, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences , Bangkok 10400 , Thailand
| | - Lauren J Cator
- 1 Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London , Silwood Park, Ascot SL5 7PY , UK
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House CM, Rapkin J, Hunt J, Hosken DJ. Operational sex ratio and density predict the potential for sexual selection in the broad-horned beetle. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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11
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Pereira Martins AR, Duarte M, Robbins RK. Hairstreak butterflies (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) and evolution of their male secondary sexual organs. Cladistics 2019; 35:173-197. [PMID: 34633721 DOI: 10.1111/cla.12355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Hairstreak butterflies in the Atlides Section of the Eumaeini are biologically notable for a diverse array of male secondary sexual organs. A "species recognition" hypothesis postulates that females use these organs to choose between conspecific and non-conspecific males, thereby promoting reproductive isolation. Alternately, a "sexual selection" hypothesis posits that females use these organs to choose among conspecific males. These hypotheses need not be mutually exclusive but make different predictions about the evolutionary gain and loss of male secondary sexual organs. We analysed most of the Atlides Section (Theclinae, Eumaeini) phylogenetically. Sister lineages were sympatric at 22 of 37 nodes. Nine evolutionary gains occurred in lineages that were sympatric with their phylogenetic sister, and one occurred in a lineage that was allopatric/parapatric with its sister. By contrast, seven of ten evolutionary losses occurred in lineages that were allopatric/parapatric with their sisters. These results are significantly different from those predicted by a sexual selection hypothesis. We conclude that male secondary sexual organs in the Atlides Section function primarily for species recognition and thereby promote sympatric diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ananda Regina Pereira Martins
- Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Nazaré 481, Ipiranga, 04263-000, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department of Biology, Redpath Museum, McGill University, 859 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Québec, H3A 0C4, Canada
| | - Marcelo Duarte
- Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Nazaré 481, Ipiranga, 04263-000, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Robert K Robbins
- Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, NHB Stop 105, PO Box 37012, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA
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Isa M, Kumano N, Tatsuta H. When a male perceives a female: the effect of waxy components on the body surface on decision-making in the invasive pest weevil. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:181542. [PMID: 30891277 PMCID: PMC6408394 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Insects use various semiochemicals for sexual communication and mate recognition; these can therefore be used to govern the behaviours of harmful pest species, and several candidate chemicals have been explored for this purpose. For the West Indian sweet potato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus, which is one of the most serious pests of sweet potato, no effective capture techniques, such as sex pheromone lures, exist. Toward exploring promising procedures for monitoring these weevils, we assessed the effect of secretions on the body surface on the recognition of congeners and on courtship behaviour in the weevils. Our study clearly demonstrated that weevils responded to extracts from the body surface, and the behaviour adopted by the weevils varied significantly depending on the condition of the extracts. Furthermore, we found a significantly prolonged retention time for males on glass beads covered with extracts of females based on survival analysis. These findings are, as far as we are aware, the first to show the effect of lipid components of the body surface on decision-making in these economically important pest weevils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mutsumi Isa
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 9030213, Japan
| | - Norikuni Kumano
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido 0808555, Japan
| | - Haruki Tatsuta
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 9030213, Japan
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-8580, Japan
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13
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Berson JD, Simmons LW. A costly chemical trait: phenotypic condition dependence of cuticular hydrocarbons in a dung beetle. J Evol Biol 2018; 31:1772-1781. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jacob D. Berson
- School of Biological Sciences Centre for Evolutionary Biology The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
| | - Leigh W. Simmons
- School of Biological Sciences Centre for Evolutionary Biology The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
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14
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Berson JD, Simmons LW. Sexual selection across sensory modalities: female choice of male behavioral and gustatory displays. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jacob D Berson
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Leigh W Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
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Reichert MS, Höbel G. Phenotypic integration and the evolution of signal repertoires: A case study of treefrog acoustic communication. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:3410-3429. [PMID: 29607035 PMCID: PMC5869261 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Revised: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal signals are inherently complex phenotypes with many interacting parts combining to elicit responses from receivers. The pattern of interrelationships between signal components reflects the extent to which each component is expressed, and responds to selection, either in concert with or independently of others. Furthermore, many species have complex repertoires consisting of multiple signal types used in different contexts, and common morphological and physiological constraints may result in interrelationships extending across the multiple signals in species' repertoires. The evolutionary significance of interrelationships between signal traits can be explored within the framework of phenotypic integration, which offers a suite of quantitative techniques to characterize complex phenotypes. In particular, these techniques allow for the assessment of modularity and integration, which describe, respectively, the extent to which sets of traits covary either independently or jointly. Although signal and repertoire complexity are thought to be major drivers of diversification and social evolution, few studies have explicitly measured the phenotypic integration of signals to investigate the evolution of diverse communication systems. We applied methods from phenotypic integration studies to quantify integration in the two primary vocalization types (advertisement and aggressive calls) in the treefrogs Hyla versicolor, Hyla cinerea, and Dendropsophus ebraccatus. We recorded male calls and calculated standardized phenotypic variance-covariance (P) matrices for characteristics within and across call types. We found significant integration across call types, but the strength of integration varied by species and corresponded with the acoustic similarity of the call types within each species. H. versicolor had the most modular advertisement and aggressive calls and the least acoustically similar call types. Additionally, P was robust to changing social competition levels in H. versicolor. Our findings suggest new directions in animal communication research in which the complex relationships among the traits of multiple signals are a key consideration for understanding signal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S. Reichert
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity College CorkCorkIreland
| | - Gerlinde Höbel
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Wisconsin‐MilwaukeeMilwaukeeWIUSA
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